From the “Around the Kitchen Table” Guest Blog Series
Guest blogger: Mallory DeVries (my granddaughter) of Woodside Acres in Charles City, Iowa
It’s that time of year again. The Fodder’s in the Shock and farmers in the Midwest are ready to rest their aching bones. What a season it has been. At Woodside this year, we had a large garden for our own consumption and focused on crafting tasty, pastured poultry. I’m happy to report that we sold every last bird that we’re not saving for the winter ahead.
Meat and grocery shortages were not exactly what the country had in mind at the beginning of 2020, but here we are again, weathering a third peak of a deadly pandemic. It’s feeling quite dire here in Iowa. The kids have been home since March and we’re all getting a little irritated with one another.
A great source of entertainment has been our laying flock. When the crops are all out of the garden, the laying flock goes from “free-range” to “walk to town if you want”, meaning we open up their already large enclosure and they go to work, cleaning up the garden, fertilizing it, terrorizing the dog and the mailman, and entertaining the entire family with their antics.
As we settle in for perhaps the longest winter of our lives, we take time to reflect on the season and prepare ourselves for the next in a different way: by storing up on the feel-goods! We spend a lot of time preparing our homes and pantries for the cold; why not our minds and hearts as well? A winterizing of the mind, if you will. I’ve brainstormed a few questions to get us started:
- What habits can I create right now that will get me through the gloomy dark days of winter?
- What promises will I make myself?
- What can I get rid of?
- How can I be more present during the holiday season?
- What brings me happiness?
- How can the rest of the family participate?
How are you preparing for winter? Leave me a comment!
And don’t forget, my Grandma’s book, Ira’s Farm, makes an excellent gift for the upcoming holidays! Buy it on Amazon and have it delivered (no-contact) this year! http://bit.ly/Irasfarm
Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash
FarmGirl Ginny 
Great thoughts. Thank you for sharing. Glad to see you use WordPress. My son-in-law and daughter are huge supporters of it. He has a blog called Hero Press where users all over the world have contributed articles. And yes Ira’s Farm is tops.
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