Sunday, March 16, 2008

Farming At The Kitchen Table

I have always loved that saying ~ I'm not sure why ;) I guess it invokes images of Dad, Grandpa, Uncles or in more recent years Husband, Nephews, Neighbors sitting at the kitchen table discussing the farm plans for the day or week or season.

Saturday was that kind of day..of farming, shepherding and fellowshiping around the various "kitchen tables" of my life.

It started out as it usually does with morning coffee with my husband. Then off to Sip 'n Knit for our Middle of the Mitten Fiber Group meeting...a monthly get together of friends who spin, knit, crochet and raise animals. I was especially excited to think that I might be meeting a long lost friend, of sorts, a fiber friend and fellow shepherd met via the Internet, on a sheep list. This friend had lived through the kind of unplanned events of life that change all of us forever and now, years later, through what could only be called the working of unseen Hands, I might actually be meeting him for the first time in person! (we had only ever spoken via computer or Internet) Also planning a visit were fellow shepherds from here in Michigan, Tom and Margaret.

And it happened. It all came together, and in a wonderful place full of creative energy....with crochet and fiber and felting at one corner of the building....spinning and knitting in another, by the fireplace....and the usual fare of delicious food and out of this world coffee in another!

PurseClass
(Above, class in session with instructor Cathy Adams)

There was so much that I can't even begin to name it all! I almost feel like I was riding a wonderful carousel ride of lights and music and magically painted colors, full of laughter and breathlessness ~ that is the way the day spun around for me. It was a day of feeling the laughter catch in your throat, of sitting at a table with Tom, friend Hilda, Harry and me discussing sheep raising experiences. Of discussing with Margaret her trip to Orkney Island with Liz Lovick (okay, I told Margaret, now I can't be your friend because I am so envious of you taking that trip!!!) Of making plans for an upcoming day of Spa and Spinning. And of visiting as we often do, the "regular" friends who make each of these days so special...I won't name them all, but the Sip 'n Knit group know who you are!

I left that part of my day to hurry home and share my excitement with my husband, again over coffee at the kitchen table, when another of our dear friends arrived to discuss future plans for haying and planting time....I am going to have corn stubble to turn my ewes in to this fall and a new seeding of hay, too! Talk of changes to my pasture fences to better utilize what I have now (are you ready for all the work, Dad? LOL!)

And finally, after I finished my night chores, I came to the house and stopped to look around the farm with a sense of joy and gratitude for the many blessings God bestows on me every day.

And this is what I saw in the sunset ~

Wings

It seemed to me that the clouds gathered beneath the sun were wings and I thought of some verses from Psalms "To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee...Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice"....Psalms 63

Wings1

It was a good day around the table.

4 comments:

Cheryl said...

HI Cary -- loved the update! Thank you for sharing life with your grandson. Our young people today are so much that "chosen generation" and we need to breathe LIFE into them at every possible moment.

Your reference to Psalms touched my heart. That book of the Bible echoes within my spirit always and so lovely the verses you shared.

Thank You - Cheryl

Donna B said...

Thank you for sharing your joyous day! Lovely psalm and sunset....

Theresa said...

Oh this sounds like a wonderful day and your writing was awesome! How blessed you are - I long for this kind of in person fiber fellowship! I love the wings. I was just telling Kimberly on her blog a week or two ago that there was a Vineyard (I think) praise song that said "I sing in the shadow of your wings" and it was always so comforting to me especially when I was single and felt so alone in the world and in the struggles I faced. He always speaks to me through His nature too. Incredible isnt' it?!

Anonymous said...

I loved this update.

In the last couple of years or so I've been spending a lot of time around tables, with family or friends. Reminds of me of when I was a little girl at a family events with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. we have a huge family and so gatherings with family now and friends make me very happy even if the noise level is a bit much at times. *G*

Grandkids, I love seeing things through a child's eyes. It is why I'm spending so much time with the grandkids and not getting much studio work done. They grow up way too fast!