It was apparently 28 degrees here today. Sure didn't feel like it. But then again, we live very near the ocean, and the breezes off the ocean make it seem about 22 instead. This means you have to be extra cautious to protect yourself from sunburn. Just because it doesn't FEEL 28 doesn't mean the sun isn't going to get you good if you're not careful. Everyone in this house is fair skinned and burns easily. So on my list of things to do is to pick up a straw hat I can wear when I"m working out in the yard.
Today I spent most of the day in the shade, working on the chicken coop. I'm really excited about it's siting. It was sort of a fluke, but in the summer it is shaded by the alder trees and in the winter, those trees will drop their leaves and the winter sun will shine on the hens just perfectly. Really, it's got good siting. Yep, today I worked for about 6 hours on the hen's pen, finishing the fencing around and above (to give them some protection from eagles/ravens/other predators). It's quite the work of art. The coop is now finished, apart from the siding which we are going to put on (so it matches the house of course, LMAO). Oh sure, we might live in the Sticks, but that doesn't mean your chicken coop can't be artistic. LOL
Now that the coop is kinda done, I can turn my attention back onto the gardens. Now is the perfect time to be sowing seeds of winter crops - both ones that will feed us during the winter (like beets, kohlrabi, parsnips), and others that are very early spring crops (like purple sprouting broccoli, kale, collards). Now's the time to get them in. And the 28 degree weather is seriously drying out the gardens. I watered tonight but am hoping to water again in the morning to make sure they get a good soaking (I'm terrible at remembering to water my gardens. They frequently suffer from gardener-inflicted drought).
Let's see how I did today:
- exercised? yep - not only did I do 6 hrs of work out on the coop/pen, but I also rowed 5 kms tonight
- nourished my body with raw live vegan foods? yep - had 1L of green smoothie this morning (spinach/banana/mango), some raw crudites & raw ranch dip in the afternoon, a chocolate pudding popsicle for a snack (I froze the chocolate mousse recipe from jennifer cornbleet's book into the little tupperware popsicle molds; one batch of mousse (which uses 1.5 avocadoes makes 6 popsicles, so each popsicle has the equivalent of 1/4 avocado, 1 date, and 1T of raw cacao powder, basically), and a collard leaf with mung bean sprouts in it and a little raw mock peanut sauce, and a banana later. And over 3L of healthy, healing water (108 oz). :) And I want to point out that none of my meals today required more than 5 minutes to prepare (I'd made the ranch dressing & mock peanut sauce ahead of time). I *love* quick-to-prepare meals.
- mental stimulation? i'm off to read Busy Bodies or Flow as soon as I'm done this post. That counts. All the self-reflection I continually engage in must count for something to, LOL.
- love? - i felt the love today, definitely. When my daughter gave me a kiss and then we pressed our cheeks together before she ran off to play... the way her eyes met mine so unequivocally. There were definitely moments of flow... moments the Divine was clearly felt in my day. The way the sunlight dappled through the alder leaves as I worked on the coop. The green-ness of the leaves. It was stunning. The little peeps of happy hens scratching and pecking in the earth. True happiness just being with them. And when we were driving into town this morning, the sun was shining through hazy high clouds, and you could see the radiating light from the sun so clearly in every direction. Absolutely beautiful.
- compassion? well, i feel like i was lacking in compassion towards my children today. they just wanted to play computer games all day, and I didn't think that was a healthy way to spend the day, so I wasn't too yielding to their desires. That's tough. Sometimes you just have to lay the law down as the parent, and to be truthful, I hate that. I'd much rather they self-regulate, but that doesn't always happen. And I suppose I wasn't overly compassionate towards myself, either. I really wanted to get the coop pen done and was single-mindedly focussed on that task most of the day, to the exclusion of much else. Boy it feels good to have it done, though. There is a definite sense of accomplishment there.
- laughter? not enough, i'm afraid. but, being compassionate towards myself, it's all exactly as it should be. :)
- remained mindful? hmmmm... i feel like i'm falling a little short on this one, but again, being compassionate, it's all good. :) the journey is filled with bliss.
All in all though a very very good day. I'd better sign off though if I think I'm going to be out watering the garden by 7 in the morning. :)
Namaste'
~n~
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