A New Season

Who in their right mind would have ever guessed we’d be in the middle of a pandemic come Spring? How are you all coping, I hope this post finds you well and sane, if nothing else. We are all (crossed fingers) healthy here and practicing as much safe social distancing as is possible. My hands are sand paper from all the washing. I have now begun wearing a face mask in the grocery store, as are most other people. I also see others wearing them when walking outdoors – I think that’s a bit of an overkill in areas like ours, perhaps not in the big cities and in stores, etc. When will it all end? Well, when will we feel comfortable sauntering around a store or sitting in a crowded restaurant when someone coughs? *sigh. When there’s a vaccine, I suppose? …. we can only wait and see.

We opened the cottage for the season last week – water turned back on, lawn is mowed, garden beds raked out, the beds newly made with fresh-washed linen, floors and furniture wiped down, outdoor furniture back in it’s place. There is fresh dirt in all the pots and I’ll plant annuals once the threat of frost is gone – Mother’s Day is a good rule of thumb but this year I’m a little impatient.

I bought two new candy and dog bone glass jars for the counter – they look like Fire King jadeite type glass but I’m not sure they actually are. The Pioneer Woman’s line in walmart.

We moved our Miss Leah home because I do believe the show season is official deceased. I could be wrong about that but I don’t feel comfortable putting myself and my daughter out there while they find out. She has adjusted very well to home life and we continue to give her exercise as she would normally get at the show barn. My daughter and I have actually ridden together again for the first time in a long time! In the photo below I’m riding her old boy, Max. He has glaucoma in one eye now but we are managing it with meds.

The farm has been such a blessing as we wade through this time of quarantine, social distancing, etc. The fruit trees in the orchard are blooming, the berry bushes we planted last year are greening up, and most of the christmas trees we planted for the third time the wrong way are actually alive. They might just live to see Christmas in a tree stand some day.

My kitchen junk drawer got cleaned out and organized – holy crap, I found christmas ornament hooks I didn’t know I had, baby aspirin that expired five years ago, four pairs of dog nail clippers, at least five collars, 5,000 hair elastics, and I could build a bathroom with the tools in there, I’m almost not exaggerating. Below is the “after”.

I’ve been exercising more, which is a good thing, and I finished the painting of Opie, which I started last year after he passed on. It was just too sad to sit there reminded of him, so I left it unfinished for a long time. I’m no professional, my work is primitive for sure.. but I’m happy with the result and finishing it was therapeutic. And maybe that was because I was watching episodes of Outlander ( watching Jamie Fraser if I’m being totally honest) as I went along. The painting is of Opie standing under our ancient pear tree on a misty fall morning.

A few funnies for you below and an old recipe a friend shared – wishing us all good health and peace of mind as we carry on through and past these weird days –

Till soon, friends…

Hush

The world is so quiet right now…

This will sound odd, but as a hearing impaired person this has never been more striking for me. What I still hear on a normal day are none of the beautiful nuances, cadence and understandable language of a human voice. No musical magic that can carry you to a better frame of mind in minutes. No bird song.

What I still hear on a normal day are all the loud irritating noises we humans produce – car engines, plane jets, train whistles, car horns, shouting , machines, door slams, the thump of a heavy object dropped, etc.

As I stood in my driveway this morning I suddenly noticed it- all of that irritating noise is gone. Walkers pass by and wave with a smile. A biker glides past. No planes overhead, no cars driving by.

Just Peace and quiet.

Scary times we are living in, so much uncertainty and fear. I’m no expert who should be handing out advice, but this is universal, good advice for anyone , isn’t it?

✨Find the silver lining wherever you are . ✨

Wishing us all good health, healing .. peace of mind. ✨❤️ …. and… a fragrant purple hyacinth on each of our kitchen window sills next to a vase of nature’s treasures we’ve collected in a past day well spent.

Kidding

While we were on the beautiful island of St. John wondering if we should really get on a plane to come home landing at JFK of all places ( 😲 ) or just try to figure out how to hide away there until all the ‘rona crazy had dissipated… the husband was fortifying the goat house and yard for me. He gets a double gold star for that, I must say it right here, right now. He brought home an old shed from a property we are renovating and repainted it, gave it a new roof, put a window in the back, rubber matted the interior and hung a water bucket and hay rack. It came out great!… and is ready for Star and Bella, the two baby does that will be coming to live on our farm as soon as Bella is old enough to leave her mama. Star is the baby with the broken leg who had been rejected by her mother. She has healed very well! They are both a cross of nubian and alpine goat.

This is star… currently living in our feed store owner’s garage where she’s been nursed back to health and has some heat and a few buddies…

And this is Bella – who is a few weeks younger and will be ready to come with Star in about two weeks.. The silver nubs you see on her head are where she was de-horned. Neither doe will grow horns because at a very early age the vet sedated them and did the procedure – it’s safer for us and for them and for the other animals they might mingle with here on the farm. The process is sort of like a burning.

Unrelated – how do you like those old sun-bleached highlights half grown out??… I swear they are not that pronounced in “real life”… or maybe they are? It is what it is.

We brought our show girl home for the duration – no sense leaving her at a show barn paying big board when we can’t even visit or ride her. She approves of the bigger stall and much bigger turnout, for sure. Shows have been cancelled for the next few months and we still don’t know how all this crap will affect our business and if I’ll even have my editing job. So, time to reel in the expenses.

A little humor shared below, because CHRIST, it beats obsessing over the news. I go back and forth between panicking and telling myself to just get a grip. Wishing you all good health, may we all come out of it healthy on the otherside, living to tell.

I could go for a good strong Bloody Mary right about now.. how about you?

Take care, all – and wash your damn hands!

Karen

Lesson for the day….

LESSON FOR THE DAY- when your husband says he will come to the grocery store with you and you’re thinking – well sure, I mean…. I’ve always wondered whether he’d be useful or dead wood in a zombie apocalypse- JUST SAY NO. . And especially- don’t let him grab his own cart. 150 hot dogs and buns, bacon, garbage bags, pudding, meat and bread to feed an army later- we’re covered for the next three Fourth of Julys. 🙄

We’re all staying healthy and relatively sane here, and we hope that continues – Wishing the same for you as well –

Karen

Strange Times Indeed

So how are you all faring in these strange and scary times? I go back and forth between OMGOMGOMG ventilators, deaths, hospitals without supplies, WTF! … and figuring out how to go to the grocery store without hyperventilating. The husband and I have had our typical Spring allergy symptoms and of course that leads to thoughts of… is this really allergies or the other dreaded “C” word? Do I have a fever? (no) Dry cough, trouble breathing? (no) So I’ve stopped watching so much of the updates on the news and I’m certainly not watching the blithering idiot in Chief as he blunders and blusters his way through his press conferences.

I’ve been walking the dogs, exercising some, disinfecting the house, fretting over whether I will have a job when this is all done. As editor of our small town publication, some ads have been pulling due to businesses already shuttering for good (that’s really sad) and events having been cancelled. If this goes on for a while, and I suspect it might, there will be no publication with not enough ads to sustain it. There are so many people who are suffering economically because of the damned virus. And there are so many people on the front lines taking care of us all – Doctors, nurses, grocery store clerks, truckers, postal workers, feed store owners, liquor store owners and dog groomers (because in the state of CT, apparently they are absolutely essential).

In our construction business, we’ve closed down the office where tenants come to pay rent or rent facilities, apartments, storage units. All work is being done online, e-mail, phone. If this drags on, our business will be hurt as well, as tenants who have not been able to work or draw a paycheck will not be able to pay rent, etc. I think this is going to have an effect on all people in ways we haven’t even thought of yet in the long run.

Strange times.

The good news? People are being forced to get back in touch with and tend their relationships, their home life, their cooking skills, fitness, reading, the great outdoors, crafts, art, quality time with children, the list does go on, and it’s a good list, at least.

Thank GOD for Netflix, AmIRight? I’m watching Outlander for the second time because I just can’t get enough of it. Even being deaf, I’ve started walking around the house practicing a wee bit uv a Scottish Brogue, do ye ken, because closed caption reflects the brogue and before I was deaf I had a keen ear for these things. It’s just fun. 😂

These two people have such crazy good chemistry I am very surprised they did not become a couple in real life, but alas, they did not.

I’ve been doing some cooking with simple ingredients I keep in the pantry… two recipes from the New York Times I’ll share with you here – They are super easy, delicious and you might have the stuff you need without venturing out to get them. They were both a hit with my family.

Pasta e Ceci – recipe HERE. I didn’t have escarole or Kale on hand so I used spinach and it was fine.

No-Knead Bread – recipe HERE. (this one is not my image) Absolutely delish and SO easy to make. You just need a little patience as it does require rise time.

A simple tip – wash those plastic grocery reusable totes in hot water in the washing machine and then toss in the dryer for a few minutes. They’re germ catchers, and this really works.

Some humor in these trying times…

Welp. That’s all I’ve got for today… wishing us all good health and good riddance to all the coronavirus madness in the near future, praying and begging pretty please to all the powers of the universe. And seriously, praying for all the people on the front lines who are taking care of business so that we all can still function through this test of all we hold dear.

karen

This neck o’the woods

I could write all day about the current list of atrocities and tragedies in the news, but let’s heed the advice we’ve been giving each other here on this blog and focus on the good things in our lives, shall we? I want to thank each of you who stop by to read my musings and join the conversations, it’s encouraging to hear from like minded people, truly. #MakeAmericaKindAgain #MakeAmericaSaneAgain either would do.

It’s maple sugaring season here in the Northeast, but you wouldn’t know it by the current weather trends. We’ve had very little snow so far, the trees are tapped on our farm with a little flow, but the temps have not been cold enough overnight to get the sap flowing when the heat rises during the day. We don’t have a sugar shack here on our farm, so we take ours to the community farm Sugar Shack in our town, where volunteers process it, bottle it and sell it to continue to support the farm. You might wonder why pure maple syrup is so expensive compared to the fake stuff like Aunt J*mima, and the answer is there is so much work that goes into it, and so much tree sap is needed – 40 gallons of clear tree sap boils down to one gallon of actual syrup.

Have you tried Maple Water? I have found it in a few of the grocery stores in this area, but not all. I absolutely love it – light, refreshing, with just a hint of maple – it’s the pure maple water(sap) that comes out of the tree, is flash pastuerized and sold in stores. YUM! And it’s hydrating, it’s actually good for you! I’m not getting any compensation for saying it – treat yourself to a bottle if you find it in your local stores. Canadian runners have been using it to refuel for some time.

In my better health/better weight quest I have lost a few pounds and have gained some muscle, I’m not perfect with the food intake but I’ve made some headway. My clothes are starting to feel better on me and that is a good beginning. I continue to walk/hike/jog with the dogs, light weight training and all of this helps greatly with the Fibromyalgia I’ve been dealing with for the past five-six years give or take. If you suffer from the same, in my experience, keep moving – that’s the best line of defense. And.. eat much less sugar and dairy, much less processed foods.

L-R – My Sally and Frasier, K’s Gizmo on the right. Now that we live nextdoor to each other, we often take the dogs on walks together. It motivates us both to get out there and keep moving.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

– Henry David Thoreau

Our dear old retired showhorse, Max, is now dealing with Glaucoma in one eye, thankfully not the painful variety. He’s on four different meds to try to stave it off for a while and seems to be learning to live without vision on the left. I’m glad we can give him the peace to deal with the handicap and he will not be shipped off to a kill pen like so many others, no longer useful. Another reason to be so very grateful for what this old farm affords us.

Our son has begun the construct of his home just over the hill, the foundation is poured… and I am over the moon to have both kids so close by. Over the years we will all benefit from this little patch of farmland not far from everything else, just the right mix of country and suburb. He and his GF have worked hard to begin and build their careers and are very excited about the plans they’re making for their future together, it does my heart good. 🧡

That’s my mom in the red hoodie up there, the one who leaves awesome comments now and then and hates her picture to be taken but I do it anyway because – I GOTTA BE ME- .. and I love my mom.

One more update – I’m not happy about global warming so a mild winter is concerning, BUT… I do believe, because it’s been so mild… this batch of christmas trees might just actually survive. Third time’s the charm? Stay tuned…

I’ll close this post with something to ponder. Why is it that men or the kids think they’re doing us a HUGE service when they lift a finger in the direction of cleaning up after themselves such as… oh, say… changing the toilet paper roll or washing the dinner dishes or flipping the load of laundry into the dryer or taking the trash out or putting the sneakers back in the closet instead of under the bench in the mudroom. Aren’t they also the ones making the mess? AmIright? Just sayin –

Karen

Lift

Have you been watching the impeachment hearings/trial? I haven’t. Can’t believe I just typed that, but it’s true. I just cannot believe, in this day and age, that apparently for some of us and a particular sector of our government… law no longer applies. Truth no longer matters. When witnesses and evidence are banned from a Trial, we’re lost. Since he is getting away with everything but murder, I doubt 45 will be held accountable… for anything. It’s how his whole life has panned out despite his corrupt practices both personally and in business, and it looks as if the same will be true of his presidency.

Onward. Last week I took a look in the mirror and realized I hadn’t been for a haircut in almost a year. I did chop a few inches off about a month ago to “clean up” the split ends but the effect was… choppy. So my dear stylist Amber fit me in yesterday and gave me a good shaping cut. I felt lighter walking out of the salon with just that simple lift. I’ve got more grays now but I don’t think I want to get into the habit of having to be at the salon every three-four weeks to douse my head in toxic chemicals to cover the gray. I might change my mind as more come in, but.. for now.. I think I’m just going to see how it looks as it turns.

My weight loss journey continues – I’m getting good exercise in with light weight training and walk/jogging. Plus shit shoveling, hay bale throwing, water bucket lugging, horse blanket swapping. etc. etc. and then some. What I’m putting in my mouth is still the struggle. Will power is not my strong suit. I have indeed lost a few pounds since the last time I blogged about this. And so… I’ll keep moving forward, hopefully, putting less in my mouth. We’ve got a family vacation coming up in which I will be in a bathing suit often, and I really… really.. want to feel comfortable in my suit.

Speaking of suit shopping – man, (that should say woman) if that isn’t the hardest item to shop for. Mostly because I’m just not happy with how I look in a suit. But also, for a girl of a certain age, the suit needs to be comfortable, hold everything in, not too revealing but not a house dress either. I did find a suit that’s made well, does the job, and I feel OK in it. That’s the best I’m gonna get out of that experience, so be it.

LL Bean – she looks better in this than I do, but close enough. It’s their halter tankini, which comes in several colors/patterns and won’t break the bank.

As the news out in the world gets uglier, I’ve been turning away from it and looking around and inward, paying more attention to the relationships I cherish with family and friends, doing some organizing and refreshing here on the farm and at the cottage and in my line of work. It’s the lift I’ve needed and it feels good. Having our daughter and Company right next door has been such a blessing, and our son has begun the build of his home just over the hill. This little farm has become a haven for all of us, and I am so very grateful.

Hoping all is well in your neck o’the woods –

Karen

My kingdom for a Cookie

I cannot express without sounding a tad ridiculous how very difficult it is for me to “diet”. With the exception of the trauma and recovery of one of my children from a horrific accident years ago, this is the most difficult thing I have ever tried to do. To sound even more ridiculous… it bothers me so much, that if I could wave a magic wand and lose the 25 lbs I need to lose and that weight would stay off for the rest of my life and be able to eat whatever I want regardless… or.. have my hearing restored, I would chose the weight loss. Not even blink an eye, the decision would be easy. Oh yes I know it, that’s undeniably, certifiably….. nuts. But it would absolutely be my choice, given the option.

I started Noom at the beginning of January, and I can tell you it’s a great program for calorie counters, for those who love setting a goal and get excited about meeting that goal each day. It’s similar to WW if you’ve done that too. Been there, done that ! There’s also a great online presence of fellow users of Noom on facebook. Except there are a lot of whiners on that forum, (yep I know I’m currently whining, shush. )

What ultimately happens and in fairly short order for me is… I become resentful of the restriction and then I cheat just a little. And just a little more. And then I don’t log every single thing I eat because it’s just one hershey kiss and it’s just an apple and it’s just a handful of nuts and it’s just a scoop of chocolate ice cream – blah blah blah blah blah. All that adds up, of course, and then the cheating feels awful, and the app become ineffective because I’m not really following the rules and off we go to the races.

I’ve tried the talking to myself approach – Every time I pick up something to east I say to myself… Is this FIGHTING disease or AIDING it? Is this HELPING me lose weight or HELPING ME FAIL ? I’ve looked in the mirror before helping myself to a snack. I’ve gone dairy free for a while, I’ve gone sugar free for a while, I’ve gone processed food free for a while, and reduced meat consumption by a lot. It all helps a little, but ultimately I cave somewhat. Menopause makes it all that much harder.

It’s not about what I’m doing exercise wise – I’m pretty active. As my General practitioner has said to me often, it’s what I’m putting in my mouth. And Jezus H. Christmas, it is soooo hard for me to reduce significantly what I’m putting in my mouth. Such a simple thing, really… and yet.

Food is comfort for me, I love to cook it, bake it, I love to serve it to my family etc., I love growing it, I even love shopping for it. Oh, I am fully aware one can do all those things in moderation and be successful at weight loss…. I just haven’t figured out the combination to that lock yet. I keep spinning the dial hoping to get the numbers to line up just right.

******SIGH…..

Just keeping it real here. And if you are like minded but found what works, please… any tips appreciated.

Here’s a Healthy recipe that looks delish – I’m going to give it a try this weekend.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

By EATINGWELL TEST KITCHEN

Directions

Step 1

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 2

Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Karen

Back on the horse

Not the equine variety, although we’ve got those here on the farm. I’m referring to the constant waxing and waning of my exercise and diet routine in recent years. Until my 50’s I didn’t really have to worry about my weight and I ate as much as I wanted. Oh, how I love food. I’ve always led an active life – but with my 50’s came fibromyalgia and hypertension and higher cholesterol and menopause and weight gain and a general feeling of -yuck- in my clothes, when I am active, in the mirror, you may know the struggle too.

The answer to these things that I have in my control is better food choices, better portion sizes and stepping up the workouts and walks. If you’re in the same boat, don’t ever quit rowing. We are worth the effort, don’t you think?

So, with 2020 comes a new wave of resolve for me – to not quit even though I haven’t succeeded in losing those 25 extra pounds. The scale annoys me to no end, so I’m not getting on it all the time – How I feel in my own skin and in my clothes will tell me how well I’m doing, or not. I’ve joined Noom, are you familiar with it? It’s similar to WW – calorie counting, some coaching on the phone app, and a great facebook page support group, which I am finding is very helpful. I’m not the “meetings” kind of girl nor will a very restrictive diet ever work for me, so this is something I think I can stick with, and so here we go. Again. and that’s OK

I’m also back in the gym – walking on the treadmill when the weather is not cooperative, and light weight training 3-4 times a week, besides the farm chores and dog walking that are part of my regular routine. Just a few hand held weights stored under your bed or in your closet and some tips online or from your Dr. are all you need to incorporate light weight training into your routine at any age.

In a friend’s Christmas card was an enlightening list I’ll share with you here – I used a photo from my backyard garden as a backdrop. Good advice for anyone.

Wishing us all a Happy, Healthy 2020, and World Peace… oh, if only there were that.

Karen

Vitamin Sea

When I find myself running low on faith in humanity, I’m often refueled while out observing nature.

He comes every day to feed his friends. They are wary of others, but not him, it’s clear there is trust between them. After I observed for a while, he motioned me into his circle, spoke softly and encouraged the birds to take a cracker from my hand, and eventually they did, trusting him next to me.