 Art by Sarah at WhatEveryday on Etsy
Dear Farmhouse Diary, Grief
It's been a long week. A difficult week. Grieving Justice Ginsberg's death is surprisingly intense -- it's that one extra straw -- the one additional grief in a year of many griefs broke, not my back, but my heart. Grief can beget paralyzing anger and despair -- this is the way I felt Friday night. Thankfully, the Boss understands and is quite helpful with patting my back when I need to cry. But I refuse to coddle a sense of despair, choosing to use my anger productively. To honor Justice Ginsberg's memory as a blessing it is important to work tirelessly to create a more just world. On Saturday I signed up with the YCD to be a neighborhood leader which means I will have the privilege of knocking on other Democrats' doors in my neighborhood to remind them to vote. Next, I need to determine how and when to volunteer with our local food bank or with the school district -- more people need to help feed hungry children and my hands are ready for the work. Nonna Duty My weekly trip to Bend to help my Daughter and Son is coming to an end which makes me sad. But, dang, driving the long way round -- either over Mt. Hood or taking Hwy20 through Sweet Home -- is looooong. And I'm not sure I'm ready to drive through Detroit when Hwy22 opens - knowing it's gone is different from seeing it is gone. Nap time. Little Guy has one of the strongest wills I've ever experienced. It's not that he isn't tired, he simply refuses to stop long enough to sleep. He's not unpleasant about nap time and is quite happy to simply play quietly on his bed. Quiet time can be just as refreshing, but a 2-year-old needs lots of sleep! Charlotte Mason, a 19th century educator, says the "will is the controller of the passions and emotions, the director of the desires, the ruler of the appetites.... that it becomes vigorous and capable in proportion as it is duly nourished and fitly employed." I am proud of how Little Guy's parents are training up his will -- he may choose to not sleep, but he does need to rest. Ultimate Homemaking & Community Resilience I love the NYTimes opinion piece, I'm Not a Housewife. I'm a Prepper. The writer's reflection on what it means to create a sustainable home-life is interesting and while I would not call myself a prepper, I do agree growing families who thrive is the point of home and community. And the idea of building matriarchal clout by being a "nurturing, resourceful and resilient homemaker ready for anything" is spot on -- for me anyway. I enjoy canning and look forward to pressure canning some pumpkin next week -- first foray into vegetables! -- but have viewed 'putting up' jams and chutneys as a way to provide something for my family and friends which was not comparably available on grocery shelves pre-Covid19. There's a lot of hit-or-miss going on with grocery shelves now -- we do not eat a lot of pre-packaged food, but stick with what I think of as basics like canned tomatoes. My store seems to be out more often than not right now. I suspect we may run into even more full-then-empty-then-full shelves as supply chains struggle, and hope my planning helps to get us over any hurdles which may come up in the future. While I would have wished for a longer transition from summer to autumn, I am thankful for the rain. It has been helpful with the fires. And good for gardens. But I am glad the new electric lawnmower arrived before the rain had time to really soak the grass. The gas lawn mower bit the dust in late July and the grass/weeds were beginning to look just a bit haunted-house like while we waited for the arrival of the new mower! Its' smaller than the gas-powered mower, but I can turn it on and off without the problem of yanking my arm out of it's socket and still not getting the engine going. This week we picked acorn squash, the potatoes are just about ready to dig up and we can harvest beet greens for a nice side dish at dinner. We do have these really strange looking pumpkins: nice shape, but they are white and green striped. These are not the pumpkins we plan to can, but I'm curious to see what's inside! Tomatoes - sigh. I have the most beautiful tomato plant jungle, but so few tomatoes. I know the problem is me and vow to do better next year about managing the plants towards more fruitfulness...
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