I took a week off, simply because we all sometimes need to take a week off. A week off from blogging or publishing an essay doesn’t mean a week off from life, of course. I fit a lot of living into the week, although most of that wasn’t with a pen in hand or in front of a keyboard.
No, my week “off” was spent tending these beautiful 12 acres that we are privileged to share with the owner, our good neighbor and friend. We cleaned up the orchard, so that it can continue to flourish and provide 90 percent of our fruit needs (and desires). We did battle with the blackberry hedges lining the lane before they devoured all.
{Note: I have a deep belief that blackberries will eventually be classified as carnivorous. They envelop and ensnare all who venture too closely to their thorns. As their hapless prey writhes and dies in the bramble, the bodies then decompose and feed the soil, and thus the (carnivorous) blackberry canes can feast.}
We cleaned up areas of our neighbor’s property that he has trouble tending to, because aging is a bitch. We weeded and trimmed, and swept out areas where accumulation tends to, well, accumulate. Much of the debris was organic, with the worst bits going to the brush and mulch pile in the woods, and the best bits going to the compost pile. What wasn’t organic was sorted, cleaned, recycled, or disposed of, as was fitting.
I can look out my window and see the results of our labor. It feels good. This is why I will never be anti-work, although I am anti-pointless work for profit instead of for good sense. There is a difference and there is nuance. It is best that we remember that.
Some of the week was spent on indoor pursuits. I dehydrated a metric ton (slight exaggeration) of rhubarb for snacking and baking. We started a batch of cherry wine. I baked bread, lots of bread. Our daily loaf, of course, along with a standard loaf for grilled sandwiches and lots of buns for summer use. These go in the freezer, a useful contraption. The mending pile is empty, all the socks darned and the seams repaired. I even began working on the gift list items for the latter half of the year!
You see, I spend a lot of time working with my brain, for what it is worth. Sometimes it is better to work with one’s hands. This is the type of week it was, and my hands and body are grateful for the chance to be useful.
Life is for living. Go live it!
As always, yours in hope,
Jenny Wren 