“We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 75:1)
…for your patience!
I had planned another Wednesday’s Weed Walk today but just received news last night from my cousin in Arizona of the passing of my beloved aunt, Sandra Chelak (nee Burbank). Wednesday’s Weed Walk may become either a Friday’s Flora and Fauna, or get pushed back to next week. I trust you will understand.
May God bless you & keep you!
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.” (Psalm 25:1-2)
With Easter come and gone for another year, the self-imposed dietary restrictions given for Lent have also come and gone. I lamented in a recent post that I failed to keep my vows 100% by partaking of a fortune cookie when Mom and I went out for Chinese food one night. I wasn’t even thinking of it as a “sweet”; it’s just part of the meal in my mind. But, otherwise, I did fairly well with avoiding traditional “junk” food.
I still haven’t mastered the other half of my vows: to read a chapter of Scripture each day. It’s been spotty at best. However, He’s still working in my life, still working through me and in me.
I just polished off a small bowl of Maple Kettle Korn from Bureau’s Sugarhouse in Connecticut. On Good Friday, Mom, Robert and I drove up to The Book Barn in Niantic, CT. I called ahead of time to confirm that they would be open on the holiday but, I neglected to check the time that they open. We got there about an hour beforehand. After a brief discussion, we decided to do an early lunch…and found the restaurant also wasn’t opening for another hour. We drove down the road some more and came to a place called Smith’s Acres, LLC.
What an amazing place!
It’s relatively small but they carry all manner of landscaping plants, succulents in their greenhouse, and floral arrangements. There’s a farmers’ market inside featuring fresh produce, jams, jellies, honey and maple syrup, all manner of sauces, and a refrigerator full of ice cream. If we added some herbs for growing, and homemade yarns, it could almost be the store of my dreams.
Mom found the Kettle Korn up by the register. We’ve been enjoying it since Easter and remarking how incredibly delicious it is. I didn’t realize until I went to toss away the empty bag that it was Bureau’s product.
Bureau’s Sugarhouse used to have a booth at the Woodstock Fair every year (they may still…). I worked at the Fair for several seasons (2012-2016) and, for one of my co-workers, purchasing a bag of their Maple Kettle Korn was an annual treat. After hearing her rave about it, I bought a small bag one year and fell in love with it. I haven’t had it since I left the fair.
That’s probably a good thing for my teeth and my waistline!
Where He’s working on me, is the return to “desserts” now that Lent has ended. While I’ve enjoyed the Kettle Korn, the bag of black licorice jelly beans (is there any other kind??), and a few other “sweets”, I’ve really been paying attention to my body since the return to them.
I felt better without them. I slept better, too. It’s also renewed my commitment to take better care of myself. Who knew?
I wrote about my dream homestead in my “About” section. And I’ve certainly talked about it on the blog many times. I want to be here to enjoy it. Once I’m back on my feet financially–and we’re getting there slow but sure since taking the director’s seat at the library–I believe I can accomplish that end.
I’m also learning to leave it in His hands. His plans are greater than my own. I want to be here to see that, too.
For anyone else who celebrated Lent by sacrificing in some way, what are some of the ways He’s blessed you? I’d be delighted if you’d share in the Comments’ section below.
May God bless you & keep you!
“Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’.” (Luke 24: 45-47)
I’m a day late with Easter greetings but, I decided a long time ago that I would avoid making any posts on Sunday, the Lord’s day. I may have broken it once or twice but, overall, I tend to rest on the seventh day. If it was good enough for God to rest after 6 days of creation, it’s good enough for me.
Anyway, I hope your Easter holiday was special and filled you and yours with joy this year. Mom and I spent the day at a friend’s house, enjoying good food and good conversation. Today I “O.D.ed” on black jelly beans (is there really any other kind???), having given up sweets for the Lenten season. However, after satisfying my deprived sweet tooth today, I hope to continue the good habit of avoiding sweets except on rare occasions.
And though I failed to read a chapter of the Bible each day as vowed, still, I spent more days with it than not, cognizant of those failures, and He allows for another recalibration.
He makes all things new. After Easter, I always feel a sense of new beginnings. Maybe it’s Mother Earth waking up to the warmer temperatures. Maybe it’s the anticipation of this year’s garden. Whatever it is, I am filled with hope and expectancy, looking forward to the growing season.
I also start a new class next week: Short Story Writing. I’m looking forward to this one. I’m hoping it will help improve my writing habit since I will have new stories to turn in each week…another area of life that needs recalibrating.
What are some areas of your life that need recalibrating? I’d be delighted if you’d share below.
May God bless you & keep you!
“He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in His arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me’.” (Mark 9:36-37)
I feel like a little kid today. It’s the first “real” snowfall of the season. I say “real” because the few light dustings we’ve had earlier in the year don’t count, do they? I mean, you can’t build a snowman, or have a proper snowball fight, with barely an inch of snow on the ground. However, winter storm Anthony, as the meteorologists are calling it, is a bit more substantial. I haven’t properly measured, or consulted the news’ stations but, merely by eyeballing it, I’d say we have 4-5 inches on the ground.
And, no, I didn’t spend the day building a snowman. Instead, I stayed in my pajamas all day, read a book, drank lots of Chai tea, and now I’m focusing on some homework…albeit, with this brief detour into blogging.
I have to build another website/blog for this term’s class: New Media. Another website/blog in addition to this one, and my author’s page. I’ve been questioning the wisdom of trying to keep up with 3 separate sites when I often drop the ball on the two I already have but, c’est la vie! I want a passing grade. And the only way to do that is to comply. If it proves to be too much, once the class is over, I’ll take it down. Sorted…
Of course, having another page also means coming up with enough content to support another page. I recently went through this site and tried to remove as much of the social/political stuff as I could. As this website was started as a place to share about herbs, homesteading and prepping, really, the social/political stuff doesn’t belong here.
Nor does it belong on my author’s page.
But there are social issues that I do care about that I’d like to write about from time to time. I’ve spoken a time or two about my childhood growing up with alcoholism, and having a father who wanted nothing to do with me…and a stepfather who wanted a little too much to do with me. I see some social issues in the news today that are all too reminiscent of that childhood and, lo and behold, a new site may be born.
However, when I started this new class a few weeks’ ago, I decided to go to a different platform to start this website. We use Wix at work so I am growing familiar with it. And, I figured, if I’m on a totally different platform, it’ll be harder for any social/political views to accidentally wind up on the wrong blog…and potentially alienate any longtime followers who do not share my views, or appreciate the research I hope to do to support my views.
And here I have to put in a plug for WordPress. Wix has got to be the most finicky, pain-in-the-@$$ website I have ever encountered. It looks like I may be starting from scratch creating this third website/blog…here on WordPress after all.
Who knew?
And, incidentally, it was my decision to close the library today. That feels so weird. The little kid in me delighting in the first “real” snowfall of the year is trying to reconcile this adulting thing where I have to make informed decisions for the greater good of my team. It was the right decision, given the snowfall and the slippery, sloppy roads. It just feels very weird–in a good way–to be the one called upon to make such a decision.
I am grateful. I am grateful for the new position. I am grateful for the responsibility entrusted to me. But it still feels weird. Maybe I should reconsider the snowman after all.
May God bless you & keep you!
PS Once this other blog is up and running, I will post a link somewhere for others to follow.
“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.” (Song of Songs 2:3-5)
The good Lord has given me the sweetest of gifts this morning. For those of you who have been following here a while, you know about my financial difficulties since January 2019. The good news is the mortgage company accepted my application for modification. They’ve put me on a trial run of three months. If I can make the payments each month, then I can be reinstated completely. Barring any unforeseen calamities, the new payment should be doable. Praise the Lord! For He truly is good.
I hope everyone else has as good of a day as I am having today and that He blesses your lives even more richly than He’s blessed mine.
May God bless you & keep you!
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
The need to become more self-sufficient has moved from yearning to this almost panic-filled need. We’re running out of time. Both economic depression and the threat of nuclear war loom, and our leaders fly off to Davos to plot how to take everything away from the average working class citizen. There have been countless headlines quoting Mr. Schwab as saying we will own nothing and we will be happy about it. I’m probably paraphrasing a bit but, the overall gist is there. Yes, I can play devil’s advocate here a moment and say, sure, maybe it’s propaganda, a conspiracy theory. But, what if it isn’t? What if the goal really is a 15 minute city where we will own nothing for ourselves?
Would we be happier without ownership?
First of all, as a Christian, anything I own I do so by the grace of God. What I have truly belongs to Him. Would I be happier having those gifts taken away?
Despite the new position at the library, I’m still staring foreclosure in the face. It’s a lengthy and stressful process and there’s no guarantee that I will be successful in my endeavors. One could argue that, if I wasn’t a homeowner, this stress would not exist. I wouldn’t be fretting about losing everything that I have worked for in my life up to this point. And that is true. There’s also the multitude of repairs that fall on my shoulders as homeowner…repairs that have gotten out of hand in recent years. There’s the zoning issue still hovering over me like a black cloud. In short, the more you have, the more you stand to lose.
But, let’s spin this around a bit.
If we don’t own anything, what is the point of working, of setting goals? Whether we own a house, a car, etc. doesn’t change the fact that we still have to have food to eat. That is also true. But isn’t the purchasing of food a form of ownership? If you don’t own the place where you live, it is likely your landlord will not allow you to put in a garden. You won’t be able to raise livestock for eggs, for dairy, for meat…if you eat such things. I was a vegetarian for over 20 years. I know one can survive without consuming animal flesh. However, the loss of certain B vitamins, especially B-12, wreaks havoc with your nervous system. Stress, anxiety, depression often stem from a lack of these vitamins. And supplements are expensive. The purchase of such is also a form of ownership.
Now let’s go back to the garden. You can’t have one. You don’t own the land upon which your leased/rented home sits. What if you truly enjoy gardening? And what if you’re an introvert, like me, and the thought of a community garden makes you feel physically ill at times? If it’s not YOUR garden alone, you may be limited by what you can plant there. If you’re a herbalist like me, growing purely medicinal plants would likely be prohibited. Big Pharma doesn’t like competition, or a loss of control. So you don’t own the land. You can’t garden, which brings you joy. You can’t grow the types of food you enjoy eating. You can’t grow and make your own medicines, or even health and beauty aids. You’ll have to buy from big box stores, or online retailers. What’s in that food? That medicine? That skincare supplement?
Okay. You’re not a gardener. Maybe you like swimming in a pool, hosting backyard barbecues. Guess what? You can’t do that either. It’s not your land. And the people at Davos, who fly around in their private jets, just decreed that barbecues are environmentally unfriendly. The smoke produces too much CO2. As do cows. No steak. No hamburgers. No cheese to melt over that petrie dish substitute.
What if you’re not an outdoors kind of person at all? You don’t own your home. The landlord doesn’t allow pets. He/she doesn’t want you painting the walls. Your place isn’t big enough for a workshop to build things, like furniture. And your kitchen only consists of a microwave and a single induction burner. Baking, canning what you grew at the community garden, or cooking healthy meals is next to impossible (microwaves destroy all of the wholesome goodness in the food cooked in them). You can’t knit. Raising livestock is outlawed (that CO2 thing again) so no wool, angora, or mohair to work with. Acrylics will disappear, too, since we’re no longer drilling for oil.
Maybe you like taking the occasional long drive in the country. Yes, improvements in batteries for electric vehicles (EV) are happening all the time these days. But at what cost to the environment? No, oil and gasoline are not infinite resources. Neither are cadmium or nickel, or any other precious metal. Yes, drilling for oil does tremendous harm to the environment. But so does mining for these metals. Like coal, mountains are dug out, and run-off from the mining pollutes the soil and water. However, to get back on subject, you want to take that drive. But you don’t own a vehicle–EV or otherwise–and the EVs left at the community garage are all in use today. Sorry.
Does this sound like a happy existence?
If we own nothing, we also cease to own our joy. By owning nothing, we give up our right to choose for ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want some wrinkled up prune in Davos telling me I can’t pick a few dandelion leaves to feed to my rabbits, or even a salad for myself. I don’t want anyone telling me I can’t take a road trip someday to visit my brother in Tennessee because he’s outside of my 15 minute zone. I don’t want to eat synthetic, processed foods, or wear plastic clothing. I want the freedom to make truly healthy choices for me, my family, my pets, and my community.
I also don’t want to be at the mercy of the “system”. What happened in 2020 will last in my memory forever. The walk into the grocery store and seeing aisles of completely empty shelves. Companies, stores, libraries completely shutdown. Places of worship closed until further notice. Loved ones denied the right to say a proper “goodbye” to those they lost. The loss of employment for so many because they refused to become human guinea pigs in their real-world experiments. And now, watching so many young people–healthy, young athletes–dropping after accepting a jab to the arm as part of that experiment.
The less dependent on that “system” we are, the less that fabricated shortages, shutdowns, and experiments will hurt us. Even a window box will produce some food and reduce some of that dependence. It may not be enough to sustain you completely, but start there. Learn how to can food and pick up produce at a farmer’s market. Or even on sale at the grocery store. Learn how to make pet food from scratch. If you can, invest in a chest freezer. Find someone in your community who knows how to find and identify wild edibles. Visit your local library and check out books on the Great Depression. Or comb YouTube for videos on the same. What did our ancestors do to make it through? There is a sense of pride that comes with being able to make your own way in the world, in being able to cook from scratch, grow a few tomatoes and herbs in a pot, split wood for a fire in a stove.
There is a sense of pride in owning a home, too. Yes, you can become a slave to that ownership, especially during hard times. And there’s no denying the cost. Not everyone can afford homeownership and that is the real tragedy in our society today. Houses have gotten progressively bigger and more expensive. At the risk of sounding like one of those conspiracy theorists, perhaps that’s part of the plan from some of our leaders. But the freedom to live as one chooses is worth the fight.
Even Jesus gives us the right to choose.
May God bless you & keep you!
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalms 8:1)
This week I have finals in two separate classes. We will be back to our regularly scheduled program next week.
May God bless you & keep you!
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
Relax.
Breathe.
It’s not what you think.
Dare I say, “Gotcha!”? I could hear the hackles rising as your eyes skimmed the headline. No, I am not celebrating an attempt to stop the election process here in the U.S., nor the chants calling for the lynching of our then-sitting vice-president. Regardless of who you believe is at fault for that fateful day, January 6th has gotten far too much attention already. Let’s leave it for the talking heads in mainstream media. It’s time to move on.
Instead of January 6th having such a negative association, let’s inject it with some positivity. I recently learned that in Ireland January 6th is Women’s Christmas. It is a time when mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters are honored with a day of rest and special pampering from fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. Contrary to popular belief, most menfolk really do appreciate the gifts and sacrifices the women in their lives make. And, in a world where women are rapidly losing the awards and opportunities they’ve worked so hard to compete for, making January 6th a celebration of women worldwide would be a win-win for us all.
But don’t take my word for it.
If you would like to learn more about this lovely, but little-known tradition from Ireland, click on the video below. If you enjoy it, hit the “Like” button. Or, better yet, hit the bell to subscribe for more great videos about herbs, nature, spirituality, Celtic folklore, and traditions. I have been following Terri Conroy of Danu’s Irish Herb Garden for almost two years’ now. She’s a wealth of information and I look forward to her videos every week; I hope you will, too.
May God bless you & keep you!
“Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:15-16)
I don’t think I’ve ever given a plug for a local business before; I try to maintain a certain level of anonymity as to where I am located…safety reasons only. However, I am heartsick over what is happening to some neighbors of mine.
I went on Facebook yesterday to wish all the friends with birthdays this week happy ones. One has a very harsh review of a local business: Brooklyn Farm, Pet, & Hardware (BFP&H). This review had nothing to do with the service they received, or the products they purchased, or some rude manners from staff. It had everything to do with their political views. Seriously? I then decided I would go to BFP&H’s Facebook page and post something positive, a “thank you” for their service, a Merry Christmas, etc.
Their Facebook page has been hacked. There is now a picture of a blond woman and, underneath her photograph, it says this business is now closed…permanently. It also lists the business as being in Oklahoma??!?
Seeds of hate sown for something as petty as a difference of OPINION. That’s all.
I am heartsick for my friends at BFP&H, for the harm to their business, their livelihood, the attempts to discredit them.
These are the people I know from BFP&H:
First of all, I don’t know of too many businesses today that are full service. 50 lb. sacks of feed, bales of hay, etc. are carried out by staff and loaded into your vehicle. Staff is always polite and cheerful. The property is always clean and inviting.
When I fractured my shoulder almost 4 years’ ago, while they do not have a regular delivery service, per se, hay and feed was delivered to my doorstep. They even stacked the hay in my garage so it was easier for me to get to. I didn’t ask. It was simply offered.
Just before C-19 lockdowns, I had gone shopping and stocked up, as much as I could, on feed and hay so I could shelter in place. When Beth didn’t see me for a few days (I tend to visit every 4 days or so, about how long a bale of hay lasts for me), she actually stopped by the house to make sure I was okay, that I wasn’t sick or in need. Who does that anymore?
Brooklyn Farm, Pet, & Hardware does! They have been a pillar in this community and I find it appalling that anyone would be so cruel as to give poor reviews of their business, or hack into their accounts, in an attempt to destroy them over some political ideology. And I’m sure this isn’t an isolated incident.
What have we become as a nation? As a people? Many of the “essential superheroes” were later fired for refusing a certain medicine. No thought as to why this might be. Perhaps, like me, they’ve had adverse reactions to jabs before and chose not to…sanctioned by their primary care physician. Maybe they looked at friends and family, and the rate of failure to protect them from infection, despite multiple applications. Maybe it’s none of our business and we should respect folks’ right to choose what seems best for themselves. Fear mongering has brought out the worst of the control freaks in our society. Disagree with them and they’ll wreck your business, bring your family to ruin. Haven’t enough Main St. businesses been ruined by foolish lockdowns and an over-inflated economy? We’re on the brink of a recession, at the very least. Must we bring down those who are still treading water for our own selfish sense of entitlement?
“My way or the highway” cannot be the mantra anymore in our society. Loving one’s neighbor as ourselves needs to be sung from every proverbial mountaintop…and there’s a parallel in nearly every religion: “Surely the believers are none but brothers unto one another, so set things right between your brothers, and have fear of Allah that you may be shown mercy” (49:10 (Quran)); “This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause pain unto you” –The Hindu Mahabharata 5, 1517. “It harm none, do as ye will” Wicca. In the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, it is “Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18).
Is the need to be right worth shattering your brothers and sisters?
I pray that whoever is doing this evil thing will have a change of conscience, that they will take as many steps as possible to bolster those around them…instead of tearing them down. You have the right to disagree, to voice that opinion. You have the right to cease patronage to an establishment for that difference of opinion. But, to seek harm against that establishment, to harm others…no, you do not have that right.
I pray that any harm done to my friends at BFP&H is amended, that their business is strengthened and can recover from this assault. I pray that their Facebook page is restored and that neighbors can again find them and support them on social media.
And I pray this for every single entity that has been similarly maligned.
May God bless you & keep you!
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
It’s been a long time since I’ve had some positive news: I am now the Director of the Brooklyn Town Library. Granted, the title is currently “Interim Director” as there is a three month probationary period. This is standard practice for the library. I had a three month probationary period when I was hired as a clerk; the previous director also had a three month probationary period. I’m not too worried. Sure, there’s a risk that I might not prove to be exactly what they’re looking for. But, playing it “safe” will keep me in a part-time position…and cost me my home. Now I have a fighting chance in keeping it.
Or the means to save for a potential move (even a local one?).
I’m leaving it in His hands. The willingness to accept either outcome, and praising Him every step of the way–regardless of outcome–has set me free.
Finally.
It is a gentle reminder of Who is ultimately in control. Praise Him, even in the storm. God really does give second chances…and third…and fourth…
May God bless you & keep you!
The Herbal Hare Tomestead and Animal Sanctuary 