January 24, 2014
Are you keeping warm?
I hope your Holidays were happy and you have good memories now
that we have moved into the new year.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with Family in Lancaster and had a
quiet Christmas and New Year on the farm. We entertained a few friends and
relaxed with Family that could be with us.
I did minimal decorating this year. I had planned on purchasing a live tree and planting it
after the holidays but the time flew by and it did not happen. We have several such trees between our
two properties and it is fun watching them grow.
WE have a small table in the living room that i decorated with a
basket of large pinecones and a holiday silk flower centerpiece. In front of them on a red mirrored
scarf that was a recent gift from family visiting India, I set up a nativity
scene that my father-in-law carved and gave us when the children were
young. Next to it was a small bowl
of white stones.
The white stones were in memory of Nelson Mandela who died in
December. When we purchased the
farm in the early summer
of 2009 I had already planned a trip to South Africa. We literally moved in and ten days
later I was off for three weeks in South Africa with a group of Artists,
sightseeing and visiting South African Artists from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
During that trip I visited Nelson Mandela’s home in Soweto, a few
blocks from Desmond Tutu and later in Cape Town went to Robbin Island with my
Travel buddy. I stood in the cell
where he had been held as a prisoner 27 years, walked the halls and yards. The bus took us to the quarry where he
and other prisoners were made to quarry White Granite. I for some reason chose not to make the
trek to the quarry but my friend and traveling buddy picked up a small piece of
the quartz for me as a gift. I was
touched and brought it home and put it on my bedside table.
WE were still moving in and one day the stone disappeared. I looked everywhere for it. I was frustrated and upset. I blamed
the workers who probably thought they had brought it in with the cuffs of their
pants or shoes and simply threw the stone into the driveway.
After a few days I realized the futility of my anger. It would not
bring that stone back and it was just a stone. It represented a man who could forgive so many horrible
wrongs. It was just a stone.
I ended up collecting white stones from my driveway. They fill the small bowl and remind me
to not take life so seriously and forgive. Life is too short for anger.
Yes, I still get upset but the stones remind me of so much.
WE lost a world renowned leader who taught us to forgive and take
the high road. There are so many
amazing good people in this world who rarely if ever get acknowledged for doing
the right thing. We seem to hear
only about the bad in the world.
We need to remember all of the good things in life.
In early January I lost another one of my Aunts. My Mother’s younger sister, Kay. She has always been a mentor. raising
three sons and adopting two of my girl cousins. She and Uncle John raised chickens, usually a small beef
calf each year for butchering later, had a garden and canned and with the boys
hunted with bows and musketloaders on an acre of land on the edge of a corn
field. She was always so upbeat
and encouraging. She is missed.
On the way home from the funeral that friday I heard the news of
the “polar Vortex” coming with the coldest temperatures we have had in 20
years. I made it home and
gratefully the ground was frozen enough to get my tractor in the fields to move
fresh hay Bales into the fields to act as wind breaks to be rolled out later
for the sheep.
The five bulls had been grazing in the front hay field but had no
overhead structure for wind and weather protection. I spent the next few hours preparing the barn stalls to put
the bulls in. the cows are more susceptible to the cold weather than the sheep.
By the time the cold weather arrived Tuesday January 7 I did what
I had been preparing to do for several months. I entered the hospital for another knee replacement: The
temps that morning were -8 that morning with wind chills to -16.
Gratefully the animals all survived the temperatures and we are
prepared for the continuous cold weather.
Daniel is still going to the Farmers Market on Saturdays.
Eggs and dried basil are available. The lamb we butchered in the fall has been all sold, but
after checking with the health Department we will be selling lamb that was
butchered late 2012 and is still in sealed packages. That lamb will be half its original price as we would like
to move it along. Usually any meat goes to half price after six month from
butchering date at least for us. We also will soon have pots of herbs:
Cilantro, arugula, basil and more.
We will be butchering the bulls in February. The spring crops of cabbage, kale,
brocolli and more are coming up in the green house.
Stay warm and thank you all for all the calls and notes. Judy
