December Thoughts

We are now in the end of the fine month of December here at the smallholding and I hear many times a week the lament that the snow has come and how another winter has come and yet I think many times “Well it’s Canada?!?!?!”

I find it hard to grasp why people constantly complain about something that comes every year; it is not as though it is a surprise that winter is coming, it is actually a season to me of practicality, for without it we would not get the pleasure of Spring and the renewal of growth. Winter is a period of rest and preparation for renewal of life. It is also a great time for reflection and and can be useful in getting things accomplished during the long quiet winter evenings.

Not too many years ago Winter was when new clothes were made, shoes were repaired or new ones cobbled and fabric was woven on looms from the fall harvest of natural fibers, whether wool, cotton or flax. It was also a time when many children had the chance to go to school since they were needed on the farms during the growing and harvesting seasons more often than not.

Women were the heartbeat of a household in many ways for without them the home could not function. People have forgotten how little we need to do to live. Now we buy our clothes, food and goods from stores with little regard for the labour required to create them. When one considers that people had to raise the fibers required for their clothing, then harvest it, prepare it for weaving, weave it then actually make their clothing, you can understand why people had fewer outfits.

Living on the smallholding with an objective to growing our own with the goal of self sustainability makes you read a lot of books and many of them give you insight to our ancestors way of life. Lessons learned the hard way, sometimes the easy way. Neighbours were important and community was small many times but large in others.

An example is in the small village I live outside of, a friend opened up a small thrift store in the spring of 2018. It has been an amazing experience of locals contributing goods which we then sort, turn around and sell to the community for low prices they can afford. The shop is staffed by volunteers with all the profits going back to the community. For Christmas we provided working families with 40 turkey dinners and 66 children of varying ages with presents as well as stockings. Not a small feat for our small group and it has allowed me to meet many people in our new hometown.

(The owner also brainstormed a most amazing Remembrance Day window!)

Sometimes the hardest part about moving to an area totally new to you is having to make new connections, new friends.

Serendipity is amazing in the way I met the owner. A few years ago we had an exposure of a secretive movement on the part of county counsel to sell a waste disposal property with a 20 year old approval. In setting up a meeting place for the first meeting that the public attended I met her through her access to a meeting place. Over time and through the beginning of the thrift store we have become friends with a lot in common. On a side note we received the news just before Christmas that our Environmental Minister has stripped the certificate of approval from the site!

I like to think of this picture as the caped crusader of victory!

So as December closes and we rapidly move towards 2020, I look back on what the last year has brought to my life. Reflection is always an adventure as it teaches you what is important and what is not. Quality vs quantity trumps all.

Life moves on and we are just along for the ride, players on the stage. Winter is a time to rejoice for the next season ahead.

Christmas is Love

Merry Christmas to all! Here on the smallholding the temps are quite moderate for Canada, only 0C! It’s a quiet Christmas, having no children at home and our only Grand living hundreds of miles away, it reminds me how much Christmas is about children. The time and nurturing put into keeping the Holiday a happy one for kids is only truly noticed when there are no children in the house to do such for.

But here we are also enjoying this quiet part of our lives and relaxing while our newest household member plays around us. Smudge came to us shortly after losing Fauve, my pet for 18.5 years. She is everything Fauve was not so it is a total turnaround. Where Fauve was distant, Smudge is affectionate. Fauve was a one person cat and Smudge knows no strangers! Smudge’s picture is from this morning and Fauve’s is the last taken of her.

Smudge was a gift from a coworker who had taken in a young barn cat who was carrying a secret and presented them with kittens a few weeks later. I have always wanted a white cat and as soon as I saw the litter I prayed she would have bi colour eyes so she wouldnt be deaf( her eyes were blue at birth and for weeks after) and shortly before she joined us her 1 eye started to change colour! A deaf kitten would have been too much fun for Dolly who loves to play with cats!

Animals are.proof that Love is never an empty vessel but continues to flow over, adding to our lives in a constant steady method. At Christmas we celebrate love in many ways to remember.

This has been a busy year and many things have happened since I last posted on the blog. I always tell myself I must be more regular and this year that is my goal! In September my daughter married her long time partner in a close intimate wonderful wedding that was perfect for them.

I have never been happier than to see her look so beautiful and happy. She has always followed her own pathway and while her wedding was unconventional it was totally her! Then they bought a house about 5 weeks later! We spent American Thanksgiving with them and enjoyed their new home. Love is a wonderful thing!

Live teaches us lessons daily as we walk thru life and we do things for others out of love. Love is as simple as a cherry pie.

Cooked this morning because my husband asked for it! As well as the coconut custard one I had stashed in the freezer! Love is about giving as well as receving. It also teaches us compromise in everything we do but especially in relationships! Many times you will do things for love that you would not always do on your own, or give up things because it makes things easier in a relationship.

Sunsets are a thing I love as they cast such wonderful colours around us and remind us that every day is a gift granted to us. They temind me that there is a new day just waiting to be born!

Families are all about love, as love allows us to grow thru nurturing and allows friendships to form thru love of 1 person in symbiosis with another you love. Here is my daughter with her cat who grew to love her son because she loved my daughter. Sadly she died young due to cancer but Reese was so sweet to my grandson and mever scratched or bit him even though he was a very enthusiaistic little boy and she was ill although we didnt know it at the time.

Love comquers all they say and I tend to agree. And that is why Christmas is about Love, for whether you are religious or not, this holiday brings people together is a wondrous way by showing us that giving is a far greater gift than receiving!

I volunteer at a local community supported Thrift Store. The owner makes no profit and turns all the profit from the community donated goods sold at the store go to.the local community. All of us who work the store donate our time at no charge.

This year we supported 66 local youth from working poor families to have gifts on Christmas as well as 40 Christmas turkey dinners! The community response was staggering, between donations of money and presents and food, it shows that the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in our little village and larger township!

Christmas is all about Love so make sure you tell those you Love how much they mean to you today and every day! Blessings!