Lehman’s Country Life

Whether you are a Christian, Jewish, a neo-pagan or celebrate Kwansa, all the ‘deep mid-winter’ festivals have one thing in common. At this darkest time in the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate light.

Jesus is revered as the ‘Light of the World.’ In Hanukah Jews celebrate the ‘Festival of Lights.’ Pagans recount the tale of how the Corn King, having been cut down and sacrificed at Harvest, is reborn by the Great Mother; even though the winter solstice is the shortest day, it marks the return of the Light and lengthening days.

Interwoven with this theme of light is the urge to remind ourselves that the earth will wake up out of its long sleep with new growth.
Psychologically, it makes sense that many of us with European ancestors, drag indoors any bit of evergreen to remind ourselves that no matter how cold it is outside, life always renews.
Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites

I am back here again at the town library sooner than I had planned. My life never goes the way I think it will.
Bill has been cutting Blue Joint grass in the fields along the ocean shore for straw bedding. It is free and makes excellent bedding for the goats. We had a hard frost so he can bring in the turnips and all the garden will be out and stored for winter. Almost all the wood is also under cover now too. The nights turned cold dipping below freezing. Now today has warmed up. So we have to be prepared for anything. If it is a cold winter we are ready and if it is mild we will have left over wood for next winter.

I had planned to be busy piecing a quilt by now. Instead I have been chasing around town looking for a 3/4 size mattress for our bed. Our foam mattress was thirty years old. It lay on a piece of plywood on the same bed Bill’s great grandparents, grandparents ,parents and we have slept in for thirty years! In the end we had to order a mattress special made as the bed is narrower and shorter than a double bed.

Read the rest of this post »

Bookmark it:

Hide Sites