How is everyone? Here, we’ve been feeling the weight of the ongoing pandemic. There are disappointments as more events get cancelled, students still aren’t in school full time, our daughter’s University asked students to not return and we simply miss our people. Even with those disappointments however, we try to remember that we are blessed with our health and the farm, which allows us so much breathing room. I’ve been trying to look for, and enjoy, some of life’s simple pleasures.
The amaryllis have all put out second, beautiful blooms and the paper whites have been lovely as well. They haven’t performed as well as they have in the past, but they have still been beautiful.
I take our dog, Rosie, on a wood walk every single day. We love our walks! There is always something new to notice and admire (I’m much better than my husband at not seeing the work that needs to be done) and this is especially true during snows!
About a month ago, I was gifted a loaf of sourdough bread that a friend made. Friends, it was so good that Harris exclaimed it was the best bread he’d ever had. So, of course, I had to learn how to make it. I was gifted starter from said friend and have now made four loafs. While we joke that it’s like having a third child, it’s worth it for the delicious bread.
I love taking a bath at night and I’m fortunate to have a beautiful claw foot bathtub to do it in. We converted a bedroom in our home to a bathroom and therefore have a sweet little fireplace in it. I’ve worked to figure out a way to make it usable but due to code restrictions it’s not feasible to light an actual fire in it without major changes (that would make it no longer sweet and charming). I’ve recently put in a fireplace candelabra and it’s almost as good as a fire!
Every February, members from my garden club make Valentine’s cards to be delivered to an assisted living home. I volunteered this year and was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The children and I made homemade Valentines every year while they were in grammar school, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it. The cards were simple, and very homemade, but I hope they gave the recipients as much joy as they gave me in making them (lollipops are from the store).
We’ve always celebrated Valentine’s Day at home with family. Even when just at home, I think it’s important to dress up our tables, and ourselves, and celebrate every chance we get. Our celebrations almost always center around food and this “holiday” is no different! We started the day off with homemade pop tarts and ended with a chocolate cake. In between we had a charcuterie board that Grace made, a delicious rose cocktail curtesy of Bryce, an arugula salad with beet hearts and steak for dinner.
So tell me, what have you been enjoying lately… simple or otherwise?
