This morning I find myself smiling (highly entertained I might add) as I watch several barn cats zipping around the backyard in an attempt to catch the golden leaves that are swirling down from nearby oak trees. I stand and stare, fascinated, as they revel in every bit of this light-hearted fun on a fine November morning. There’s a method to their madness, as the saying goes. Each cat will sit, studying a single leaf as it begins the long descent. Bushy cat tails are flicking back and forth, and soon, no longer able to stand the wait; the cats jump, pounce, and then scamper off in another direction! There they will sit and wait until the next cascade of leaves and it begins all over again.
Morning antics like this are just one of the many things I am grateful for. It seems to me, that’s what November is all about…time to gather our thoughts, time to slow down, and time to give thanks. Today the skies promise an afternoon storm, the starlings are gossiping in the trees, and the air is crisp. The corn and soybeans have long been harvested, and so the familiar hum of combines is gone for another season. The days are quieter now making them perfect for reflecting. No, nothing remarkable, just simple pleasures.
I recently heard someone describe themselves as being a “ring-master, lion-tamer, and tight-rope walker.” Yes, I’ve been there. I think most of us have at one time or another, and so it seems to me that’s why many of us are looking for simplicity. We want to focus on what’s important and side-step the distractions of what can often be a frenetic world.
Her words stayed with me, and I began to think: “How do we find simplicity?” Each day there’s much that needs doing: looming deadlines, lengthy to-do lists, school activities for our kids, or care-giving for our parents. Can we slow it down, even just a little? Being a “ring-master, lion-tamer, and tight-rope walker” can be absolutely exhausting.
There are oodles of “how-to” articles, podcasts, and lectures that will tell us what we should do. But for me, what does my heart tell me to do?
Finding that simplicity looks different for everyone. We can pick & choose where we’d like to begin and how we want to spend our time. Does it mean more cooking from scratch, clearing the calendar, or enjoying a backyard flock of happy hens? It’s really up to you…there’s not just one way to live simply!
It doesn’t mean packing it all up and moving to a farm or ranch…unless of course that’s your dream. No matter where we call home – a big city, small town, or in the suburbs, we can blend old and new, bringing a little more of those simple pleasures (and less tight-rope walking) into our homes.
This month, as we ponder all the things we’re thankful for, I thought I’d share a few ideas that came to mind for living simply. But please, share your thoughts as well; we can all learn from one another! That’s what this amazing sisterhood is all about…together we can exchange stories, swap ideas, and brainstorm. And in the middle of all of the chit-chat, about this & that, we’ll find something that works perfectly for us.
Shop Local:
It seems roadside markets and sweet little pop-up stands are more popular than ever. Can we avoid, even a little, the crowded aisles and stress of the big chain groceries…what fun is that? Give the small businesses a chance. If you’re in a sunny area, this time of year you may have a farmers’ market on the town square. Even when the winds blow and the snow flies, some towns offer indoor farmers’ markets. Small Cottage Food businesses usually bake year ’round…a great way to enjoy a freshly-made loaf of bread or tin of cookies for the next school party.
Do you pass roadside stands with made-from-scratch baked goods, honey, jams & jellies? In high summer is there a nearby family farm with just-picked produce, raw milk, or soap for sale? Ask your neighbors…they’ll know all the best spots to visit!
While you’re out & about, look for signs letting passers-by know fresh eggs or jars of pretty posies are for sale. And for those June days when you feel like getting your hands (and knees) dirty, look for a local U-pick berry farm. You’re helping your neighboring farm families, and it feels good to know where your food was grown.
Cooking from scratch:
I lived with my grandmother for many years, and so much of what I enjoy comes naturally from watching her example. I can tell you hands down, one of the best memories from that time is her home cooking. For me, that’s the definition of Simple Homemade Goodness. Made-from-scratch bread and rolls, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and bread & butter pickles – the best! And while I certainly buy convenience foods, I’ve found that once I began making some foods from scratch, I just couldn’t go back to buying them.
Last month Jeretta asked me if I would share my pie recipe…I’m happy to. No secrets here (and this is one of those conveniences) the cherry pie filling was bought at a little Amish farm stand that’s on the edge of town. It’s delicious!
When I began baking pies, I tested oodles of pie crust recipes; some from famous bakers, others from local cookbooks, and still more from online sites. This is the recipe I that I like best…a blend of butter and shortening. And here’s another convenience, I mix it up in a food processor or a heavy-duty mixer with a pastry attachment (shocking, I know!) It’s one of those ways I can have the simple goodness of a home-baked pie with a delightful flaky crust, but save a little time as well.
Pie Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons frozen, salted butter, diced
1/3 cup frozen vegetable shortening, diced
1/2 cup ice water
Combine flour and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer or food processor with a steel blade attached; mix to blend. Add butter and shortening, mix/pulse until butter is approximately the size of peas. With the mixer/processor running on low, slowly add the ice water until the ingredients come together. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball; divide into two equal portions (a scale is helpful). Wrap each in an air-tight container. Chill for 30 minutes.
When ready to prepare your pie, on a lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into a circle slightly larger than the pie pan. Add filling, top with second crust. Trim edges and crimp. Make slits on top crust for venting steam. Brush crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake according to your recipe instructions. (My pie was baked for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, but then, it was baked in Mae, a 1950 Hotpoint oven – her bake time and temp may differ from “younger” models!)
There’s lots of ways to make your pie special…use cookie cutters to cut shapes from the second half of your rolled out dough, and then layer them over your filling to become your top crust. You could add a buttery crumb topping, or make the rustic peach pie below with a folded crust. It’s easy! And you don’t need a food processor or mixer, mixing the dough in a bowl with a pastry cutter is a tried & true way to make homemade pie crust. You can’t mess up…it’s made with love.
Use handed down or thrifted items:
While wandering through a little shop a couple of years ago, I spied a yellow-ware mixing bowl. I really love yellow-ware, but this one had a chip on the pouring spout, so I walked on by. Weeks passed, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I went back to the shop. It was still there, and it came home with me. The lady at the checkout asked if I was really going to use it. Yes! And every time I do, I remember the cooks who came before me and all the delicious foods they mixed up in that bowl. Sweet & simple.
The next time you wander a shop, maybe a colorful feed sack apron, a worn book, or a tiny cup like the one below will catch your eye (I use it to scoop sugar). Somehow, thrifting seems like an ideal way to “reduce, reuse, recycle” that’s so much a part of creating a simpler life.
An “Old” Know-How:
There’s so much to learn! What strikes your fancy? Something that echoes a slower time seems like a good way to simplify and will help pass the snowy, long, winter evenings. Would you like to try your hand at quilting, soap making, stitching, basket weaving, or pottery? Something that maybe you saw your grandmother doing, such canning tomatoes, making pickles, or even hanging clothes in the sunshine to dry. The sweet memories we each have tucked away will come flooding back…I promise.
And please, don’t feel you need to tackle everything on your list in one day – take a day at a time. Pick and choose what you want to do most…canning tomatoes, baking bread, and learning to quilt just might be too much for one day. Enjoy the journey!
Quiet Time:
Doing nothing (or doing less) really is doing something and it helps us to live simply. Set a stockpot of warming soup on the stove to simmer, or fill a whistling tea kettle with water, then curl up with a favorite book. Sit by the fire and sew, light a candle and listen to old radio programs, play board games, or put together a puzzle. Let’s stop feeling like we “have” to be somewhere in a hurry. We can spend more time outdoors…a walk, a picnic, a Sunday drive. Take the kids outside to play tag, hide & seek, Red Rover, catch fireflies, roast marshmallows, or explore. Even just opening a window to let in the fresh air and hear the birdsong, or stepping outside to see this month’s gorgeous super moon are ways to invite simplicity.
As I think about living simply, I try to remember, it looks different for everyone. If you have small children at home, what you do will be much different than those who have older children, family who live in another town, or no children. For me, the things I enjoyed when the kids were very young, aren’t the same things we enjoy together now that they’re college-age. If you live in a big city, what you do will be unlike what those who live with wide open spaces find themselves doing. And that’s just fine…it’s all about what works for each of us.
One thing I’m trying to do is prioritize what’s most important to me. What do I love to spend time doing? What would I like to learn? What can I stop doing that over-complicates my days? What makes my heart happy?
I think one of the best things I’ve learned, is there’s no need to follow the crowd. There seems to be so much competition, and who is the busiest seems to be a big one. To me, that definitely is not simple living.
As the holidays will soon be here, I want to share with you one of the best posts I have ever read, and one I go back to often…it’s from our City Farmgirl, Rebekah Teal, and it’s titled Just. Stop. (click to link). She writes about slowing down the holiday season…honestly and beautifully. Perfect advice for trying to live simply. Swing by and give it a read when you find time.
Why am I thinking so much about simple living? Well, maybe because I saw “back-to-school” supplies in the stores in June, when so many kids were still in school. Or maybe, because I saw Christmas decorations in my mega-size hardware store in August. I walked away shaking my head.
My goal this Thanksgiving, is to keep it simple. The table will be set with old dishes, old silverware, and foods from handed-down recipe cards. I want love and laughter to fill our hearts. A line from the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts (Joseph Brackett, 1848) seems perfect: ‘tis a gift to be simple.
During this month as we reflect on our blessings, each of you have my heartfelt thanks…for your comments, your ideas, and the time you take to stop by and drop me a note. I know your days are full, and yet you find a few minutes to cheer me on and inspire me! I am truly thankful to be a part of this gathering of farmgirls from across the many miles…YOU make my heart happy!
Sending you wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!
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