Category Archives: Inspiration

Embracing Winter: Reflections on God’s Creation and His Incarnation

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Well… here we are at the last week of our little advent study. The title for this week is “Incarnation”: God made flesh. Yet, before we get into all that, let’s talk about what’s been happening here at Itsnotta Farm. Winter has arrived with a vengeance! And I am not impressed. We have a few inches of snow. And have had a consistent layer of the white stuff for the last few weeks. I’m okay with the snow. As long as the roads are clear, I can deal with it. The last few days have been bitterly cold, though. This, I do not like. Which is all fine for me… I can hibernate in the house. Put on a fire. Drink hot cocoa and ignore the cold. My creatures, however, cannot.

Photo by Angelica Reyn on Pexels.com

The chickens have been cooped up (literally) for the last week. Oh, I open the doors and the run … they have access to outside … but they certainly don’t want to deal with it. I don’t think they like the snow. Would you, with little naked chicken feet? I have a heat lamp in there on a timer, but they just seem miserable. Egg production is at a standstill, too. I can’t wait until they can venture out again… mind you, they are safer inside. At least I know where they are. Two of my younger birds gave me a scare a little while ago when they didn’t go to bed and spent what I suspect was a very cold night outside. I seriously have no idea where they go… we search. Believe me, we search and call and check with flashlights… and poof! there they are huddled in a very obvious corner the next morning. I tell ya, my nerves cannot handle it. So, they are warm and safe, I suppose, when they are not wandering.

I’m sure the girls are waiting for a green grass day again soon!

The rabbits — a very different story. They seem to enjoy the snow. They dig and snuffle it. They do have their little hutches, which I have packed with straw and covered with wind blocking blankets… but I feel bad for them. It is chilly at nights. I really should bring them in to the barn. I’m down to only two bunnies now. We lost Peanut a few weeks ago to a very bad tooth issue… it was sad. Unfortunately, it means the two I have left are not friendly with each other and I don’t like to have them out together as they tend to fight. The bunnies are tough. I’m not sure if they are thriving or surviving. I’m doing the best I can.

The wild birds and squirrels are loving the roasted pumpkin I put out for them, however! They are flourishing at our feeders. They scatter every time I try and get a photo from the porch, but through the window, our front yard is a haven for chickadees, the occasional blue jay, mourning doves and the odd fat squirrel. I marvel at how these wild beasts survive these harsh conditions… despite our interventions. The coyotes were howling last night, too. And I think it was the owls back in our forest trees again the other night as well. A regular fairy tale enchanted woods we have.

As I said, I marvel at the winter miracles when it comes to my creatures. I love the teeny tiny mouse prints and chickadee prints scattered in the snow. The crystal ice particles glittering in the night sky that makes the fields look so pretty and yet so cruel and harsh at the same time. Winter is weird. And yet, as we remember this idea of “incarnation,” the parallels are thought provoking. God, the creator of the World is eternal. Yet, He chose to step down to this finite space. Hopefully, the birds and bunnies will see some sun and grass soon… winter seems long, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s relatively short. I wonder if Jesus contemplated that when He planned His arrival. Manhood is a mere drop in the ocean to an eternal God. Did He think of it as something to “get through”? Or was His love so deep for us that He thrived versus survived?

Jesus came to earth as a helpless babe. My rabbits have a few bare necessities available, but rely on me to cut through the frozen ice and provide fresh water a couple of times a day, and get them their fresh greens. The chickens are warm (ish) but wouldn’t choose being locked up, I don’t think, anyway. Still, the Creator of the little chickadee made them fully equipped to survive Canadian winters, even without my pumpkin feast. Jesus’ birth was planned from the beginning — and orchestrated for us.

A busy view from my window!

For us to fully be forgiven. For us to know that He was fully human and totally understands all our needs and wants and struggles… because He went through them too. He survived this winter wasteland that we call “our world”, and experienced all the harshness it provided. Including His own murderous death. I worry about how cold it is for my creatures… but sending my sons out to their deaths? That’s a whole other set of emotions.

So, as I continue to put up my decorations, I am reminded, yet again, of how marvelous our world is, how He designed it that way from the beginning, how fleeting it is, and how blessed I am because He did it for me. I hope you get that message from our little studies here. It’s why I try. Be blessed, my friends, this advent season. And stay warm!

Advent Adventures: Unusual Foods and Christmas Magic

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Welcome back to to another post. We’re preparing for Christmas with our little advent focus… I’m actually combining a couple of lessons from our study because we missed a week travelling… did you even notice? I did. Nonetheless, the kid and I have made it back safely to Itsnottafarm and have resumed our rather boring existence. Winter hit. I’m bummed out about it. So let’s talk more about our vacation instead, okay?

I love to try new foods when on vacation. Obviously, when you are in a new place, there are things that you do that are “out of the ordinary”. That’s the point, right? Vacations are supposed to be when you see new things, try new foods, and throw a few extra ordinary things in there. And of course we did this on our little mini getaway, too. Two restaurants on our list whenever we go to the USA are Olive Garden and Cracker Barrel. We used to have Olive Garden here in Canada, but no longer… and it is a shame. All you can eat bread sticks? Yes, please.

Anyway, amid our navigational disasters, we did manage to make it to an Olive Garden. And it was worth the drive. Our waiter bamboozled us a little into getting extra dipping sauces… but hey, we were on vacation. Alfredo for the win! I suppose pasta places are not unusual as far as restaurants go, but anything different from “home” is worth it. Our second unusual stop was a place called “Shake Shack”. A new one to me, but the “elevated” fast food joint was on the kid’s list and right next to our hotel… so it was hit up as well. Apparently the burger was great. I can say that my shake was quite good. I got a peppermint bark shake which had big chunks of real peppermint bark. I suppose the Shake Shack will be added to the list for future trips.

Being in Boston, we also had to try the “specialty”: Lobster rolls. It served as our lunch one day whilst downtown. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon… and paid through the nose for essentially a sandwich, but we did it just to say we did. Anyone have any foodie lists for vacation? What’s your extra ordinary food when you don’t want to be ordinary? Perhaps a Christmas tradition that only comes out at this time of year?

So. Let’s make our transition to our lessons, shall we? Extra ordinary. Different from the norm. On the list but not the everyday. Can we say that the birth of Jesus certainly fit in this theme? First off… no sterile hospital bed for Mary. She had the luxury suite in the barn cave of a kind inn keeper. Mary and Joseph were on a trip, but nary a fancy meal for them. No endless bread sticks on the menu. Instead? Lowly shepherds in the middle of the night. Then later, a visit from a few wise men who followed an “unusual” star. One never seen before. Yup, babies are born in the middle East all the time… but this one? Freaky all around.

If you think about it, the entire description of that Holy night was unusual. Out of the ordinary. Different in almost every way from the normal… time, place, people, creatures… how did the world not know? Did the friends of the shepherds not question their sanity? Didn’t other people see a shining light and a multitude of angels on a hill in the blackness? What did Mary think of the whole thing? Really? “Treasured up all these things in her heart” is an understatement. Crazy crazy things happened to this peasant girl and her betrothed, slightly confused husband. They’d never been through these things before… and the verses in the Bible seem to gloss through the story… because it really is extra ordinary.

Ordinary Night in Bethlehem? Not in the Least! Photo by mark soetebier on Pexels.com

Perhaps that’s why we make Christmas time extra special. Perhaps that’s why we bring out all the goodies that we only splurge on at this time of year. It is cause for celebration. It is an excuse to see the phenomenal. Angels, wise men, unnamed stars, stinky sheep and their caregivers in a foreign village in a barn. Would not be on my birth plan. Nor on my vacation list. Yet, it was all as the ancient prophets had predicted. And all according to God’s plan.

Obviously there is a lot more we could unpack in these advent days. The story of King Herod and the death of innocent babies. Who were the shepherds? The wise men? What ever happened to Joseph? The gifts? Yet, I’m going to choose to sit here with my endless supply of bread sticks and just enjoy the unusual. It’s worth the seeking to experience an “ordinary event” in an “extra ordinary” way. I’m up to try it. Are you? Let’s make it a plan to see the magic of Christmas… both past and present this year. Cheers!

Exploring Boston: Anticipation and Miracles on the Road

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Greetings from Boston Massachusetts! The youngest son and I are on a spur- of- the- moment trip. Why Boston? Simply because it was a place on the map we could drive to in a day. So, here we are. It’s the most I have ever driven by myself. And getting here was a challenge. We decided to take a route through Vermont. Which was fine, except it was a very straight run through simple trees and the end of our trip was dark — therefore a long, boring, drive. No gas stations, no street lights, no tourist spots along the way… simply dark figures of trees and the road ahead. Barely even another car, because who decides to go through Vermont enroute to Boston in the middle of late fall ? Us crazy Canadians, I guess.

Needless to say, we drove the last few hours straight with a vengeance. We were on a mission to get there. To make matters worse, my phone battery was dangerously low and for fear of our GPS (and only navigation) source dying, the kid was taking screen shots of directions to get us there. Finally, our hotel was in sight… we were safe and had arrived! Then, we were starving and needed to find food (but that’s a different story).

One of the biggest lessons we can draw from our road trip thus far, has been the anticipation. As I said, we planned this little getaway with no real agenda other than the trip itself. Let’s just go! It’ll be fun! How does that thought link to our third lesson of this little advent study we’re in the middle of? Well, we are focusing on Mary and the miracle of her virgin birth and all that surrounds that subject. Obviously, from ancient texts, we can see that the world has been waiting… anticipating… for the final arrival of the Messiah, One who would save the world. We were on a mission to get to the end … and the world was waiting too!

Now, let’s talk about all that surrounded Mary’s story. A virgin birth. A visit from an angel. Lots of out of the ordinary stuff happening to poor Mary… exciting but crazy things! Our lesson points out some interesting facts about Luke’s account of the baby Jesus’ birth as recorded in the Bible:

  • Luke was an expert historian; he would have secured his sources and fact checked; this means he would not likely “make up” points just to be sensational in his writing; Mary’s virginity would be fact
  • Mary’s story also checks out with earlier accounts from prophets like Isaiah; the Bible is consistent
  • Many Greco-Roman legends of the time paint different pictures of their “immortal god births”, often citing gods having relations with mortals resulting in miraculous births… Luke’s account isn’t anything like this, and sticks to the facts
  • speaking of facts… most readers would ummm, understand the “facts” and not play stupid; in other words, because Mary was a virgin, Jesus’ birth is all that more miraculous. If she wasn’t, we could explain it away; We can also say that the ancient people of the time understood where babies came from… so His miraculous birth was just that: supernatural and special

Furthermore, I’m humbled to know that the mighty messengers who came to visit Mary way back then, were looking out for us on our journey as well. I am sure that angels were on the roads protecting us from snow and sleet and my lack of navigational skills. My phone wasn’t miraculously charged, but I have no doubt that God kept us safe on the roads, because lemme tell ya, traffic in Boston is awful! Narrow roads and one way streets with bridges and interstates with crazy on and off ramps. God led Mary and Joseph through miraculous parenthood adventures, and he led the kid and I on some crazy escapades as well!

Just think about all of Mary’s crazy adventures! Image from The Nativity Story

Perhaps I am drawing too much of a comparison between our road trip and Mary’s miracle. Still, it is valid to muse about the well familiar virgin birth story and all the anticipation of Christmas. Perhaps, should you travel this holiday, you’ll think of us and our long road through Vermont and be reminded that the same God who was with Mary, is with you, too, as He was with us on the roads in Boston. He still cares. He is still protecting us. He still has a plan for us. I hope this little post has brought you a little closer to knowing Him this season, and recognizing His presence, even on the dark roads of Vermont !