Thursday, October 3, 2013

One Year Ago Today, the last of the firsts...


Today marks the one year anniversary of when my world shifted and I found that I was going to be single, and it was just exactly 9 days earlier that my daughter, Kaitlyn’s world crashed as well.  Together we have braved the “firsts” of holidays, special events & celebrations that had in the past been shared with the men in our lives, and getting through this period was made easier with the love & support of family, friends & the kindness of strangers.  And frankly, it is a relief now that the first year of new singleness is behind us and the future is bright with new people, places and adventures.  Through it all, I compare myself & Kaitlyn to the rolling hills around my farm-house,  meaning no matter what kind of storm blows into our lives, we are like the land, solid, strong and able to weather squalls.  It made us appreciate the little things in life, the kind acts of others, whether it was from little ones to our elders, the warm sun on our faces, making sure to enjoy each day & remember that it is all we really have, as tomorrow is not a guarantee, and to honor the past, live in the present and plan for the future

Me & Kaitlyn this summer

I know it has been a while since I last wrote to you… and you have been on my mind a lot.   For the first time in a long while I didn’t know what to write.  I had started several blogs, but the words wouldn’t flow.  This past harvest was the last "hard first" for me.  My feelings were all over the place  with the smell, sights & sounds of harvest which all served to remind me that I wasn’t a part of it anymore .  I felt somewhat unsettled as the activity of tractors, semi-trucks and combines were everywhere I looked, busy bringing in America’s food and I missed  being a part of it.  And it I guess it is because “ Harvest” has been such a big part of my life and as I’ve said before, farmers only have 3 season’s ‘before harvest’, ‘harvest’ and ‘after harvest’.  It’s true, that is how the we refer to the timeline events in our lives. (example:  before harvest we went to the Oregon coast…. Or after harvest we are going to get new carpet in the living room.  You get the idea).  Ag is still a big love of my life, but now in a different way, but still important to me.  I saw this sign and loved it, so I wanted to share it with you. 

 

While out for a walk last month, here is equipment of  Chris Schultheis who is my farm neighbor next to my ground and farm house.   It again struck me that it takes a lot of equipment to feed America and Chris's  operation is just like the Anderson one, 2 combines and several semi-trucks.
 
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And to help me help myself, I I kept myself really busy with a great cause, called Chicks n Chaps, a breast cancer fundraiser and it was an awesome experience... lots of work but so worth it. Below was a picture of the wonderful women I worked with, all in our official Chicks n Chaps T-shirts for a promo picture for our program.

I've still been baking (surprise!) and with Fall now here.... well I have to make my very favorite flavor of cakes and of course they have to be  pumpkin  pared with chocolate....
 
So as I close, I will be writing more about cooking and featuring some yummy recipes, as well as my Farm-Chick projects that I have been working on in my "chick-pit" shop that now features a chandelier....   
 

 
 
So as you can see, I've been keeping busy.....And like the old saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is so true. And while it was a journey from dark to light, I am changed (for the better) Kaitlyn too.  And today I am pleased to report that we are happy, whole and feel good, really good.    I hope you come back often and I promise to begin writing more about food and fun project stuff as winter on the farm is very quiet here in the Northwest.  But even as the growing season for crops has ended,  I am coming more alive that I've felt in a long while and hope to share fun things and projects with and for you.  Take care.  All my best, Gayle.
(as always, I love to hear from you so drop me a line at swheatfarmlife@gmail.com or leave me a comment.