Happy New Year from Little Bird Farm! The 2nd day of this fresh new year, and we are covered in pristine snow. A rare event here - but not so rare as to keep one from HOPING for snow. And this year we got it - all day long yesterday! How is it that a fresh New Year's Day snow makes one so giddy and happy? Well, I don't know, but we were. Our week of Christmas was made so very special by the visit form our North Carolina kids. I know it is so difficult to orchestrate travel, especially at holiday time; airline reservations made so early, to assure the travel, kenneling doggies (also requiring early reservations these days), arranging for a friend to feed the chickens while you're away, wrapping up the hundreds of loose ends! We SO appreciate that our kids made all this effort to come be with us! For me, this meant many, many games of "Go Fish"and Yahtzee, a special date with our wonderful Piper, who is 8 years old, to see "Mary Poppins Returns". We loved it!!! Giggled and laughed and shared so many looks as we laughed! Cookie making together, a freezing cold day-after-Christmas trail ride, the 5 of us, in the enchanting quiet of the morning. Eating too many cookies! Lots of yummy hot chocolate. (Thank you to our Ft Worth kids who had a Texas Christmas this year, for our hot chocolate snowman!) Leftover posole for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After-dinner conversations by the fire with our son, reconnecting and learning about his life - and feeling so happy that we have loving relationships with one another - shared history and shared hopes and dreams. Listening to Piper as she read stories to us. Our three grandchildren are all such readers! Reading is magic! It amazes me as it opens up a vast world to these three amazing children! Our little piñon tree still sparkles, the white lights twinkle and I never tire of sitting in the living room in the quiet, just gazing at it. Oh, and the birds! We have been bird watching out our kitchen window to see a variety of different birds! Some we have never seen at our feeders before. The Sandhill cranes and Canadian Geese in our field are awesome! I tell them everyday that they are beautiful! And I thank them for coming too. We celebrated Fred's 7th birthday, the kitchen decorated with Piper's cool decorations and Fred's special cupcake of peanut butter and dog treats! Onward and upward we go now, into 2019. I will strive to use my power for good! I wish you peace.
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8).
If asked where I would want to "shelter in place", this would be the place! And Springtime would be the time. We are surrounded by beauty in Springtime - and an enormous (endless) supply of things to DO! Most of these things, after the mask sewing and checking in on family and friends electronically, involve a rake, a shovel, compost and seeds; lots and lots of seeds! Things we would be doing anyway this time of year, but now we have oodles of time to devote to garden and yard chores. (I say "we", but Tim continues to go to work at the hospital daily, of course. So, "we" refers to me and Fred, the dog.)
It doesn't take long, when working outdoors in the gardens, to completely forget all about the very peculiar times we are living in. Birds sing. Fred barks at the Mail Man. Neighbors wave as they pass by walking their dogs. I notice a bunch of tiny dill seedlings emerging, volunteers from last year. A happy surprise! While pruning the Mermaid rose hedge, I find myself awkwardly STUCK, the thorniest thorns, lodged first in my hat and then caught on my blouse and gauntlet glove! After wrangling around some, flipping my hat off to get free, I am loose. Are these roses worth this? I ask myself? Yes...they will be gorgeous in a month, I silently resolve. The morning sun shines brilliantly on Piper's Prairiefire Crabapple tree and the sweet crimson baby leaves of the Japanese maple trees; tulips of red and yellow beneath the trees. I decide to cut a handful of daffodils to place inside the house, so many varieties to choose from! Every fall we purchase a box of 100 mixed "daffodils for naturalizing" from White Flower Farm. Our last box was a mix of unusual varieties! And they really are that! Greenish ones, peachy ones, double and triple trumpet ones! One year we bought the miniature selection - adorable! So after many years of this, we have a really wild bunch of daffs! (These come unlabeled. You just plant them willy-nilly and know that they will be splendid. It's very economical!)
I am thinking of each and every family member and friend in these times of pandemic. These are rugged times that test our resolve and our creativity. We will do what must be done and we will make it through. I marvel at the compassion and resilience we are seeing every day.
Be well, dear ones! Stay strong! And if you can, Stay Home.
