Tag Archives: winter

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

Posted on by
Reply

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!

The Story of Nieve: A Cat Named for Winter

Posted on by
1

I wanna tell you a little story about how our female cat came to arrive at our house. I’ve always had long haired Persians or Himalayan pure bred cats, but the breed standard was changing and the push face Persian was no longer my favourite. So, we (okay I) researched the next pretty kitty and discovered a Birman breeder about an hour or two from where we were living at the time. I wanted a boy. Boy cats are always better (we can debate that later… but trust me). A litter of kittens later and long story short, a girl is what we got, so we just went with it. After all, she was a cute little bundle of fluffy white fur, and declared my birthday present to myself. I had to wait for some time before she arrived, but the real story comes on the day of her pick up to come home.

Dec. 17, 2016….worth the trip!

We drove the hour plus in a blinding snowstorm, complete with freezing rain, wind and white outs. The hubby was determined to please his wife, and so we continued on the journey arriving with carrier in hand to complete the sale. Upon arrival, after a somewhat harrowing trip, he refused to “talk cat” with two crazy cat ladies, so he decided to wait in the car as we went over pedigrees and plans. More than likely resting from the white knuckling drive. Finally the little bundle of joy was wrapped snug in her little blankie… but the car battery(exhausted by the wait) was now dead. A few choice words later and a boost from the breeder’s husband… both men seemingly weary from the chit chat of the said crazy cat ladies… the vehicle roared once more and we were finally on our way.

Now, I tell you this story to paint the picture of how “Nieve” got her name. A breeder often lists litters by alphabet, and this litter was “N”, so we searched for names depicting ice, snow, sleet etc. Nieve means “snow” in Spanish. It worked… and it stuck. Yup, around here, the weather is worth naming your cat after. We live in Canada. It’s cold. We now have a farmer’s field in front of us and field behind us. The wind whips through our yard like a tyrant on a rampage. It’s cold. I drove home in the dark the other night and hit a snow drift pushed across the road from the fields north of us. I slid through it. It’s cold. Did I mention we live in Canada? And did I mention it’s cold here?

Photo by Lauren Hedges on Pexels.com

This week a “polar vortex” is going through our neck of the woods. It’s cold. The wind is brutal and my bunnies and chickens are outside. The rabbits seem to tolerate it, but every morning the chick birds peep out and say “Nope, my skin wrapped chicken feet do not like the feeling of snow nor ice!” And off they go back inside. The water dishes freeze and I must replenish them several times. The yard is littered with “ice pucks” where I have cracked out the dish shaped “disk” and replaced it with liquid water. It’s cold.

Still, I suppose we are luckier than others. Our face isn’t freezing off at first sight. My hands are feeling it — but I still have all the tips of my fingers and toes. I still run out without full proper winter attire to do animal chores. And I survive. It’s harsh, but it’s better than a lot of places. It’s funny when you think about weather. I wonder why God let the seasons happen. Why did it become part of His science? It’s a muse I think about especially when the weather gets like this.

There certainly are a lot of biblical references to weather: “white a snow” “cold hearts”, and the like. Storms, rain and the calm. I guess people haven’t changed all that much… we still talk about the weather! I suppose it is a topic that unites us in some way… we all have our weather story. Like picking up Nieve. I suppose our God stories should be as easy to talk about as the weather. A natural part of our daily existence. Something not quite under our control but a part of us nonetheless. An underlying “thing” that changes the way we should prepare for the day… we put on our gloves and boots like we should put on our graceful attitudes. Our hearts should overflow with what they hold inside. Is your heart cold ? Or is it overflowing with God’s spirit … like the wind rushing through the farmer’s fields.

Dress warm my friends… inside and out!

(Photo generated with A.I.)

Anyway… this cold is what I’ve been thinking about this week. I hope it makes you (and I) reflect on how it can be an example for us. Thanks for hanging out and talking about the weather with me. You’ve been a good Canadian! Here’s to a warmer week next week!

Seasons of Change

Posted on by
2

Perhaps there isn’t enough snow on the ground to be discussing changes in season. Perhaps I’ve jumped the gun in talking about something that hasn’t yet happened. Especially since the weather was so warm today. Still, for some reason, this is what’s been on my mind. And I’d like to think that what I share here is beyond me and serves its purpose on a bigger scale, so I am going with it. Perhaps it’s a mood swing and I’m just self-talking at this point… dragging you all down with me. Maybe it’s the surroundings. The walls are closing in. There is a tree just outside my front window that is totally void of leaves already. A blank canvas preparing for a dark winter. Last week we chatted about the harvest and the busyness of that time… and the joys that went along with reaping. And then comes winter. In Canada, we are blessed (or cursed?) to enjoy four, very distinct seasons. We understand (and are often teased about) our endless winters. Still, how can one appreciate the warmth of summer if you haven’t felt the bitter cold of winter?

Photo by Simon Berger on Pexels.com

I’m sure many of you have heard of this thing called SAD that people often suffer from during the onslaught of winter. SAD or “Seasonal Affective Disorder” causes about 14% of the general population to feel slightly depressed, isolated, fatigued during a seasonal change. The symptoms can be more serious, but most of us feel those “winter blues” when we are tucked up inside. I suspect with COVID the feelings of isolation and fatigue have been compounded in recent months. I’ve felt it too. Sadness (and I’m talking about the emotion here) is a God-given feeling. We don’t want to think of it that way — I mean, why would God want us to feel sad? And yet, Jesus himself wept for others, felt lonely and discouraged. It’s like experiencing the summer without the winter again. We must go through the seasons of life to truly appreciate “the other side”. Do you agree with me, here? Or maybe it’s just me and the mood I’ve been in this weekend. Maybe ya’ll are experiencing a joyous season right now and you are regretting diving into this post. Sorry if I’ve brought you down.

Are you ready to face it? Photo by kristen leigh on Unsplash

Okay, maybe I’m not sorry for leading you down this lonely path. The Bible talks a lot about seasons. Metaphors for not only in sharing the gospel but for spiritual growth. I’m sure many of you will quote Ecclesiastes back to me at this juncture in our discussion… for there is a “time for everything” and a “time for every season under the sun”. And you would be right. You know I love a good learning curve in this journey of life… and I truly think God gives us one every now and then to keep us moving forward. Growth only happens when seasons change. The “dead” of winter is the waiting period where everything slows down before the big growth spurt of spring. That tree outside my window seems bleak right now, but it’s working on the energy it will need to burst forth with blossoms come April. I’ve been around the moon enough to know this. You have to.

I heard a quote that made me think a bit. I don’t know who said it, but it’s pretty deep:

“Sometimes God doesn’t change your situation because He’s trying to change your heart.”

Unknown

Part of me doesn’t like it. I’m stubborn and don’t want to have my heart changed. I don’t like to think about what could be. Unless it’s good for me. Or easy for me. But. Seasons change. Winter will soon be here and there is not much I can do about it but drag out the heavy boots and coats and embrace the wind. Face the ice and snow head-on and dream of warmer days to come. Will you join me and strap on the winter tires as we trek down the road together? Until next week, my friends!