Weekly Update: 1.25.25
The Ozarks are quiet in January. Wind slips between the miriad branches with no leaves to whisper its passing. The crickets and cicadas have long taken shelter, leaving nights quiet except for the lonely calls of coyotes. Even sight feels muted as the verdant cacaphony of summer is exchanged for drab shades. Songbirds alone seem unfazed by winter's reign as cardinals and bluebirds dance in the frost to their own music.
The long nights and low temperatures work in tandum with the rest of creation, slowing us down and lulling our imaginations. Winter seems designed for sleeping -- and dreaming. As we are busy about our tasks, I find my mind slipping into the future. How many more weeks until we start our tomatoes? Could we manage a bigger garden plot this year? With the thought of gardening, visions of honey bee swarms begin to buzz around my mind. And I wonder -- how realistic are chickens this year? And so my imagination plays while my body goes through its routines -- cleaning, cooking, building, planning.
It was a productive week for our homestead. We sisters made solid progress siding the half-bath and adjascent hallway. It always feels especially good to make visible progress. And there was plenty to see this week.
Along with siding, we sisters spent a day decluttering the bunkhouse. We are planning to reorganize our storage unit this weekend, so we made a big pile of totes to take there. We've also been needing to take a trip to the landfill for months, but we were having problems with our truck. We picked our truck up from McGill's Garage this week, so we were able to declutter a bunch of construction garbage. After sorting through the house for storage and the dump, we even moved some construction supplies back outside. It was a long day of cleaning, but we are so excited to have more space to work in.
In the afternoons, I worked on plans for rustic bathroom vanities. I looked at several how-to videos online, and I came up with a design that uses mainly wood we already have. Along with the vanities, I spent a whole day planning our galvanized metal bathtub surround with my dad. We organized a supply list for a Menards trip this weekend.
Jeremiah finished his space last weekend, and my sisters spent Monday helping him relocate his office into the bunkhouse. It was a long, full-day project -- but it was exciting seeing one room actually done. I spent the day in Springfield, but I enjoyed seeing the finished product when I got home.
While we had a busy Monday, we all caught at least part of the Presidential innaugeration. We're excited to see our country making so many positive changes. For so long it seemed like things in our culture were on a downhill slide. For the first time in years, it actually seems like the U.S. is taking steps toward a better path. I've not heard God spoken of so often or so earnestly on TV in all my life. It makes one feel downright hopeful.
And the hopeful mood feels contagious. While we were all busy working this week, we often found ourselves talking about the coming months. Where would we put our seed starts in the bunkhouse? How soon can we have our dog run functional? When can we start work on the bedrooms? We've done this long enough to season our dreams with reality, and we have learned to enjoy the present. When spring arrives with longer days, I know I'll miss the coziness of these winter moments. Still, I find that our dreams warm these frosty, quiet days, and keep us hopeful about tomorrow.
