post Yule

It has been awhile. I am hoping everyone had a very happy and safe Yule.

I am in an odd place…have been for the most part since Thanksgiving…kind of a blah mood. I probably can contribute some of that to the lack of sunshine and the shorter days. For the most part I’m feeling a lack of energy and a need to sleep more than normal. I’m in a foggy place, with the desire to be doing something but having a lack of focus and energy. Perhaps I feel somewhat out of pace with the rest of the world during the holiday season. Hopefully I’ll return to a more energetic level soon.

The holiday season was a very, very good one despite my state of being. Lots of unexpected goodies came our way. Our daughter and son in law had already purchased a new alternator for my 93 Eagle Summit, so we didn’t expect anything more. But lo and behold, a bag of goodies to boot! My favorite was a basket full of all natural hand and body lotions and creams as well as a foot scrub. How nice! Then I had the surprise of my life when my son and family gifted me with a 16 quart pressure canner. Now, I know not everyone would be as touched and excited as I was over this. But, you see, I have been wanting one for quite some time and even more so recently as we are now back to gardening and preserving each year. I was so surprised, touched and elated when I opened it, I couldn’t contain the tears. My family did great, giving us very useful or consumable gifts. And to top it of, our daughter in law made lemon sponge pie. This is a recipe my mother in law used to make and which we loved. We have not had lemon sponge pie since a year or two prior to my MIL’s passing about five years ago. It was SO good! In fact it was perfect. Needless to say, my intention to eliminate most of the sugar from my diet will have to be postponed until the pie is finished!

To all our family and friends I want to say a big “Thank You” again. Your generosity is incredible and so very, very much appreciated. We had a wonderful time gathering with each and every one of you and feel and are so very blessed by your presence in our lives and the love you express in word and deed.

As for our gift giving, I was delighted to see such appreciation for the hand crafted items we gave. Even the little ones were delighted to open their new hats and scarves. For my two oldest grandsons, I had also made crocheted medicine pouches to wear around their necks. In each one I placed a gemstone heart. Luke, who is six, said, “Grandma, this will remind me how much you love me.” He definitely got the message, bless his heart.

Now, after all the giving, receiving and overindulging I am in the process of purging my environment. Along with putting the new things away, I seem to have the irrevocable need to eliminate other stuff, asking myself, “do I really need this?” and “have I any real use for this?” It seems for me this is a constant, ongoing process. So today, in between loads of laundry and napping, I cleaned out and organized the bathroom cabinets and the medicine cupboard. Tomorrow perhaps I’ll accomplish a little more. Baby steps.

To all my readers, I wish you a very safe and joyous new year.

Poinsettias-dispelling the "poisonous" myth

According to an article in the Dec. 13^th issue of Farm and Dairy, poinsettias are not toxic to animals and other living things. In fact, the article states that humans are far more likely to harm a poinsettias than vice versa. However, if exposed to it, the milky sap has been known to cause skin irritation to some folks, according to Ward Upham, who heads the Master Gardener program at Kansaas Sate Research and Extension. The biggest risk is in the fact that the leaves are very fibrous, so they could result in choking if someone got them lodged in their throat. Odds are against that happening because the leaves are said to have a terribly bad taste. Upham also goes on to say that the American Medical Association has never received a confirmed report of any serious or fatal results stemming from poinsettia ingestion. He also cites a study at OSU which found that if a child of fifty pounds ate 500 poinsettia bracts (the leaves that look like flowers), said child might develop a slight stomach ache.

So, all you folks who have feared poinsettias in your home over the holiday season can rest a little easier now. Having poinsettias around the holidays as well as having two housecats has never been a problem for us anyhow since my cats have never had a hankering to bother the plants, but it’s good to know that if they did, I have little if anything to worry about.

The Meaning of It All

"There is a fundamental disconnect that people have between their money and the way they live their day to day life. They view money as something separate and distinct, something to be managed. [...] It is that disconnect, that separation, that has led to a sense of our money being completely out of our control."

read more | digg story

The Story of Stuff

If you prefer or have dial up like me, you can read the script here.

The Magic of the Season

I awaken to another dawn
and bid good-bye the night,
and find, as I was sleeping,
a shroud of the purest white
has crept in, in stillness,
without effort or a sound,
and softly tucked the world in white,
the trees, the roofs, the ground.
And in this still and softened landscape
I remember… and once again I find,
the magic of the season,
the touch of the sublime.

©s. cooper 2007

my take on consciousness

Consciousness…to not only be aware, but to be responsible, to develop and have an awareness of the natural cycles of the earth and nature, to understand the seasons and the gift each one brings and to live and work in accord with understanding and a grateful heart….to be comfortable with yourself and unafraid to be real, honest and able to laugh at yourself, to see hope despite how the world or things and people in it may appear, to trust your inclinations and not go against that inner knowing, to honor and respect other’s right to be who they are and not feel it’s yours and anyone else’s responsibility to change them, to love and appreciate what you have and feel no lack, to know there is much you don’t know and some things you will never know, to live and love without regret, to know peace and simplicity as the way to peace and simplicity, to be grateful for all you have and thankful for all the people and the lessons you have learned in your life, not just some of them…to be mindful and kind to people and all living things, knowing they deserve to be here as much as you do…to trust there is always enough, to live creatively, to be unafraid to love and express that love in word and deed, to spend time alone in nature and in silence because you find it essential to your well being and you enjoy the company, to share with and serve others out of love rather than a sense of obligation and to place no expectations on others, to harbor no guilt or blame, but to see a bigger picture and trust the outcome, to understand you cannot control anything but your own responses and to know that no matter how things turn out, it will be ok…and to remember life is a journey, not a destination.

From My Homestead: a simple and seasonal recipe

From My Homestead: a simple and seasonal recipe