The Blog

Animals, Christianity, Creativity, Writing

Building an Audience

Lisa Burbank

“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:3)

Phew! Finals are done. I passed both of them. And, hooray, I am now scaling back to being a part-time student going forward because trying to work full-time and go to college full-time…and take care of a multitude of animals full-time, all while navigating the waters of foreclosure mediation and this nearly unlivable fixer-upper, was becoming a bit too much. It simply means I will graduate sometime in May of 2024 instead of July of 2023. It’s a little cringeworthy; I’d like to be done with it. But scaling back also means saving some sanity.

It also means I have a little time to take a step back this next term and evaluate.

My next class is more of the business side of writing. I’m thoroughly enjoying the writing business classes: building an audience, freelance writing, etc. Not so much the actual writing classes. I confess to not liking the direction today’s fiction is headed. But that’s another story for another day.

May God bless you & keep you! It’s been a long week.

Brothers & Sisters, Culture, Folklore, Gratitude, Herbs, Holidays, Tradition, YouTube

Celebrating January 6th

Lisa Burbank

“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!

Abuse, Alcoholism, Animals, Christianity, Faith, Homesteading

Happy New Year 2023…(Observed!)

Lisa Burbank

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

“He who was seated on the throne said “I am making everything new!’ Then He said, “‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” (Revelation 21:1-5)

I missed the usual “Goodbye” to the old year with its remembrance of those lost to The Herbal Hare Tomestead on New Year’s Eve; I was in bed long before midnight. We did have one loss. And I feel it keenly: the last of my bunnies, Miss Tumbleweed, died over the summer months. She was 10 years’ old, a good age for a rabbit but, knowing she lived to a great age, doesn’t make the loss any easier to bear. She spent the last couple of years of her life without another rabbit for companionship but, considering where we’ve been financially, investing in more rabbits would’ve been foolish. When her brother, Sweet Pea, died, I moved her cage into the kitchen so she could at least be in the thick of things instead of sitting lonesome in what had been the rabbit room (doesn’t every good homestead have one of those?). Now we’re The Herbal Hare Tomestead without the hare (rabbit).

(Insert heavy sigh here)

I miss having rabbits. I enjoyed the nightly “bunny time” when I would let the bunnies out of their cages to stretch their legs, try a few binks, and explore. I usually had a book in my hand…though the usual ankle-head butts from one of the buns set it down again. It was the ultimate “down time” for me. I miss grooming them, too, though it could often be stressful (not all bunnies like to be handled too much). There will be more bunnies at this homestead again. In due time…

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions; they rarely stick.

This year is different…and I have every intention of making it stick:

This year I am hoping to grow my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Yes, and I can already hear the Adversary whispering his lies…)

My faith has taken a beating these last few years. I feel a little like Job, who lost so much, went through so many trials and tribulations, only to be given even more than he had had to begin with. I’m holding onto that hope. However, the thought of losing–comforts, things I’ve worked for, places that have meaning, and especially loved ones, like Tumbleweed–is a tough pill to swallow. But I’m leaving it all in his hands. Thy will be done.

Phew! That was tough even to write…

He’s been in my corner so much lately, helping me to navigate this foreclosure process; protecting my family though this fixer-upper has become unsafe and scary to live in; giving me full-time employment in a tanking job market, and showing me who is really in my corner on the human side of this equation. Despite present hardships, I have hope in my heart and feel blessed beyond measure. Blessed be the name of the Lord! It’s time to truly walk by faith. I want that closer relationship to Him. It’s no kind of life without Him.

Trust.

I have so little of it. Such is not uncommon when you’ve grown up with alcoholism in the home, certain types of abuse, etc., the dysfunctionality of such a home. I stick my toes in the waters–new jobs, a path towards one of many dreams, even relationships of every shape and size–only to pull them back out again. I procrastinate. I allow fear to rule over me, distrust and lack of confidence. Those dreams are for other people. More importantly, I forget to ask Him how He can use me. How may I serve YOU, Lord? How may I further your kingdom here on earth? Are the dreams you’ve put on my heart part of that kingdom? What if I gave everything to those dreams and let you take the reins to where they lead? Can I find that measure of trust needed deep down inside?

I can’t…but He can.

I think I have this year’s song of the year, too: What If I Gave Everything? by Casting Crowns. You may give a listen here:

May God bless you & keep you!

Tumbleweed 2012 – 2022

Abuse, Brothers & Sisters, Christianity, Community, Compassion, Culture, Family, Friendship, Human rights, Prayer, Scripture

Bright Blessings for Brooklyn Farm, Pet & Hardware

Lisa Burbank

“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!

19th century, Books, Christianity, Creativity, Diversity, Frugality, Introvert, Proofreading, Writing, YouTube

Learning the Ropes

Lisa Burbank

“Lord, I am overflowing with your blessings, just as you promised. Now teach me good judgment as well as knowledge. For your laws are my guide.” (Psalms 119:65-66)

I approached the return to academia to earn my Masters in Creative Writing with a little trepidation. The frugal fanatic questioned the wisdom of racking up more student loan debt against the benefit in the job market of a higher degree…especially at my age (mid-50s). However, knowing my thesis will be the completion of my first manuscript, along with at least one full revision, the MFA program won out. If I don’t do this now, it’ll never happen.

I started this journey bent on also earning my teaching certificate for higher education (online classrooms only) and then, after the first term or two, I decided to switch to the Professional Writing program. I wrongfully assumed that it mostly involved advertising. I really hated the Intro to Advertising/Marketing that I took as an elective when I earned my Bachelor’s degree. Somehow the idea of perpetually trying to come up with new jingles to sell more products that I will probably never use, nor endorse, while competing with others in a cut-throat environment just didn’t appeal. Granted, there’s big money in advertising, and many love their careers in it. However, I couldn’t see this introvert being happy in such an environment, no matter how healthy the pay scale.

I’m learning that the professional writing program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a whole lot more; albeit, I am learning more about search engine and social media optimization, elevator pitches, and marketing along the way.

Ghostwriting; proofreading and/or editing for other writers; speech writing; web content; creating brochures and informational materials; articles; essays; newsletters, and blogs are all ways to supplement income and create a brand. Hence, the renewed interest in this blog, the desire to build a website that I can add to as products and services become available, and the ambition to learn more about podcasting, voiceover acting, and creating YouTube videos.

No, these last are not taught as part of the professional writing curriculum but, SNHU does stress diversity in the services you offer. Sort of a “don’t-put-all-your-eggs-into-one-basket” mentality. In today’s primarily part-time job market, it’s sound advice. The full-time, blue collar profession, with benefits and competitive wages, to which one can devote 20+ years and then retire, is a fond memory of our parents’ and grandparents’ generation. This Gen-X-er has always chafed and sneered at being called the “lost” or “forgotten” generation but, in this instance, it fits. Gen-X-ers grew up during the transition from full-time, blue collar and today’s advanced AI. When I was in high school, we were still being taught to focus on that one career that would stand us for much of our adult life while being introduced to DOS programming; Windows didn’t officially start until the year after I graduated. There’s been a constant learning curve ever since and I’m looking forward to learning still more…despite my obsession with all things 19th century.

How’s that for an oxymoron?

May God bless you & keep you!

Animals, illness, Scripture

Always Something…

Lisa Burbank

“They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt hem; and they will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them.” (Mark 16:18)

Well, no, I haven’t been dipping into any snake venom or anything, but…

Dang sinus infection! It’s always something. I guess I have to remember that and learn to accept it but, it doesn’t make the frustration any easier. I have finals in both classes this week + new job + new staff to train. I don’t have time for this. I want to go full speed ahead. I guess this IS full speed ahead for now: One step forward, cough, cough, hack, cough, two steps, blow nose, cough, cough, three steps, blow nose, cough, hack, hack, blow nose again.

This is what I get for cleaning out the duck pen…not the day-to-day “spot” cleaning but, a good autumn “deep” cleaning before we head into winter. That’s how I spent last Monday (Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day): inhaling all sorts of dust, hay, feathers, etc. The next day, the throat started feeling scratchy. Then a stuffy head. The worst of it is: ducks are such messy creatures, by Wednesday, the pen was a fright again (sigh!).

Cough, hack, cough, cough…Achoo!

Eh, well, at least my blisters will have more time to develop into callouses before I tackle the goat pen. Farming is NOT for sissies.

Praising Him in this storm…Happy Monday, Everyone! (Cough, cough, hack)

May God bless you & keep you!

Abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal Rights, Animals, Appreciation, Christianity, Faith, Frugality, God/Jesus, Gratitude, Healing, Scripture, YouTube

Overcoming “Stupid”

Lisa Burbank

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24)

I read somewhere, can’t remember where exactly, but I remember reading somewhere that when you’re under a lot of stress, you get “stupid”. I.e. You make a lot of choices that you wouldn’t be making if you weren’t under so much stress. If your standard of living wasn’t stuck on survive…or even just going through the motions to make it look like you were surviving.

I’ve always hated the word “stupid”. My stepfather called all of us “stupid” on a routine basis. Such is the results of alcoholism and the subsequent abuse that usually accompanies it. But that’s neither here nor there.

“Stupid” works in this situation.

In the last couple of weeks since I’ve gotten my promotion at work, it’s like there’s this part of my brain waking up. “Wow. I haven’t thought of doing that in a long time,” says my brain as I cash my first paycheck in this new position and start labeling envelopes for everything I need to catch up on, or save up for. I’m on top of my billing schedule all of a sudden (maybe because I know I can make the payments?). Household chores are being taken up again. The apathy, depression, and anxiety are being put to sleep again. Problem solving, budgeting, and careful planning are jockeying into position.

Who knew.

Having been in therapy for decades from a childhood of abuse and degradation, my mind automatically starts analyzing everything. I feel like the “stupid” was really a self-defense mechanism kicking in. I lost a full-time job due to an injury (i.e. not my fault as I was laid up for several months) and fell behind on mortgage payments. I have new(er) neighbors challenging zoning…and threatening my goats, chickens, and ducks’ right to be here. My home needs a tremendous amount of work done. I have student loans coming down the pike and an out-of-control electric bill from a flooded basement last fall (well-pump not shutting off due to enormous hole blown in hot water tank…). We’re buying in water to drink due to my water softener dying on me. I feel like that self-defense mechanism kicked in and shut down logic and reason and common sense because maybe it was too much to handle. My mind could only focus on one thing: finding work to sustain me. And that was becoming a near thing.

Now, not only is logic and good reason, common sense and the ability to solve problems, budget, and plan returning, so is hope for a future.

Hence, my post from earlier this week about podcasts and YouTube channels and websites. Yes, I want to run with the wind. But, the perpetual fog I’ve been living under these last few years (yes, years), has tempered some of that run. I’m learning to walk again. Slow and steady wins this race.

And, of course, His grace, which has led me through this. It’s all in his hands. Faith has returned, too. It just took letting go of the reins. Not “stupid” at all.

May God bless you & keep you!

Art, Books, Christianity, Creativity, Faith, Friendship, God/Jesus, Gratitude, Healing, Herbs, Homesteading, Plants, Prayer, Writing, YouTube

An Upgrade?

Lisa Burbank

“I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise on my lips. My soul will boast in the lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:1-3)

And an update: the mortgage company is NOT happy that I have suddenly tripled my income and may be able to begin payments again. They are fighting tooth and nail to go straight to foreclosure. Contrary to what they often tell you, no, they wouldn’t rather keep you in your home. Especially if you’ve been in the home for as long as I have, and even with recent financial difficulties, was moving from just paying interest to finally touching principle before my injury and subsequent job loss. If they take it over, the owner (in this case, me) loses the equity and, whoever buys it going forward will supply the bank with a whole new round of interest payments. Greedy b@$t@rd$…

However, my attorney is on to them and there is a plan in place. Either I will keep the home, or I will sell it and, hopefully, receive some of my equity.

On another note, I am looking to upgrade my blog. My plan is to grow it into an actual website i.e. a paid subscription to WordPress (after taking some tutorials; I’m abysmally ignorant of how this all works) with a hosting platform. Whether I stay in my current home, or sell it and move, The Herbal Hare Tomestead will be growing. I’m still in the planning stages but, stay tuned.

A sneak peek?

Links to a future YouTube channel; podcast; a bulletin board for workshops and other events; how you may contact me for freelance projects, including possible voiceover work (although that may be a year or more into the future; I need to secure my home before I can look into building out a voiceover studio in it), as well as an online retail space as I get back into fiber arts. Again, this last may be farther into the future but, it starts with creating a website that can be added onto as I grow my homestead and business.

Again, stay tuned…and a big shout out of “Thanks!” to everyone who has continued to follow me through such spotty and uncertain times. I really appreciate your support, encouragement, prayers, and friendship.

May God bless you & keep you!