A Bird In The Hand

Here's a picture of Widget in the Christmas tree. He's right at home, sweet little white spotted bird!

No More Grocery Store

The wind is whipping around this old farmhouse as the sky lightens. There is no sunrise to see this morning, but rather fat flakes of cold white snow, and whirling clouds of woodsmoke blown this way and that. We are waking up to a cold and blustery day! Monday is traditionally my one day a week where I take my grocery list and head out to get food for the whole week. After the grocery store, I drive to a local Organically Certified farm and get our weekly cow share milk, 2 gallons to drink and turn into homemade cheese. This morning is so cold and snowy I was thinking that it should be a 'No More Grocery Store' day. Really, what do we need? Tissues??? Dish soap??? I have literally baskets and baskets of homemade soap scraps and we have hankies that can be washed. There is milk still in the cooler and almost 2 bushels of organic cabbage sitting next to about 10 bushels of apples and 2 hams that were given as gifts by hunter's at Christmastime. We have wild hickory nuts waiting to be cracked, cheese ripening in the cooler and kale that is still green, though cold and icy, under the snow. There are jars of organic Rye, Wheat, and Kamut sitting next to me on my bread table as I type and barrels and barrels of our own honey sitting out in the honey house. If I had a sack of coffee beans and my own little Jersey cow in the barn, I would not need to venture to town until spring. What a lovely hermit-like thought, huh?

So, I think today will be a No More Grocery Store day. Instead we will read books out loud, practice our hand stitching skills, fill the wood stove full of split wood and brew a huge pot of homegrown herbal tea! This is just the day to stay home. Please join me in slowing down and enjoying the day.

Frozen Eggs

It is cold. So cold that the eggs froze in their shells in the nests. The picture, above, is a fresh egg that I gathered just minutes ago. The egg is a solid piece of egg-ice. Of course, they are still good once they thaw...but these had expanded and cracked their shells open. We will eat them tomorrow for breakfast with our butter and homemade bread.

It is 13 degrees here in Michigan and the wind is 'wuthering' around the house and through the windows. There is a huge pot (two actually) of chicken noodle soup on the stove and the candles are lit for the evening.

Though my hands are still icy from the cold, as I type, my heart is warmed by the memory of good friends, thoughtful deeds and the blessings we recieve from others.

If you are somewhere cold tonight, pass on a thoughtful word to another soul, it will warm their heart on this bitterly cold evening.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT DIRT?

Dirt! I'm not talking about the bad kind...but the GOOD kind...the dirt that we run our fingers through when the ground warms up and smells good in the spring. The dirt that children play in and make mud pies from.

Today I was reminded of the accolades of dirt. I attended my first Ann Arbor Women's Farm & Garden Green's Show at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/.

This conservatory is an architectural masterpiece, a cultural gem and a literal breath of fresh air. The Koi goldfish swim in beautifully maintained pools surrounded by lush jade green plants, the air is thick with the perfume of flowers and warm humid leaves, microcosms and soil. It is simply a must-visit place if you are ever in Ann Arbor, any time of the year. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/images/viewer.asp?gallery=Conservatory&photo=DSCN1009.JPG

I was very happy to be a part of the Green's Show and was afforded the luxury of selling The Happy Peasant Soaps in such a beautiful spot. What a wonderful place to work. The staff were all so friendly and, no pun...but...down to earth! I was reminded of why I like gardening and gardeners and anyone who loves to sit and talk ad infinitum about plants, leaves, scented geraniums, soil pH and the latest heirloom discovery or strange new plant added to their collection.

I think the world would be a better place, simply stated, if people spent more time with plants and gardening. I really do.