Cloudy Vision

Clouds. We are all familiar with clouds. And some would say especially here in the Pacific Northwest, we know clouds. 

But I have had clouds covering my dreams now over this last year and a half you have found a lack of farm activity.  My vision was clouded. 

I have always had a dream of this life we started 8 years ago.  When I was really little the dream was even bigger.  Now I know I’m exactly where I ought to be at the level my heart and soul can handle.  Because lately I haven’t been able to handle much.

There are a couple reasons for my renewed interest in blogging.  The first is that it really is fun to show my friends and family what we are doing in life and to keep a kind of journal of our life.  But the second reason is that I feel a real need to be real.  We often, without realizing it most of the time, tend to show our best to the screen world.  I am guilty as charged.  But sometimes I think we need to help each other out by sharing our struggles and hurdles and downright failures.  We fall flat on our faces over and over and it’s hard.  It’s the reality of it all.

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.  –Hugh Mackay

Here is the imperfect. 

This is my "backyard". Behind the cabin. Overgrown and messy.  Actually the whole property kind of looks like this.  Do you know how hard it is to keep back an invasive, non-native blackberry bramble from taking over the land? 

Most days I feel it to be impossible.  But slowly and surely we will win that fight. It will take time, a lot of time and effort and sweat and tears, but we will win. Just not today. Because for now I’m off to build a dog run for that new Anatolian pup, Bey.  He needs a place within our place to call home.  

TTFN

Losing Sight

Five years ago we started a new adventure. We bought 2 1/2 acres and left the city lot we owned to start learning how to be more self-sufficient, raise our own food and animals and to have room to roam. It's been quite the experience but I've also on many occasions for long stretches lost the vision of my dreams. So the learning has been slow and the progress stagnant as of late. Much of it is due to the MANY responsibilities that pile my plate but also much of it is due to procrastination.
I'm a procrastinator! I have ambitious dreams but they remain dreams. I like what Abbot Tryphon says in that post about procrastination..."Procrastination only has power over our lives if we let it. Taking steps to curb the habit of slothfulness must begin with a decision that today, with God's help, will be the day that I leave laziness and procrastination aside, and move forward with action."
I've had these dreams forever! Why do I continue to let procrastination rule over my life. I have the power and ability to accomplish anything! I must decide to do so!
My garden grows each year. My new favorite crop is garlic! I grew garlic fo the first time last year and it was so fun and so easy and so delicious! The fresher garlic is the more oil/juice you get out of it. I was astonished when I first pressed a garlic clove straight from the garden! Last year I planted 40 cloves of garlic and harvested about 35 bulbs. Did you know you plant garlic in the fall? This year I planted 54 cloves and I wish I had planted more! I use garlic copious amounts of garlic in just about everything I cook. The health benefits are abundant.
I grew lots of cool weather crops for the first time last year as well. Things like kale and chard. So delicious. I am still working on getting the garden put to bed for the winter. Hopefully once school break begins (one more week) I can get out to the garden again to finish the clean up.
In no time at all I will be able to start seeds in the house!

Dreams! Well, it's time to stop procrastinating and following my dreams!