Peripatetic philomaths…focusing on what's really important, eating ethically and cleanly, fermenting, foraging/wildcrafting, practicing herbalism, and being responsible stewards of our land. Sharing our photos, musings, and learnings. Still seeking our tribe.
One of the six remaining geese from April’s hatch died today – photo above from happier times. She was the last gosling to hatch, needing a little assistance. From the beginning, she had what I can only describe as a “dreamy” look to her, as if she were always thinking of a far-off place. She grew normally and, until now, she’d been healthy and active like the others.
I’d hazard a guess that most farmers don’t spend too much time looking up at the sky and daydreaming – for obvious reasons: you look up and step into a hole or slip and end up covered in mud. Nobody wants that, and injuries aren’t funny when you have buckets to lift, you need to crouch and stoop, and there isn’t a “backup” to do the work for you. When I saw this morning sky, though, I had to stop pulling my cart loaded with feed buckets and rubber bowls – just for a moment – and take it in.
The soft, puffy-looking “dunes” invited pondering what lay beyond them: the ether. There was blue sky up there, and it peeked out from the cloud cover. I couldn’t help but wonder if, when sleep came, I could float up there, passing through the spun-cotton threshold into what’s above. Maybe I’ll find out.
What feelings or imaginings does this sky(ku) evoke in you?
I’m loath to admit that I’d been fooled into believing the myth that farmers were the lobby that advanced the idea of daylight saving. As a farmer now, it flies in the face of reason that farmers would want this wholly artificial and arguably harmful construct to replace the natural schedule set by actual sunrise and sunset. In researching the topic further, I now understand the real reason why we engage in the daylight saving scheme: business interests.
Continue reading “Musings: It’s Time To Dispense With Daylight Saving”
Today is a particularly good day for introspection and quiet pondering. With the change from summer to fall (winter?), the multicolored leaves upon the ground and the bright but strangely soft quality of light this season brings, it encourages those “deep thoughts” and re-examining the “whys”.
I’m working on accepting: it seems that most of my life, I’ve railed against the admonition that I must just accept things with which I (often vehemently) disagreed. Now – arguably with the benefit of age influencing perspective – I do see that it would be prudent to practice acceptance under certain circumstances, like death. Despite my reflexive need to research, analyze, and solve every mystery, sometimes it just isn’t going to happen. I can work on accepting that – but I am still going to try to make sense of the universe in my own way.
May stodgy and non-productive approaches give way to fresh perspectives and renewed inspiration for you, too, in this transitional season.
From time to time, we find that we need to rehome farm animals. Usually, it’s one of the “excess” roosters or drakes; we make a concerted effort to rehome them – particularly the standouts – before we process them. Recently, a Runner drake was rehomed and the experience was unexpectedly delightful – and worth sharing.
Finding beauty in the ordinary isn’t difficult when Nature surrounds us with it. Walking across the front yard, the vibrant leaf litter jumped out at me – and this leaf, in particular. In the sunshine, it really was this incredible color (no filters applied). This – like all of the seasons – is an eye-popping time of year. Take time to appreciate it.
