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Discovering Hyssop: A Versatile Herb for Spring Cleaning (and the first plant in our mini-series!)

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Well. It happened. I didn’t think it would ever happen, but it did. It happened quickly and was painless. It was sooner than expected, based on what seemed to be happening, but then… all of a sudden… we have spring! Somehow, out of no where, came a warm front and a few rain showers: and our snow has finally melted! Well, most of it has melted, anyway. You can smell it in the air, you can feel the above zero temperatures, you can just sense the world awakening again, and you can see green! The girls have flown the coop and are out digging up the ground again. Life seems good. Except.

The current state of the barn… 5 inches deep in water!

Except, that all the snow melting has created a lot of water. A lot. Our fields are mostly squishy, spongy grass and mini lakes. Where there isn’t a lake, there is still a pile of snow. The sump pump has been working non-stop, so our basement is (thankfully) dry. The barn, however, is a completely different story. It is a mess. For some reason, the drains are still frozen underground and there is about 5 inches of water everywhere. We’ve tried shop vacuuming, we tried pumping it out, but because of the slopes to the drains, those lakes keep pooling back in. It is just “yuck”. Chicken and rabbit mess is softening into a sludge and everything is wet. Soaked, in fact. We will have to assess real damage when things get dried out a bit. My poor bunnies are propped up on a pallet and out of the water, but I can’t let them free roam until things dry out a bit. I am sure they are miserable, but I don’t know what else to do. Time should help… but it is supposed to be raining all day today and into the night, and then cold again?! So who knows. Yes, spring is here, but so is all that spring brings.

So. That was a very long introduction to my next thoughts: because it is finally spring, and traditionally we do a little theme for blog-a-versary, (which I didn’t do yet) I’ve decided let’s do it. And, because it is spring and it has been a very long winter, I’ve decided to bring some colour, and brightness and new life into this little theme for us for the next few weeks… drumroll… let’s focus on flowers!! Sound good? Great. I’m on it. And for some reason, my first plant I wanna learn about is hyssop.

I know nothing about hyssop. It’s in the Bible. The rest I had to look up. Therefore, according to the great inter web…Hyssop is a very versatile herb, often used in Mediterranean dishes and traditionally known for “purification”. Apparently, the oils are often used to help respiratory issues. My chickens and bunnies may need it after all this water and dampness. I’m praying they don’t catch colds.

Hyssop is pretty, actually. They say it is in the mint family. A tiny blue-purple flower, in a spiky little bush… typical “herb”. Probably spreads like crazy given the right space. Oh… it says the flowers can be red, pink or white too. Nice. I’m not sure why this one was my first choice in our little series… maybe it’s a God thing that I won’t know about until it gets shared with me, but hyssop it is.

So, let’s look at it’s biblical references, shall we? Apparently the “hyssop” as described in ancient times is not the common herb found in the middle east today. It was likely a different aromatic herb like oregano or capers. Still, shrubby fragrant plant with healing properties… Sniff ’em all for good measure. Traditionally “cleanse me with hyssop” is a phrase you’ll see in Biblical references. Those antiseptic properties maybe, but sources say it was more “figurative” than literal cleansing. I suppose only because it was chosen as the instrument for marking doors at Passover, and it was the type of stick on which the sponge of liquid was given to Jesus on the cross…. so it all got associated through time as representing “cleansing of sins” (which of course no plant can do on it’s own). But there ya have it.

Hyssop was likely a good one to start with considering the state of my property. There is plenty of water, but not much of it is good for “cleansing”. It’s muddy, defiled and stagnant. Spring reminds us of new life and new beginning, but it’s only once all that snow, muck and mess is purified. Cleansed, if you will. I’m looking forward to getting the power washer out and hosing down a few things so my bunnies can get back to running around, and the grass actually looks green again and fresh. The snow melt has unearthed some unpleasant surprises, and I am ready for the clean up. Perhaps hyssop should be in the repertoire. What should we look up next, friends? Drop me a comment!

Navigating Life’s Pathways: Lessons from a Spider

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Greetings, friends! It’s been a hot moment, hasn’t it? We’re back though, with another thought of the day to enlighten you. I was finally taking a moment to relax in the bath, when a teenie little daddy long legged spider decided to meander its way along the side of my tub. Now, I don’t have any fear of spiders, especially one so small, but I didn’t want this little guy to fall into my bath, or worse, disappear from view, so I gently scooped him up and placed him along the edge of my dangling English ivy (which I am so proud of… it’s growing well on my bathroom window ledge…long and sprawling… I am hoping to weave it all through the mirror). Anyway, I placed the little guy along the edge of the vine, hoping he would follow the path into the heart of the plant and live happily eating the fruit flies or whatever little gnat things live in soils. He did not. He made a quick veer to the right, grasping at the smooth painted bathroom wall to start his ascent. Once he slipped and slid along the wall, he had to spot check a few pieces of web to swing over the window ledge. I didn’t watch him after that. I don’t know if he every made it to the plant, or the sunny window, or simply slid down the other side under the sink and whatever lurks under there.

Which pathway to choose?

And so… you guessed it… I mused about that little spider and wondered why on earth did he choose the more treacherous path when I clearly had shown him the easiest route? The quickest definition of a pathway is “a way that constitutes or serves as a path” — it says nothing of the difficulty of the pathway, nor the length of the route, nor the dangers along it. It is simply a “way” from point A to point B. Plenty of us have traveled along many a pathway — both easy and hard routes in our lifetimes. They are worth a thought and a look back to see how far we have come.

Most of you know, it has been a hard, long, cold, snowy winter here at Itsnotta Farm. The snow is still deep on the ground, the days are still bitterly cold, and my farm chores are tough. Gates are frozen open, two feet deep in snow. Entry ways to the barn are icy because when it did warm up for a few brief days, the snow melted. The barn is a skating rink. I need to clean out my stall bound bunnies, but everything is frozen to the ground. One day, the wind created huge drifts enroute to the coop, I was waste deep and shoveling my way along. I bump my head on the top of the chicken run because the snow has lifted me up a foot or so taller. Goat fencing can’t be started because the ground is solid and still buried. Needless to say, I think we are quite sick of it all! Spring could not come sooner.

Photo by Anurag Jamwal on Pexels.com

Metaphorically speaking, we’ve been on a few pathways since moving out here. Adjusting to the weather was just one. We’ve had new schools, church, made new friends in a new community. I’ve been given several job opportunities and navigated that trajectory for awhile. Life is a seemingly endless pathway. And then you die. My faith would tell me that that isn’t the final checkpoint, though. The Bible tells us the pathway to Heaven is narrow and tough going. It’s a hard one to choose. Like my little spider, the challenges are real and sluggish. Choices we make now, will determine our fate. Is it worth the slow, arduous route to arrive in Heaven and eternal life? You bet it is!

I don’t know where you are, friend, on your pathway through life. I don’t know who reads my little public posts, or who shares them and why. I do know, God is faithful. He’s proven it time and time again. People around us try and set us on the path that is easy… one with few obstacles, an easy climb through the ivy. Sometimes, the sacrifice is worth the harder route. Sometimes, we need to plant ourselves and haul up over the ledge. It’ll be a bit more difficult for sure. Oh, we’ll have a few blessings along the way… someone will surely scoop us up every now and then and keep us from drowning; but it will all be worth it in the end. Trust me. Spring thaw is coming, and the pathways will soon be green again! And there will be plenty more spiders to watch.

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!