Tag Archives: winter

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!

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!

The Story of Nieve: A Cat Named for Winter

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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!