Raising them Simply

Summer is in full swing and our garden is really starting to produce. Especially the squash plants. Almost every night we have a casserole, fried dish, or something else that features zucchini and yellow crooknecks. My oldest is being a big help; he may be 4, but he is learning how to help Mama and Daddy in the kitchen. With so much squash and assorted vegetables that need to be chopped up before every meal, it cuts down my prep time to have a helper. “Many hands make light work” as my Grandma used to say.

It has been a hot week with no break. Harvest is in full swing around here, and my husband took the week off from his other farming job to swath (cut) our own hay. It was a rough and grumpy week; our ancient swather needed parts (which needed to be ordered and shipped in), and cost more than we anticipated paying. To top it off, the John Deere place couldn’t order some of them in because the swather is so old they’ve been discontinued. Sometimes life here is not pretty. I am home with the children because we feel it is important for them and the wellbeing of our family, and also because I take seriously the responsibility God entrusted me with when I conceived them (we also lost our first son, and when you’ve experienced a loss it changes your perspective on priorities), but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with my choice to not hold a 9-to-5, sometimes, when income is tighter than normal. I know God will provide, I trust that He will in His timing, but the bills will be rolling in here in a week and I am anxious.

In the meantime, we were able to limp the old swather along and finish the job. Next up is raking and baling. I am praying for an easier time of it.

And we are spending an average of 3 hrs a day having “nature school” down at the creek, a wonderful occupation for everyone. My oldest busted our TV a couple weeks ago — we only had it for DVDs and streaming — and none of us have particularly missed it. My oldest is learning parts of the crawdad (thanks to the kingfishers and herons that eat them and leave the exoskeletons laying around for us to find), and he is rapidly picking up on the nuances of the freshwater environment. Lately I have been taking my ukulele and his storybooks along and I spend time singing and reading to him. His vocabulary is increasing by leaps and bounds, and the baby (nearly 18 months) is now using “Hello” and “please” appropriately. 💕 It is beautiful to see.

A couple days ago while the baby was sleeping, I took my oldest down to a deeper section of the creek to try and begin teaching him how to swim. The swimming was unsuccessful, but we found a crow feather, a great blue heron feather, and I found a piece of “pumpkin” obsidian. What a find! After we returned to the house, I spent the afternoon reading about the different types of obsidian (mineral composition and formation). Even I learn new things every day! 🙃

This morning I played my ukulele for worship ar church, and will again this coming Sunday as our church is having “outdoor church” in the city park. I am looking forward to it! Our pastor plays the guitar, and it will be the first time I have played music with him.

And so, another week begins. The Lunar eclipse at 4* Aquarius this last Thursday (incidentally an exact conjunction with my natal Jupiter) has kind of thrown me for a bit of an emotional loop, but has been good for my healing journey. A bit of backstory: I am an empath (sensitive to others emotional states) and grew up with a Narcissistic parent... Having my own children has been the catalyst for pursuing my own healing. In the last five years I have, by the grace of God, confronted the vast majority of “old tapes” and healed the underlying issues. This last week was confirmation of the journey, and that I am no longer “broken,” but made new. It feels good to feel I have “arrived,” so to speak, even with the hiccups in my relationships with others (a therapist I saw once said that when you begin healing from past trauma, it doesn’t just change how you relate to others and the world, it also changes how THEY relate to you.).

And with that... I will leave you. 🙃 It has been a very busy week and there is soooo much more, but I will save that for a later post! As always, take care, and I will have another ukulele lesson up in a few days (farming schedule permitting, ha!). 🎶