This seems to be an easy time of year to get a little down. Holidays are over, time for diets, budgets, taxes and a few more months of winter.
I sure don’t have all the answers but I’ve found relief in simple tasks. Since I’m not feeding cows yet, I didn’t have to bundle up and head outside at 0 dark-thirty. Instead, I used my morning to reorganize and dust my glass fronted kitchen cabinets. I’ve collected antique colored glass since I was a girl and I have to admit that rather than feeling like I had a big chore to accomplish, I enjoyed looking at my collections, remembering where different pieces came from, special Christmas breakfasts using my ruby glass, and so many great times spent finding treasures at flea markets and yard sales with my Nana and now with my daughter. It all left me with a warm feeling and a smile on my face.
My next project was cooking up a pot of ham and beans. Patrice and I are going to be away during part of February and I have good friends staying here and looking after the place and all the critters. I figured it was the least I could do to make up some meals for these very kind gentlemen. Those beans cooked all day and have our house smelling marvelous. I just packaged them up for the freezer, minus the bowl Patrice swiped. That’s okay, the taster should get a bowl on the house!
She needed a little warm up, she’d spent the previous hour walking about a mile through snow to go out and get the numbers off an old swather of ours. A neighbor needs some parts, and we all hope our old machine might give him what he needs free of charge. She had a good time walking out into our bull field, visiting with the big boys and throwing sticks for the dogs.
This afternoon after her feet and hands thawed, we went over and made sure the guesthouse was just right for the guys who will be staying while we are away. It’s a lovely little house that my in-laws called home for over 50 years. We changed linens, stocked the fridge and dusted. It really didn’t seem like work, it’s always nice going over there and remembering all the wonderful times spent there with family. When we finished up, we sat in the living room and visited about her Grandfolks and how we think they’d be pretty happy with how we’ve renovated the old house.
As we drove back home, we enjoyed one of the prettiest sunsets of the year.
Tonight, we are trying to get a new TV hooked up and programmed. Our old one finally gave up after almost 15 years. I wanted basically the same thing again and it finally arrived after ordering it almost two months ago. I have always prided myself on being able to figure just about anything out when it came to audio/visual equipment. Well, I can officially concede that this little beast has stumped me, so instead of giving myself a mini stroke, I just called my friend who is a computer tech. He’ll be out tomorrow and we’ll have TV again. In the meantime, Patrice and I picked up about two dozen books the last time we were at the thrift store and I’m truly giddy to dig into one. She and I have similar tastes, so we have over ten books on history that have us both intrigued.
During the rest of the year, it’s hard for me to take the time inside to read, but winter is perfect for this simple pleasure. We start a fire in our woodstove, let a few dogs in and sit back and enjoy.
I think getting through this time of year with a good outlook is really all about attitude. When I think about the chores and errands we’ve done lately, there is nothing special about any of it, but with the right attitude, even cleaning a cabinet is a stroll down memory lane, and a quiet evening spent with my sweet daughter, a little tea and a good book is darn nice by any measure. So if you feel yourself getting a little down in the dumps, try approaching your day with a grateful heart, it really does make a big difference.
Kris Stewart is a rancher from Paradise Valley, Nevada.
