Grateful on the Homestead: Lessons from a Breezy Sunday Before Thanksgiving

  It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It is a sunny and breezy day here in East Texas. It's been a few days since I've been outside. I've been couped up since my foot surgery on Tuesday of last week. I'm admittedly in my mid-fifties, but I thought I would have bounced back from this set back earlier. I have spent most of my homestead days in foot pain, sleeping, and wondering how I was supposed to take a bath without getting the foot wet. 

I have, mostly, resigned myself to my fate of hobbling around, being in pain, and unable to take advantage of my days off from work to get things done around the homestead. Before this surgery I had idyllic daydreams of me painting some flowerpots, replanting flowers and vegetables and sewing some clothing. But alas, that is not to be. I am crabby, tired, and can't get outside without a knee roller or a wheelchair which inferably gets stuck in the least amount of gravel or sand, and I find myself cursing trying to get myself unstuck! How does a real handicapped person supposed to handle all of this? 

It has really opened my eyes to how difficult it can be to do the most simplest of chores. Things that I have done with ease in the past has now become difficult. I am going to be stuck in this new unyielding foot issue into the foreseeable future!

 I did manage to make it outdoors for an hour today. I felt the warm sun on my face and the gorgeous wind swirling around my neck. It was a beautiful day. A day that makes you appreciate life and how precious it is.

I did manage to pick some lettuce, tomatoes, and jalapeños from the garden. I took them indoors and made a sausage soup from my own homemade sausage. Look around this blog for how I make my own sausage. I have tried several different recipes in the past. My favorite is just a simple breakfast sausage recipe. I added the lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños from the garden in the soup along with onions, cabbage and potatoes. It came out delicious! I made an olive oil bread dipping for a store-bought focaccia bread to go along with the soup. It was delicious! Of course, afterwards I was all tuckered out and took a nap. 

When I was outside my husband found some pears still hanging on the pear tree. He brought me one. It was very good. I noticed that my plum tree was in full bloom! Did I mention it is the Sunday before Thanksgiving? The fruit coming out of those flower blooms won't make it. It is way too early for plum trees to be blooming! Darn this abnormal weather. Too warm and too dry! Seeing those blooms are sure pretty, but I know seeing them means less food to harvest next year. 



Running a homestead puts you in touch with nature. It is a lot of work, but the rewards are great too! Remember to be grateful for what you have today, no matter how small it may be. Be hopeful for what tomorrow may bring. But most of all be kind. You never know what trials and tribulations others may be going through.

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