Technology, Blogging, and Unwavering Faith

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Welcome back to another episode of my little world on this corner of the internet. It’s been a hot minute! And we have celebrated another blog-a-versary!! Do you realize we’ve been doing this for eight! count them eight! long years? That’s that obnoxious age where kids start to smell funny but don’t have real jobs yet with responsibilities and life is just stupid potty jokes. Am I super famous? No. Have I ever gone viral? No. Do I have a tonne of followers? No. And l’m inclined to say that I never will. Why? More than likely because not too many people know about us (besides the friends I casually mention I wrote a blog — thanks friends ;)) and not too many people really wanna hear about our escapades on Itsnotta Farm — and they especially don’t wanna hear about my Christian world view. Well… they might if I debated or dabbled in political hot spots or great controversies or flaming topics. But I don’t.

Oh, we touch on the occasional hot spot or news flash. I celebrate a few events (yeah family day weekend!) We do a few specials and host a few contests, but mostly, I just self journal, and you all get to share in it. And that’s okay. I think about when I first started mittonmusings.com. I did it to learn about coding, websites, internet and a bit of tech. That didn’t work much… this week I had to ask how to update my phone. I blame it on too many photos of chickens and grand baby. Which means it’s not my fault, right?

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

….and this is where my entire finished post just vanished when I went to upload and publish it! Grrr. See? Technology sucks. Now, do I remember what I wrote about? It won’t be as good as when it first came out… but here it is. Again. Writers, this happens, right?

Where was I? I fear. I fear for my kids and my grand kids who will have to live in a world where reality is blurred. Where A.I. has made real what is not, and what is not is made real. Where gender and traditional roles and food and money is no longer real. And the fear comes because this will be “normal” for them. I fear for my older family members who know this is not normal, but have to deal with it anyway, because that’s the way society is going. And we are being swept along.

Do you remember the days where we balanced our cheque BOOKS with a real pen and paper? Now I am beginning to think that A.I. could handle that too (for $19.95 a month mind you). I think I should start stashing $20 bucks under my mattress for a rainy day. It may get me to where I need to be faster. Or maybe not. Cash is going out the window too… but gold bars are too heavy to store under my mattress.

Even the church will be blurred. There will be no separation of church and state. Our world views will become intolerant and silenced. No, I don’t dabble in the political, because I don’t like it. There’s too much, well, there’s too much politics. Yet, I have said it here many times, God’s got this.

If we believe our faith to be true; and I believe it is; then I believe that our never failing God has a plan, and He knows where all this will end up. He knows the direction we are headed, and He’ll be there at the end of it. Me? I am learning to be gracious in this fast paced world (aka my #wordoftheyear) which means I have to slow down every now and then and smile at someone, or take the time to listen. I don’t think A.I. has really got a hold of that yet. People still count for something.

And the God who is faithful from the beginning is still in charge. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Talking donkeys, talking robots. It’s funny, when I started this post, I was looking for a prompt or a verse to get me started… and then the words just flow out… and then the words had to change and adapt and get written again because I lost it all. Which frustrated me, but reminds me again that technology dictates a lot. Still, my words are my own, and although it may never be famous, I think mittonmusings.com gets written because God uses it to touch someone, somewhere, somehow. Even the second time ’round. So, if that’s you, please drop me line and let me know to encourage my soul….

(and ease my pain at technology)

Lessons from Nature: Coping with Deep Freezes

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Hello again from the land of snow and ice and extreme temperatures! It seems like we’re beginning to reach the end of the tunnel — the sun showed itself for a few moments yesterday — but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Those groundhogs were lucky they didn’t predict six more weeks of winter, though. I think there would have been a revolt from people here in our little part of the earth. So done with snow!

I meant to get started on my seeds this weekend… but that didn’t happen either. Grandbaby is over today, so amidst sing songs and snack breaks, here we are back to blogging! I was thinking about the deep freeze. We were talking about how trees can explode in extreme temperatures. My socials are all about frost bitten chicken combs and how invasive iguanas are falling out of trees in Florida. Ice crystals in the sky and the constant sound of snowmobilers in our fields. The parking lot at our local downhill ski lift has been full lately… a fact I am sure they are grateful for! Crazy!

Yes, if you live in a place where winter tends to hit every now and then… you have certainly felt it this year! I watched a few videos on this tree exploding thing, and apparently it is when extreme temperature drops freeze the sap running inside of the tree, causing it to expand and pop the bark open. Apparently, it can sound as loud as a gunshot and create a frost crack in the tree… leaving it susceptible to damage and disease. I’ll try and find a link or picture to leave with you:

Thanks barlett.com for the photo. There are other videos of the explosions… but I am told they don’t really shatter…only produce these scars….so trust what you will!

In any case, it had me musing… Are we not like our fellow forest dwellers? Most days, our “insides” just flow along happily. We have our ups and downs, but we maintain our outer appearances and deal with most of what life throws at us. Yet, on occasion, there are times when a sudden drop in temperature takes us off our guard and we simply freeze up. Perhaps anxiety does it. Perhaps the surprise of the situation catches us unprepared. Perhaps it is just too much for us to handle… and we crack. And every one knows it, because it makes a lot of noise. Or folks see the resulting damage days or years later. It bears scars.

Have you been through one of those deep freezes, my friend? Have you felt your insides explode? Do you bear the scars? May I be the first to tell you, you are not alone. The tree people tell us “exploding trees” are a lot more common than I have ever heard about. And second, I have seen the scars on trees…. and discovered most have survived the crisis. Damaged yes, but not broken.

God gives us these moments to grow our character. How boring would a forest look with a bunch of straight poled, smooth barked trees lined up in it? It’d be like walking among fence posts. I’m sure you’ve heard of wabi sabi… beauty in imperfection. For who wants boring perfection? Just think about the disciples… a band of misfits who went on to do great things! Did you know corn flakes were a mistake? I can’t help but think of all the ways my “imperfections” in life have transformed my character to be so much more empathetic. I’ve been there, I know. You can’t say that unless you have been there… and have lived to bear the scars afterward.

Needless to say, the tree standing out in the cold freezing from the inside out, doesn’t see the beauty in the crack until the spring comes, and the sap runs sweet again. Let’s not deny the pain of the “going through”. The point where we “explode”. It’s only after we hit bottom do we start to climb up again. When our feet are firmly planted. Then we can begin the climb — changed, but for the better.

So next time you’re out for a winter walk through the forest, take a peek at a few exploded trees, notice the scars, and be thankful you recognized pain, and the recovery.

Winter Reflections: Finding Hope Beneath the Snow

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Welcome back. It is another snow day here. I hear parts of Russia are worse off, their snow piles are as high as the street lights! No comparison here, but another snow day, nonetheless. We are Canada — known for the snow. I guess Russia is, too, though. I cannot image further up north. Brrrr. I shiver to even go there. Alas, I can only speak for us, and here, no school buses are running and we are still digging out. Our back door is completely blocked from the snow falling off our roof. The bar-b-que and garden hose are completely buried. Yes, we left the garden hose out because we didn’t get to it before the snow came. I suppose we will deal with that in spring. Don’t hate on us. We’ve also had to move our recycling and garbage bins to the front door because the snow is piled so high.

The view from our back door.

The girls have been locked up in their coop for days. Okay, they are not locked up… they have the ability to go out, but they do not like the white stuff and I have not seen them venture since you could see grass on the ground. I am sure they are bored to tears. The rabbits, too, are locked up in the (warmer) barn. They need some real sunlight. At least they are getting along so they can be out together.

The children and myself are pretty housebound, too, these days. I cleaned out the pantry the other day. Later today I may tackle a closet. It’s been bitterly cold so I have to go out to refresh water for the creatures, but other than that… where is there to go? I have no money to spend. Work, of course. Hubby is still commuting. Highways seem to be okay. Kudos to our snow clearing folk. They are earning their keep this year!

Yet, there is always another side to the winter blahs. The moon was beautiful last night as I tucked everyone in. A clear, sliver of silver against the black silhouettes of our little forest. I see from posts the Northern Lights were spotted again in our area. It was quiet and peaceful. The snow crunch crunched under my feet. The stars were out on the black sky. A gentle reminder of good things in the middle of the rest of the hardships of winter. I changed my letter board from my Christmas greeting:

So, where is my reflection leading us to today? I was imagining spring. I ordered another batch of chicks to hatch for April! I’m looking forward to when all this snow melts, but dreading what we may uncover underneath. The dog dug up a hockey puck the other day. I’m sure there are several dog tennis balls out there in the field… and, um, other dog “presents” that will soon be coming to the surface when we dig out. I was thinking about being buried. Not in the literal sense, as in when you’re dead, but buried alive.

I love the television show Hoarders. They used to call it Hoarders, Buried Alive. Where people are literally buried in their stuff. Clothes, bags, paper, trash and who knows what, piled to the ceilings of homes. Other times it’s animals and a collection that has got out of hand. I get that need to nurture. The folks usually have good intentions, but get too caught up and get overwhelmed. It’s sad, but the show aims to help, I suppose. Working to clean up and clear out… with promises to work through the mental health and triggers that get folks in that sort of trouble. Good people who struggle.

Which sums up quite a few of us. Good people who struggle. Perhaps we are not buried alive by our physical stuff, but many, many people carry such heavy burdens today. Wayward family. Health crisis, unemployment, or just simple hurts that weigh heavy on our hearts. Perhaps this winter weather makes it worse. Locked up like my chickens, just eating and getting chunky. Or needing sunshine, or to see the clear sky on a cool night, like my bunnies.

Waiting for spring….

If you’re feeling it today, friend, know that I am hearing you. I trust I will be #gracious (as my my year intention leads) to those who need it. To my self when I need it. To lead others to Jesus when I cannot do it by myself. To allow winter rest to rejuvenate our souls instead of bury them. Spring eventually comes. Hope is there. Reach for it, yearn for it, seek to find it. Then come here to join me in the journey. I got you!