Monday, October 30, 2017

making a life...

It's a perfectly dreary fall morning here in the Lou.  Drizzly rain, brisk wind, chilly temps.  It's absolutely perfect!  

I am blessed with a day away from work, I started to say off, but then I realized that I plan to work quite a bit today.  I hadn't really made any plans for the day when I was struggling to wake up to the alarm.  Little snippets of maybe's were about as solid as my plans went. 

I was tired.  Still am, but it's a good tired. I have had a great weekend, a few hiccups thrown in for good measure, but all in all a great weekend.  

Family time, rushing about trying to fix heat at the daughter's house, feeling thankful that ours is working. Spending time with both of my grand daughters.  And time to visit with one of my "boys" from long ago.  

Sitting here in the semi-silence, I feel peaceful.  It's been a long while since I have felt truly peaceful. It's starting to feel like my world is balancing a bit. 


The washer and dryer are the only sounds filling my home right now.  And instead of sitting here thinking of all the work that I need to accomplish, I am sitting here daydreaming of things I want to do. I have a whole glorious day stretched out in front of me.  And the only things that are non-negotiable are laundry and a manicure.  We've officially run out of clothing and my nails look hideous!

Fall always brings out my inner homemaker.  Surfing this morning while sipping my coffee I found about 20 recipes I wanted to make - for dinner.  And candies I want to try, after all that caramel sauce from yesterday turned out amazing. 



Then of course there is painting around the house that needs completed. I wonder, does the fall stir a nesting hormone?  Am I anything like the little squirrel out back gathering seeds and berries for the long cold winter ahead?

My fingers start to yearn for the feeling of soft fibers, I search for patterns that I have absolutely no time to complete.  I order yarn for projects that might be made when I finally retire, and wait anxiously checking delivery updates.  

I find that I often marvel at life.  I wonder how people find time for some of the incredible negativity that I witness all too often. I can barely find time to simply live. 

Life is pretty complicated now-a-days.  Did folks feel the same in years gone past?  I often think of the pioneer times in such an idealized way.  

I think about the dinners that they put on the table, how it was all "locally sourced, non-GMO, etc"... imagining how wonderful that fresh food must have tasted.  Envious of the fact that they were able to feed their family things that didn't come wrapped in plastic and processed to death.  Or that they didn't scurry off to the nearest restaurant for dinner after a hard day at work.

Rarely do I stop and think how exhausting and time consuming that was.  They didn't run to the local grocery and grab the ingredients they needed, storing them in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. They had to intentionally plan and raise the food products.  A loaf of bread took time to make.  Sure the smell drifting through the house was incredible.  But can you imagine the effort of keeping the wood fire going at the correct temperature, the strain on the hands, arms and back to knead those loaves?  Personally, I get upset when veggies spoil or bread gets moldy, and I didn't have to harvest them or make them myself. 

Clothes couldn't just be picked up.  Blankets and bed clothing either.  If I don't feel like making hats and mittens will my family do without?

I guess each time has had it's own struggles.  The things I long to have time to do, would have at one point in time been a full time career for someone.  For me, the making of a loaf of bread, a batch of soap, hats and mittens, or even quilts is a relaxing pleasure.  If I opt out, my family doesn't do without. 


But there were times in my life, that if I hadn't learned those skills my family did without, because I simply didn't have the money to rush to the store.  And I am thankful that I learned them. 

Life sure is a funny thing.  I cherish being fairly self sufficient, yet I am thankful that I am not chopping and hauling wood up the hill to heat my home. 

I still wonder.  

What if instead of living on social media causing trouble, we were learning life skills to help us through the hard times? Has life gotten too easy? 

I always hear the voices of the past in my head... idle hands are the devils workshop.   I can't say that I disagree. 

Do, make, clean, create, grow, experiment, explore... I feel we all need a few more action words in our lives. 

Speaking of which... 


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