Home Grown Produce
This time of year I really miss fresh veggies and the convenience of just heading out to the garden to grab them. We are blessed to have the next best thing: stored food that came straight from our own back yard! At the end of February we still had 17 butternut squash down in the basement that look as good as you can find them in the store, bouquets of garlic bulbs hanging from the floor joists over head, and quite a few onions that have not yet started to grow. When I need something I take a produce basket from the kitchen, head down and fill it up. Our basement is very cool and dark which helps preserve the produce, much like the root cellars of old. And thankfully, since we had drain work done several years ago, very dry in the winter. Additionally, my parents do a ton of canning every summer and generously share the bounty. I'm so thankful and it make a big difference on the grocery bill.
The Light of Spring
Standing in a patch of sunlight streaming through the window you can feel the increased intensity of its warmth, light gaining strength. The other afternoon I pulled a chair over specifically to sit in the sun. It was therapeutic. And wandering into the kitchen of a sunny morning to top off your cup of coffee, you most likely will spy some magical corner that the new light has just touched.
Coffee
A steaming cuppa joe is an anchor in the morning, an anchor when I'm stressed, and an anchor when I'm pumped up. It gives anticipation to rolling out of bed and comfort when things are going sideways. Brewing coffee and frying bacon are two of the best smells in the world.
In 2009 I relied on it heavily to take care of two little boys under the age of two and work nights in a gas station pizza kitchen. That year I struggled to reclaim my body and shed 66 pounds gained over the course of three pregnancies, during the second of which I lost our second baby. Lacking confidence in my own will power, I took diet supplements to speed up the weight loss, which was achieved in only four short months. I can only imagine the cocktail of chemicals in those pills, including caffeine. I started having episodes that seemed like mini-strokes. I'd lose my peripheral vision and my brain would go numb...there was so much pressure in my head, accompanied by buzzing. If I was trying to hold a conversation with someone I wouldn't be able to think of words or to speak without stuttering. I remember trying to plan a trip to Milwaukee and it kept coming out as "Wewaukee," which I knew was wrong but couldn't figure out why. I went to the doctor who put me on a complete caffeine fast (including chocolate) and the episodes stopped. It was determined I was caffeine sensitive and it had been triggering complex migraines. So, while I love my coffee, I have to limit myself to no more than 1-2 cups a day. Yes, that was a really long, detailed way to tell you that!
My Husband
We have been through so much together. We've weathered some very low lows along with the highs. I know he would agree that there were times we both thought we weren't going to make it, as much as we both didn't believe in divorce. We took turns being each other's own worst enemy, and then have gotten down on knees and begged forgiveness. We have hit the reset button many times...and I'm sure there are more to come. But he is one of my biggest supporters. He gives me the creative freedom I need in my life, and tolerates with amazing patience my collections of books and plants and vintage kitchen junk, and the quirks of my personality that I'm sure are exhausting. He centers me when I'm going crazy and heading for a panic meltdown about things I'm not getting done. He works hard for our family so I have the ability to stay home with our kids, in jobs that have often demanded horrible hours, long hours, swing shifts, working outside in nasty weather, many many weekends sacrificed, and on and on. I love the notes he leaves for me to find on the fridge in the morning, thanking me and telling me I'm doing a good job. He can always get me to laugh out loud with his ridiculous jokes and corny dance moves. If you happen to be reading this, Papa, thank you again for being my best friend.
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