Protect your Peace and a bunch of stuff.....life as it is now.

 

I had wanted August to be such a growing moment for this blog.

I had a plan and a design and momentum ....

The design is pretty .

The plan was there.

As you can see...

But the momentum is not.

Quite honestly I have been just living in my days.

Drying elderberries and mullein for winter cold season, picking dozens

of tomatoes, hanging with the flocks as I maintain my gardens...

I have been searching for peace all of my life, well, most of it.

The constant chaos even with a foundation of faith destroyed my

nervous system to the point of when we moved and finally found peace

I was disturbed by it. Despite our harrowing first year, it is a place

of peace in a world that is disturbing and unhinged.

Dried mullein ( like a sachet of sage) is burned when respiratory issues are happening.

Elderberries are dried and crushed into hot tea for immune support.

The fact that this place provides us with food and natural healing plants

is another reason to love it.

When I plug back into what people consider *life* it is getting harder

and harder to understand why I ever chose to live any other way.

In fact, there is an old book where it states just that.

Power of the mind is just not telling yourself things, it is also what

you choose to feed it. That you look at, listen to, involve yourself in...

The constant reiterating over and over of a thought becomes almost like a spell or chant

that your brain hears. You become what you feed it.

I am quite sure I want nothing to do with that.

So I am mindful of anything that makes my intuition feel *off*.

I am mostly distrustful of many thing because we are in a time

fitting of it. I watched for decades as folks well meaning or not

jumped on bandwagons and once on pointed fingers at the ones

not wanting anything to do with it, thus causing grief and strife.

I seek simplicity.

I would rather be in the gardens or doing a house project.

I would rather be chatting about healing and happiness.

I would rather be doing anything other than watching the news.

The news: a place where terrible people report about other terrible people

and ignore the rest of the good folks who really matter.

So I am here.

Spending my days being productive in the very best ways.

Loving the people who love me.

Tending the animals who give me peace of mind.

Praying all day and singing about it.

Watching the storms come and go....

The blog will sort itself out.

Right now I have been shown in so many ways what is truth.

I just have to live it now.

Oh & I get to plan.

Like I am planning next years gardens already.

I am making Autumn curtains.

I am planning get togethers with people who I have not seen

in a long time.

Today I am trying a new banana bread recipe.

I use olive oil instead of *salad oil*

 

I have been planning a whole section of the Fall blog with wholesome

nostalgic recipes.

You know, hearty and simple.

****************

You know,

What you allow will continue.

How people treat you is up to you.

Everything is a choice.

When did we get to this point where we have to please

an entire group of *friends* to allow ourselves to be happy?

This is why my memes will never be internet famous...typos. ;)

We were never meant to be miserable every day, to shoulder the stresses we put on ourselves 

to remain in the status quo. In the *olden days* we had messy houses, we screamed, we had

no idea what we were doing. The world was quieter, no one cared what you had for supper,

your business was just that. There were no score cards to fill in about who was the better

parent or if your clothing was cooler than anyone else's .

We just loved and respected our parents and wore what we were given.

AND trusted that they knew what was best.

That left us able to be, I dunno.... kids.

Teachers were just additional people in our lives who gave us wings to learn

and we gave them Jean Nate every Christmas.

We had no idea what their personal lives were about.

We made hand turkeys and stuck them on the windows of the school

and picked yours out as you rode up on the bus.

Analog.

Analog is the word of this summer.

Return to it as much as you can.

( I have been subconsciously leaving my phone all over the property)

I sleep much better.

I mean even if you were a non-believer.... judging by the past week alone,
is it wrong?

Now I do not think we are in the last days.

I believe the Grace of God will pass over us.

BUT over the past few years the speed at which wicked

happenings are occurring has not escaped my pattern finding mind.

I see it , dressed up as so many trendy political, medical, social things...

It is gross.

However it is not mine to bear.

The stress is not mine to carry.

I have stopped the stress by stopping the noise, the static as I called it here before.

I do what I can do, when I can and how best I see doing it.

And I sleep much better.

but hey I could also use some help with the hair thing too. 

Amen.

Have a blessed day friends.

xoxo

Raven

🐦‍⬛

Fridays in August are for salads...

Steamy Morning...

It is just so pretty though.

I have been thinking ( as I do) about a lot of things lately.

How my conclusions always come from my owned learned

experiences and mistakes rather than learning from others failures.

I have so much more Grace for others than I do myself.

What I do know is that the world has gotten more volatile ,

less safe, more clear in its boundaries between good and evil.

We watch as our memories of someplace and how they are now

differ so much...especially in my lifetime.

My conclusion as to why is a deeply personal one.

I see where that clear line has drawn itself through

families and communities and regions, countries even.

I have no idea why.

Why some flock to destruction and chaos while others

stand firm, trying to slow the tide of negativity.

The heroes vs the hinderers.

...just my observation on this foggy Friday.

LOL! This is me.

I am a certified house mouse and I am done defending it.

Once I found others like me I realised that I was not so weird after all.

The world needs those who create home.

The ones who always have the tea kettle on.

The ones who send cards, who will pick up the phone, who

live seasonally, gift happily, pray for you always.

I love cosy and rainy fall days, stormy evenings in the summer

and wild storms that bring in fresh air behind it.

Home is happy.

My happy.

How about you?

So it is Friday in New England in the summertime and that means 

making a bowl of potato, macaroni or cole slaw salad.

I usually have one on hand to serve along side burgers and BBQ.

This one seems simple enough.

I love to add crispy bacon as a topper.

Or cheese...

With my tomato crop coming in big time it is officially tomato 

sandwich season.

For me...plain GF bread ( I will slightly toast it), Dukes mayo,

my hearty tomato and sea salt.

YUM.

I also use my big ones as a bun for tuna or even a burger!

Grilled cheese & tomato...

So many options!

I was raised with my mom making a summer salad of tomatoes,

cucumbers, onions and mayo.

But mozzarella + plain sliced tomato with a drizzle of EVOO & oregano 

+ salt = heaven!

Morning basket these days....

Stone Hollow 2026

Have a lovely Friday friends.

Enjoy the steamy summer days as we will long for them soon.

Blessings....

XOXO

Raven

🐦‍⬛

 

Good August! It is very Augusty out there, stay cool!

 

WHEW!

August just showed up!

It is supposed to be hot in August and steamy and wicked humid.

It is Augusts job!

Just some ideas I use to keep the day flowing gently even when it is

thick out there...

My focus is always on the animals first as chickens have a harder time in

the heat then they do in the cold.

I have a splash pad at the ready, but quite honestly I tend then early and keep them quiet

during the hottest parts of the day.

Plenty of water and maybe an icy melon but this heat will be here for

a while so keeping them settled is the best with 2 free

 range options after daybreak and before dusk.

Okay, I will be tracking this to see if it pans out!

On a more personal note....

This is your permission slip.

I know of so many who struggle with ghosts of past mistakes.

Some big but most small as compared to life in general.

We stress about things that have happened when we were not our best

and overplay them in our heads.

Once you have realised it and processed that fact we should either

address it or let it go. But we sit with it, like an uninvited house guest and

it brings along its equally smelly friend, shame to plague you.

Life is a series of choices.

Simply saying, let it go sounds trite.

But it can be as easy as that.

if you did your best but did not achieve the goals you wished for...

or if you hurt someone you never meant to.

Do not hide from that. It is what makes you human.

You made a mistake...a lesson as I call them.

The proactive part comes when you forgive yourself as easily as you 

forgive others.

The burden is way heavier than you realise and once gone, life

is lighter and happier.

If you have a mentor to hash it our with that is even better,

if you can make amends ( if needed) and that will heal a rift, do it.

Not doing anything will keep you stuck.

Just my little nugget of advice I have been doing that

has been so beneficial to me.

Forgive all ages of you.

All eras.

I let mine go at the feet of one holier than I.

Be humble.

Every day.

You will heal.

🌻

The river bank down river has a rocky wall that lines one side.

It was once a sluce  way built for the mills here.

I get to sit on one of those cool rocks and dangle my feet into the river and

pretend the *real world* does not exist.

That is on the agenda every day for the next week or so.

Have a cool day friends....stay hydrated and take breaks.

XOXO

Raven

🐦‍⬛

Health 101 in an age where it is all changing for the better......

 

Mind + Body stability = Health.

I was a young woman / mom during the time period where

being a size 0 was a thing.

- 0 - 

What were we thinking?

Even when I was modelling and working on my feet double shifts as a nurses aid & an

aerobic instructor I was never a 0.

It was a fad, this unattainable goal set for us.

We saw it everywhere, in magazines, on TV...

I ran. 

I ran and existed off of potato chips , lettuce and when I was

with friends, champagne & black tea .

( sounds bougie... but I had some wealthy friends )

And back before I was a mom I was a standard size 8 which

would be a 4 now.

( Most people have no idea that sizes were changed )

From the time I was 21 ( when I was pregnant with my first daughter) to 

the beginning of 2000

I toggled between eating *normal* and an unintentional fasting diet.

Skipping meals and running..sometimes a lot - 5 miles a day, before a season

so I could fit into costumes.

( corsets are unforgiving )

Interesting thought....

I grew children having knowledge of what I put in them, grew them.

But I never applied that to myself.

They ate baby food made from my garden...whole, nutrient rich foods.

They ran outside in the sunshine and drank from the hose.

They were very healthy children- I was blessed.

Fast forward:

My family changed back ( big time) to healing foods in 2012 and from' there

I am vastly different in my approach to health, healing & food.

I have learned and adapted, tried new items but in the end

realised that eating like my grandparents was best for my family.

No chemicals, no fast food, just simple nutrient dense foods.

That plus a common sense approach to movement,

I still fast.

But it is part of a whole process of ketosis and how my body heals.

My body is a system, sleep, movement, sunlight and nutrient are

all part of that simple system installed in me at birth.

In the summer I eat salads and seafood , sandwiches, ice cream

and milkshakes- cold foods

In the fall I begin to crave satisfying meals more.

Soups, stews and roasts.- hot foods.

I would have to say that my body (based upon standard consistent testing)

is healthier now than I was back 25 pounds lighter with knee sleeves on

while running up to 5 miles a day & certainly healthier

than when my spine was getting steroid injections & 

I was taking all sorts of off label meds to ease the pain,

trying to avoid pain meds.

I look at those photos ( when I was 30 or so) and my heart breaks.

I was just trying to be the best mom I could at the time.

I listened to surgeons ( who know only to cut) and doctors who

knew only to prescribe.

Deciding to go rogue and take my health into my own hands actually

saved my life in many more ways than one.

I no longer have migraines brought on by undernourishment.

I have consistent energy.

I repair fast.

My knees still give me crankiness, but I have to admit I was always

hard on them and still are.

Lifting feed bags/ laundry , walking up 2 flights of stairs multiple times a day,

using a hard Jeep clutch make them angry some days.

I now use recovery days to aid in healing.

Oh....what are recovery days?

I did not know until recently either-

I just thought life was one big sprint!

Not just for elite athletes, recovery days are days after

strenuous pulls happen on your body.

A day of walking, of using a hard clutch, of no sleep....

all affect your health in the days afterward.

Having a plan for a recovery day where I do things

slower and easier has been life changing.

I no longer reach for the Tylenol.

I use ice at first and then gentle stretches and walking.

I move on to using weights to gently build muscle.

I have a team of people to help...not doctors that prescribe

Rx, but massage therapists & physicians who are undoing all the lies

I was taught about healing.

The mind + body connection is so real.

I no longer have to push past pain to exist.

What a concept!

Ironic that back when I was shooting for that 0, I was never at rest,

always in pain ( shinsplints are real) and life was harder.

I am no longer even shooting for an 8.

I drape my healthy body in clothes that fit.

I look for fabrics that are soft and giving....

I love pockets and I adore cute handmade accessories.

My shoes are sensible.

( if I really think on it...kind of like when I was 6)

Living is learning.

I am happy that I have learned this lesson.

After a ton of rain, we are drying out in humid weather.

My gardens are in full swing...nothing better than eating what you produce!

Also, nothing better than building dinosaur diners .

This week has been a splendid one so far.

I hope that you all are having a good week. I know, frizz hair days but I am

not taking any for granted.

Been hanging out with Lucy & the flocks down by the mill pond.

The air off of the water is less humid surprisingly.

I will think on these Summer days in the icy winter.

XOXO

Raven

🐦‍⬛

Hey it is Sunday and boy do I have a sweet recipe for you!

 

Yesterday's clouds...wow!

S U N D A Y !

It is a bit gloomy & humid this morning.

But it is definitely not inside.

Bacon & coffee on and scrambles awaiting being made

while morning chores get completed.

I had a bit of help with the big chore yesterday.

I am grateful as we threw away a corner of emotional

stagnation that has been there for 6 years.

You know....the *should I keep this just in case?* area.

By the end of the process we both were so tired, chucking and donating

was super easy. Repair even happened where the winter mice were getting in.

Y A Y

Seriously.

I have almost finished my summer big chore list.

This never happens.

We rewarded ourselves with a second date night...

Burgers and ice cream.

Real ice cream....( I usually have frozen skyr which is under 180 calories.

But tonight, fresh from the farm creamy ice cream.

Isn't he just the most handsome guy in the whole world?
42 years.....and counting! With Gods grace of course!

From the coops

____________________

What is cuter than seeing them all tucked up on their roosts & in the window sill?

This Fall I am reconfiguring the roosts and the fact they all want to 

sleep on platforms will have me building some new structures in there.

But yeah, my favorite part of the evenings around here.

From the deli

_____________________

Come on!

I will have to make the dough from scratch (GF)

but using the premade sugar cookie tube is genius.

And boy will the kids enjoy these!

I may add a bit of light brown sugar to the tops.

Perfect for Summer!

I never gave a proper hello to August.

It is actually one of my favorite months for transformation.

It is the month of Taylor....after all Evermore was released

in December 2020 and late July we got Folklore.

Willow is one of my favorite songs of all time

but those albums helped me emotionally while I started the move.

Of course... August, because....

Having soundtracks to parts of my life

helps me process the memories.

During such a scary time, the calming songs of

these albums were soothing to my soul.

Music heals Y'all!

Since it is Sunday I want to talk about Ruth.

I have identified with her on more than one occasion.

She lives in the marrow of my bones and comes out after 

I have spent days grieving over sad news or events.

She is what keeps me going ....moving on to do new things

when I just wished to wallow.

Being loyal and faithful even after being hurt and abandoned, losing trust 

in people ....swearing to never get hurt again is my name card.

I trust & love and yes, get forgotten .

But I was just recently told by a wise woman that God is clearing out

my life of those who meant me no good.

Those who were not good people.

She told me to hold fast to my faith that God sees my

heart and has a perfect plan.

That I will do.

Because I can never control anyone but me.

Being a Ruth can be hard but NOT being a Ruth is even harder.

Happy Sunday friends.

Bless you,

Raven

🐦‍⬛

XOXO