lessons learned: what bird netting can teach us about relaxation
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese Proverb This morning, after I fed the chickens, I was attaching …
therapy
lessons learned: Nature’s therapy for teenage girls
Go out, go out I beg of you And taste the beauty of the wild. Behold the miracle of the earth With all the wonder …
lessons learned: what canning has taught me about prayer
Prayer is not a product; it is a relationship. ~ Daniel Wolpert, Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices Spending time …
lessons learned: what berries can teach us about bad habits
Last night, I headed out to the gardens. It has been a least a week since I could actually spend time there– sometimes, a homesteader …
wilting on the vine
Last week, my dear friend extended an impromptu invitation to dinner on Friday night. It was kind and thoughtful, and normally, with two hours of …
lesson learned: brokeness like a mosaic
God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to …
lessons learned: pitchin’ the rocks
Yesterday, we started working on the community garden at church. After weeks of rain-outs and equipment rescheduling, the field had been plowed and awaited tilling. …
checklist for a sunny Saturday
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood 1. Overalls, garden boots, hats and sunscreen 2. Shovel, …
lessons learned: cleaning out the closet
Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes, it’s letting go. ~Sylvia Robinson Last night, I was reading a meditation on the freedom …
lessons learned: pullin’ weeds
You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden. ~Terri Guillemet He who hunts for flowers will finds flowers; and he who loves …
waiting in the hands of the Creator
Lord of the elements and changing seasons, keep me in the hollow of your hand. When I am tossed to and fro by the winds …
taking a garden stroll: relaxing activities for the homesteader
Today, I had the joy of having a day off work and a daughter who just wanted to have some down time in her bedroom. …
lessons learned: weathering the storm
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the …
lessons learned: allow grace in
“I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found …
dirty hands, peaceful heart
My hands are small, I know But they’re not yours, they are my own ~Jewel, “Hands” Raising a teenage daughter comes with it many interesting …
on hauling mulch
Two weeks ago, hauling mulch back and forth from your neighbor’s yard, one small wheelbarrow at a time, afforded me the opportunity to work some …
at the end of the day–spring comes to growing grace farm
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.––Margaret Atwood After a week of being gone from the farm, I …
on growth, gardening boots and grace
I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found …
mindfulness–one step directions for our lives
As I prepare to go about my work today, may my intention to live in your present moment be the pattern for this day and …
lessons learned: waiting on the cows
There is only one moment in time when it is essential to awaken. That moment is now. ~The Buddha (c.563-483BCE) When I go walking, my …
light in the morning
From the livingroom window of our home, I can observe two of my favorite things–our small farm below and the sun rising from behind the …
“homesteading” the homesteader
This weekend, I am taking a bit of a sabbath. My tween is gone (’nuff said), I have no work or ministry obligations, and most …
grace comes in like a spring breeze
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. ~William Penn I …
bring on the snow day
One of my favorite films is Under the Tuscan Sun. There are so many sentimental reasons why this movie touched my life when it did, …
just rest: our bodies as fallow fields
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~Ovid Last night, I was reading an article on biodynamic farming (I know–light reading …
86,400 seconds in a day–how will you use just one?
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. Ward When I first read this …
upcycling
Ok, so now you want to know, “What is upcycling?” A friend asked if that was an excuse for hoarding, and my tween daughter thinks …
forgiveness like a tree
Forgiveness is the healing of wounds caused by another. You choose to let go of a past wrong and no longer be hurt by it. …
prayers learned in the garden (aka gratitude for anne lamott)
Help me, help me, help me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ~Two prayers by Anne Lamott One morning, I headed out the door early. …
autobiography of a gardener
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl …
tending to the garden
Gardens are a form of autobiography. ~Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993 As a gardener, I find that I would rather live and work outside …