Tag Archives: farm

Choose your Identity

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Oh, beloveds! I’m back! I’ve missed you! It’s beeen a long time! So much has happened! Our current house has sold, and we’ve got the keys to our new one! We haven’t “officially” moved in yet, so we are bouncing between the two locations. We are in transition. Homeless with two homes. Camping out at the new house, and on bare essentials at the old house. Boxes are everywhere. I’m feeling a little lost when it comes to my identity. I’m not sure if I am still a city girl or a country bumpkin in the making. We haven’t had a “summer” yet because we are still doing all the things required for transitions… so no relaxation for us! It’s coming. When we get there.

We got the keys!

I suppose the world we live in talks a lot about transitions. Jobs. Moving. Identity based on where you see yourself. Gender identity – now there’s a hot one. Goal setting. Personal achievements. Past achievements. At the risk of sounding philosophical, identity is very complex. I’m not sure it is all simple DNA. Even from a science girl. I don’t think it’s about your skillset either. I’m not sure it’s as easy as picking your character on a video game. Can we choose our identity? What does that mean? No simple answer was found for that muse, my friends. As I said, I think we humans are too complex for such a simple, one-time choice. Our identity ebbs and flows — I think. Or does it have a clear direction? Okay – enough of that musing, my brain hurts and it’s not the direction I wanted this post to go.

Still, I do want to chat about identity a little. Perhaps we need to break it down from human identity into a simpler innate object: like our new house. A few weeks ago, I wrote about giving our new property a name. A name, because names are important. They are part of that bigger identity assemblage of thoughts. You’re welcome to read about that post here. So, what did we name our new place? It’s just over 4 acres of land. About an acre and a half of that is forest. We have a chicken coop, a barn/garage/outbuilding with a loft. A pond and a pool and a garden. The house was built in the 1900s with a big ol’ wrap-around porch. It has character and I love it. It’s exceptionally quiet and I feel like I am at a retreat when I am there. It’s going to have work – for sure. It’s going to be part of mittonmusings.com – undoubtedly.

It has a Barn!

So the name? Oh. Well. As I dragged my dear husband from property to property over the last few months, this one checked all my boxes (see above). I’d been praying. The hubby kept me balanced. He reminds me that we are not farmers. I cannot have a goat (yet). I can have a few chickens but “it is not a farm”. When the purchase agreement went through, I was telling everyone we bought a farm. He reminded me “It was not a farm”. It was an old house with some property. Therefore, I can say that my hubby actually chose the name, based on the diverse identity of our land. We hereby dubb the new house:

“ITSNOTTA” Farm

Do you love it? Quirky? Dumb? Different? Not very original? All are part of the identity. You can judge. Go ahead. People judge identity all the time. They can because of that complexity we mused about in paragraph two. The apostle Paul also had to defend his identity… and the identity of those he was trying to serve. In Ephesians 3 (one of my favourite chapters by the way!) he reminds us that not only God’s chosen people are to be part of the family of God. Jews and Gentiles alike are “allowed” to be joint heirs with Christ based on their beliefs, not on their heritage. That’s one part of my identity I don’t have to question: I am a child of God. Am I a farmer? I don’t think so. Is our new property going to have a garden and some animals? Yes. But, “it’s not a” farm. And Paul was an apostle, but not a Jew. Choose your identity? That’s complex. But you can choose the next step you make in this journey. And maybe, just maybe, your steps will lead you on a path to “enjoy the promise of blessings because you belong to Christ Jesus”. Ephesians 3:6b. Then come on over to “Itsnotta” and we can chat about choosing identity over lemonade on the porch.

The rocking chair is waiting for you!

A Thankful visit to Transvaal Farm

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Hello again, my friends! We just got back from a wonderful, long Victoria Day weekend. We opened up our tiny trailer and got our first real taste of summer — despite the fact that it was still quite chilly. Oh my, we are so ready for some warmer weather over here!

Which got me thinking about all things vacation. Therefore, I wanted to throwback to a few weeks ago, when I took a lovely, little “mini-vacation” with a couple of good friends. We had an awesome time together — simply enjoying each other’s company, with no set agendas, just doing whatever tickled our fancy (which was a whole lot of shopping!) We journeyed to little town called St. Marys, near Stratford, Ontario (Canada!) and spend a few days in a wonderful little place called Transvaal Farm.

The guest house, situated on 50 acres of rural farmland, was quaint — and perfect for the girls’ getaway. The home features two bedrooms, a lovely sitting area, and a country kitchenette, allowing us to save some money by cooking our evening meals in-house (all the more cash for shopping!) Our host, Cindy, and her working partners, were eager to show us around, and we reveled in the delights of the goats… and you guessed it… CHICKENS! (I don’t know what it is with me and chickens, right now….but I am lovin’ them!)

Although not a true bed and breakfast, our hosts delighted us with a stocked fridge full of fresh goat cheese, delectable, baked artisan bread and treats… and, of course, farm fresh eggs! We even got to gather our own eggs, direct from the coop, one day! We visited during off season, so many of the garden’s goodness’s were not yet available, but I’ve been told that the property boasts a lovely variety of fresh veggies all summer long. I did see quite a few rhubarb patches, too! I understand that Cindy hosts some wonderful classes on all things good and yummy, as well. I encourage you to check it out!

Our felted owls
Our crazy little felted owls!

The girlfriends and I spent our days touring around the surrounding cities, thrifting (I was on the hunt for glass bottles!!) enjoying cafe lunches, and quaint little gift shops. We found boundless treasures and laughed and chatted for hours. We even tried our hand at some felted owls one night. Which led to a deluge of giggles at our own inadequacies! But, the fireplace was warm, and the company was even warmer. It was such a refreshing time for me!

I am so blessed. Indeed, I must remember to be thankful. To take time to reflect and thank God for the bountiful blessings He provides — warm beds, nourishing food, a bountiful earth full of good things, and lasting relationships with friends who bring such value to my life. I must remember to be thankful that I am blessed enough, financially, to take time away from working, to be a bit frivolous with my time. I must remember to be thankful for a family that is home waiting for me to share my joys upon my return (and to hear me talk about chickens… again!)

Have you made your blessings list? Have you taken the time to indulge in a few days with no agenda, to laugh with friends and collect fresh chicken eggs? To pet the barn cats and enjoy lattes at a quaint, small town cafe? To find treasures hidden away in a thrift shoppe? Oh, may you enjoy coming home again to the faces of your beloveds, because your absence has made your heart grow fonder. Be blessed, my friend — and be thankful.