How We Keep Going

We are a little upside down this week and this may be my only post for the week.

A month or so ago we finally decided (after years of talking about it) to replace the two carpeted rooms on our main living level of the farmhouse with hard flooring instead of carpets.  After 15 years of living with dogs in this house, it has become obvious that wood floors with area rugs are much easier to keep clean.  Although we have shampooed our carpets countless times, it just never seems to feel clean enough after one of the dogs has mid-night vomited something nasty they ate the evening before while out on bedtime duty.  So, this is the current, deplorable, but temporary situation...

As you can see, Forrest is being very helpful... cleaning up any scrap of wood left behind!  (The look says it all!)

So, as I write this, I am surrounded by the furniture from the two rooms that are being worked on. There is hammering and sawing and scraping happening.  The house is in a crazy state of flux right now - and I am excited for the day that I can re-organize and return everything to its proper place... hopefully on Thursday- Friday at the latest.

We've been spending our days quietly enjoying life on the farm amidst the hammering and sawing.

And, catching the sunrise as we tend to the animals.

As many of you have expressed, we avoid the constant stream of news these days and try to focus on all of the little things that bring us joy.  Like...

A moment spent with a furry friend, 

engaged in something I enjoy, in front of a cozy fire...

Baking fresh bread...

Working in my gardens...

(For Moll, it's yoga!)

A walk in the woods, immersing ourselves in nature, with our dogs...

And, noticing the tiny Spring things that are happening all around us right now.

It's these tiny things that ground us to the here and now and remind us of all for which we are grateful.  Little things can make a big difference... especially when the world seems overwhelming with big things.  Hang on to the little things!

I noticed this week, on one of our woods walks with the dogs, that the beech (and some oak) leaves are still hanging on to their branches, quivering in the winds that whistle through the trees. 

It's something that I have noticed every winter.  These two species of trees hang onto their dry, parchment leaves, which act as protection for the developing buds, until that time when the buds are fully formed and ready to unfurl into new leaves.  Why, exactly, some species do this, is unknown, although there are lots of theories.  But it's a "thing" and it has a special name!

So, in keeping with my efforts to increase my vocabulary, I will share with you the single, elegant word for this process of holding onto one's leaves through winter.  

It is called marcescence.  Isn't that a lovely word?

Lastly, Jack finally got a photo of Cheerio, our shy, upstairs barn kitty.

He looks well-nourished (and old and grumpy!)  Not a terribly cheery Cheerio.

We'll be back with more tales once this house is put back into order again!

Until then... enjoy all of the little signs of spring!

And take care of yourself!