The White Stuff, Revisited

{Disclaimer: I just realized that the teaser for this post kind of makes it sound like I’m struggling with an illicit drug addiction, this was not my intention…Don’t worry, I am definitely not partying like a rockstar}

Two years ago I wrote a post titled “The White Stuff” which was about both an abundance of snow and my love for raw milk.  As I pondered what to write about this week, I kept thinking the white stuff, the white stuff;  and I could not come up with a better title.  Some others I sifted through: “Reawakening,” “Guilt,” “Transformation,” and “Forty Days and Forty Nights.”  None of these seemed to fit what I was going for though, so I stuck with “The White Stuff” it’s just “revisited.”

It’s also totally different from that post.  Unlike the glorious, snowy winters of 2012 and 2013, this year has been dismal!  Apparently the east coast and parts of the midwest have been hogging all of the snow.  I know that many of you in those areas would gladly part with some of it.  Too bad Mother Nature had different plans.

Ummm...that white stuff is really far away!  Snowless view of Spring Creek Farm

Ummm…that white stuff is really far away! Snowless view of Spring Creek Farm

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  1. Kim says:

    Alex, God is not tsk-tsk-tsk-ing you. He is totally in love with you…more so than you are with your daughter, if you can imagine that! It’s an absolutely wonderful thing! I was raised Catholic and am a proud-to-be practicing Catholic. For Lent, I am giving up time…time to reflect on His word, time to reflect on myself, time to reflect on my relationship with Him, time to pray more. In the past, I have replaced a sacrifice of the typical food stuff with something that pushes who I am into a more positive place….for example, giving up complaining. I find those sacrifices more rewarding. When I fail, I don’t give up and God doesn’t give up on me either. Would you give up on your daughter if/when she fails? You are God’s daughter. He loves you no matter what…and there’s nothing you can do about it. 🙂 Many blessings to you and your family!

  2. Deb Bosworth says:

    Howdy, Alex! You are certainly correct in the northeast getting tons of snow… it’s snowing right now, in fact. Mother nature is a funny thing. As for this farmgirl, I’m praying for warmer temps and rains…. I’ve got flowers to grow, after all and I can’t even see the tops of my raised beds at the moment for all the snow they are buried under. The only self-denial I’m practicing right now is not ordering more seeds than I have room to plant them in. It’s NOT easy… I’m ADDICTED to flowers! Enjoy the sunshine and warmth you are having.. It’s good for your bones and your spirits! Wish you could send us some!
    Hugs, Beach Farmgirl, Deb

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Hey Deb! It sounds pretty wild out there. I bet it’s getting tedious, and I understand your worry about your flowers. Your flower beds are always so gorgeous! I bet you will be in the soil before you know it. I am the same with seed orders. I usually end up donating a bunch to the school I used to teach at for the kiddos to experiment with or grow in their own little containers. We are enjoying the warmth and sunshine and so wish we could send some your way. Here’s to a warm front!

  3. Marlene says:

    As a recovering Catholic I recommend that next Lent you give up guilt and add doing something productive as a Lenten sacrifice. By Easter you’ll be 40 days a happier more guiltless person. It’s really quite freeing.

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Yes! I was hesitant to use the phrase “recovering Catholic.” I usually do try doing something productive over Lent, but this year I felt like my sugar consumption was getting out of control…so I went with that. Thanks for chiming in!

  4. susana says:

    Well, you can have my snow….Frèeeeeeee! Got about five feet in my front yard and that’s not drift of sugar! Lol cone ad get it!
    When I was a kid, I used go father snow so my mum could make us snow cones. But I wouldn’t do that now! I had to get my grandsons to come and clean off my deck and shovel snow off my roof….that was a scary adventure….with rope around him so he wouldn’t slid off the roof. Did that because we kept hearing popping and creaking sounds in the attic, most likely the heat hitting the snow and ice. Were ….on bended kbee …Praying my gutters dont get pulled off. Last year we had the covering get pulled off, of our back Door ….torn off by the
    wind.-
    I hate winter, but busy myself with crocheting, sewing, reading, filling my notebook with art and recipes…love collecting them.
    Trying to avoid going out in the cold, going out only when our roads are dry. I hate venturing down snowy or ice covered
    roads and I ate having to shovel that while stuff….. I wonder if that white stuff was sugar would t be/easier to go out in it? Be a sticky mess. Can you imagine snow being sugar?
    But what I think if this cold…..I think the earth is doing that 100th year tilt where north becomes the west and south becomes the east. Something like that where the poles do a flip flop….its probably why weather gets freaky every so many years. And we see it as tusumis and bad weather. I did notice the/sun coming up this past week more northerly than it was. I always watch the seasons change out my kitchen window. Life fir ever changing. Yet staying the same. Winter has a way of making you ponder more….I even write more in the winter time. But I can never appreciate the season until it passes. Then I miss those lazy, curl up under the blanket days…remembering those cold Winters of Iowa with a wood furnace ….sleeping face and the blankets in the dead of winter! Then I’m grateful that thins get better! Now just waiting for spring and
    Anting season…..in the meantime, I just made some pumpkin coconut muffins using my pump,in up before it rots….. made me 2 dozen muffins today. Boy did they taste yummy! Its what I do in the winter time. Bake! Don’t think I coud give up my sweet
    tooth! Recipe ….if you care to try it……. 2 cups of puree pumpkin to be packaged cake mix, no oil, and three large eggs, and a half a cup to one cup of dred shredded coconut. Mix all together. Bake 350 degrees in cup cake time for ten more minutes than package says,( turn off oven, but let cupcakes sit in oven…. if cakes look wet. Let oven cool. Enjoy! The MST healthy cupcakes I make!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      FIVE feet?!?! Holy shovels! That’s incredible and probably a bit dangerous. Thank goodness you have your grandkids to help you out with the shoveling. I very much wish you could send some this way. Snow being sugar…ewww! Maybe it would help save the bees? There is a type of snow called “sugar snow” or depth hoar. It’s the layer of crystallized snow/vapor that develops between the lowest layer of snow and the ground. It commonly helps trigger big avalanches!

      Pumpkin muffins are some of my favorite sweets! I think they are partially what helped propel me into my sugar addiction. I also love coconut…mix those two together? YUM. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. Dori Troutman says:

    Hi Alex, I was hearing about the lack of snow from our family in Anchorage. What a bummer. I keep thinking about the Iditarod and wondering how that is going to go without good snow? The trails can be wickedly dangerous without good snow right? As for sugar (or lack there-of) I also know when my intake is getting out of hand as I get a migraine… then I’m careful again for a few months and then slowly, ever so gradually get too much of it again. 🙁 I have two little grand-girls that have been raised with VERY little sugar and I just recognize how beneficial it is. Easy to get addicted to the stuff for sure! And yes, you are right EVERYTHING tastes so sweet. I love that! 🙂 Hugs – Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl –

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      You are right, Dori, the trails are very dangerous without snow. They were bad last year as well and I think it led to more teams dropping out than usual. I imagine it’s hard on the dogs to drag a sled over tundra rather than glide over snow! We are really happy with our sugarlessness (good made up word), but I imagine the same thing will happen as time goes on. Then we’ll just have to cut back all over again. Your two grandgirls sound so very special! I love hearing about them. Best to you and yours!

  6. Barb says:

    Ah, another recovering Catholic! But, finally, in my 60th year, I have no Lenten guilt. I try to make lifelong changes in myself and attitudes–nix the deprivations, add joy, graciousness, kindness, etc. Oh yeah, and, about 30 years ago I cut out most of the sugar. It was a LONG haul for 10 years or so, through a lot of REALLY bad recipes, trying to keep both my health and appetite happy. I now eat some sweets, but all the candy (except for very good organic dark chocolate) and processed foods are gone. I’ve learned to cut back sugar in recipes, substitute local honey when I can, and pack lots of other good nutrients into the goodies…sweet potato brownies—wonderful! They pass the chocoholics test! I bake custards, apple crisp, etc., but my portions are 1/4 of what I used to eat…and it all works for me. Once in a while I’ll fall off the wagon and eat four fresh, still warm choc chip cookies, but don’t hold it against myself…my stomach takes care of that for me! My family has a history of sugar addiction and all the accompanying ailments…I didn’t want to be one of them. By eating no prepared foods, lots of veggies, fruit, good meat and dairy, and doing my own cooking I can eat goodies without the trauma to my system. Good luck!

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Tickle, Tickle

Hello All, Sorry it has taken a few days to get this posted.  We had some technical difficulties with permissions and the like…Sometimes living in a yurt has its snafus.  We hope you are all well!

As I write this, I’m wrapping up one of those days that felt like it would never end…and not in a good way! It’s a shame when these days come along, but they do. It’s not that anything especially bad happened—it was just little thing, after little thing, after little thing. I mostly felt incompetent. Just a few minutes ago, however, I couldn’t help but break into uncontrollable laughter.

Okay...how could you not tickle this adorable baby?

Okay…how could you not tickle this adorable baby?

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  1. Dori Troutman says:

    Alex, I just love posts with darling Ava! And tickle is the best word. I love that tickle is one of Ava’s first words. How fun is that? I get tickled over a lot of things… as a matter of fact, I usually get tickled over things that aren’t necessarily that funny! 🙂 But it sure makes the bumps in the road a little easier when we can laugh, huh? Thanks for this post… glad you are okay. I got a little worried when we got our email alert for your post… and it wasn’t there! 🙂 Stay warm. – Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl –

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks for your concern, Dori! It is a good habit to get tickled over those little inconsequential mishaps. More of us need to follow your lead! We’ve been staying pretty warm up here in Alaska–it’s been in the forties the last few days. Warmer than the Carolinas, crazy!

  2. Denise Ross says:

    I get stressed over the little stuff too, and I wish I didn’t. But I’m working on that. Tickles make me laugh too, but I hate the losing control of feeling too. Ava is a cutie. I love you sharing her with us. Hope your days are better now with tickles. 🙂

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Denise! The days are definitely better and the tickles are getting much more fun. They are a good reminder to shrug off the small stuff–I want to set a good example for Ava by being a less stressed person. I just need to remind myself quite often. Hope you are well!

  3. Karen Pennebaker says:

    February has been the “month of mishaps” here… one after another…and thank goodness this month is about gone. I’d gladly send you the snow and ice we have had as well as the bitter cold temperatures! West Virginia isn’t supposed to be undergoing an ice age but it sure acts like it! and if someone tickled me, I would NOT laugh. That is one thing that I have always HATED and I never did it to my babies!

  4. bonnie b says:

    This was a post worth waiting for! A great word choice and with your darling daughter, one that is especially appropriate! It is good to consider what “tickles” us and relish them all.
    So sorry you in AK are without your usual snow. In Ohio, we have not had any real record breakers in snowfall, just cold temps and some ice. But… it is the coldest February on record for many parts of the state. I’m waithing to see green grass and I wouldn’t even mind having to mow it. LOL
    Take care, Bonnie

  5. susana says:

    Somehow I missed the blogs before valentines day….but you tickled my heart….ava is so cute, she tackled my memory of the days when my kids were that small. Love his she is so curious and searches out fir those little things that can be irritating if were not feeling up to par. Its the winter dreads due yo the lack of Don, but you got your sun! Ava! Enjoy her because she will grow up and move away, enjoy her irritating tackling curiosity charm, fir she us a charmer.

    You know those dreadful feelings could be due to insufficient sun ….you sound like you need vitamin D….you need MORE in the winter months. I Been there and notice this…..did you know anyone living in the northern hemisphere deal with this….get 2000mg of vitamin D a day and those yucky feelings of the blues will go away! Then you will be truly ticks pink and not in the blues, then things went be so irritating. If that’s not enough try L_tyrosine, that makes you feel better too. Be cause MST people get down in he drums n the feeling department. Oversees emotions can do that to you….kids can overwhelm you by all the caring you do fir others. It will take approximate be to two months before you feel less irritated. Then you can really enjoy just looking at Ava! Me smiling, days get better….spring will be here soon…

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