20 February 2015

Weekend reading


A cyclone is bearing down on the coast here as I write this. Cyclone Marcia will be a category 5 when it crosses the coast north of here. We're expecting wild weather and a lot of rain in the next couple of days.  I hope everyone in the cyclone's path stays safe.

ADDED @ 11.30AM FRIDAY: Hello everyone. I've had quite a few emails asking if we're okay.  Yes, we're both fine here. We have all we need and although we've already had 150mm/6 inches of rain, there has been no wind yet. I spoke with Shane this morning and they were fine then, they'd only had 40mm of rain but it was windy. Sarndra is 8 months pregnant so I hope they can remain in their home.  Kerry, Sunny, Jens and Cathy are all near us so they'd all have had a lot of rain but no wind. So don't worry, we're good!  :- )

This is part of a poem I love called The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

I don't know exactly what a prayer is. 
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, 
how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, 
how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. 
Tell me, what else should I have done? 
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? 
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27 comments

  1. Interesting, as usual. But older women do not always have short hair. there are many examples of older women with longer hair: Emmylou Harris, Blythe Danner, Andi McDowell, Joanna Lumley (at least has had longer hair recently), Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn to name a few.

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  2. I love that you're linking to our record-breaking snow. :-)

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  3. Some great articles as usual Rhonda.
    I live in NJ so I am part of that record breaking ice, wind and snow brigade. I have never hated a winter more in my life. Snow is one thing, but you can't take a toddler out in 19 degree weather with constant -15 to -15 wind chill warnings. Cabin fever is at an all time high. 39 would feel like a heatwave haha!
    I like kid's clothes that can get dirty and are cute so I shop at Gymboree and Target. I only use the GAP if on sale. It amazes me when people put little ones in cashmere. I can't trust myself in that! LOL
    Have a great weekend and hope everyone is safe that is in the cyclone's path.

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  4. That's a beautiful poem, Rhonda. I think it reminds us that we only have one life, and that however much time we are granted is finite. This year, I've walked away from a job that stressed me and made me unhappy because everyday I was seeing things I couldn't change. I just didn't want to sell my life hours that way anymore. Learning to live on one income is not easy but to me it is worth it. I want to spend my only precious life doing things that really matter and caring for the ones I love.

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    1. Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Ellen. I wish you the best in your new life. It sounds very familiar to me. xx

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  5. Stay safe this weekend. Looking forward to seeing that you and yours are all okay after the storm.

    Our son and daughter-in-law live outside of Boston. Where they are the sidewalks and roads are narrow paths with snow walls up to 12 feet high. Everyday there is enough snow melt on the roof from the sun that huge ice cycles form from the roof to the ground which they have to go out and clear to prevent ice damns on the roof which will cause water to run inside the house. They also have ice on the insides of the lower parts of their windows. The Mayor of Boston has been on TV pleading with residents to stop jumping off their roofs and balconies into the snow just for fun before someone gets killed doing it. My son said they are all about to lose their minds from being trapped inside for so long. We all hope this is over soon for them.

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  6. hmmmm, I might quote this poem to some of my daughters.....just what are they doing with their wild and precious lives? (I will then duck for cover)

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  7. I loved your link to the farming article about not being able to make a living. It is certainly a min-conception about the realities of farming.

    With buying a farm possibly on the cards in our near future this is something that is very much on our minds. How to actually make it viable?

    We have many ideas, and then the effort put into it has to offset the income. There is no point putting huge efforts into a "nice" idea that only brings in a small amount of money for it.

    We understand all too well how little farmers earn, and the realities of needing to possibly work off farm getting casual work.

    One of our biggest annual "family" costs for us with small children will be schooling. Currently we private school at a small christian school. I love giving my children a christian education. I am painfully aware this will be something that has mostly likely has to go......Whilst we can be self sufficient in meat/eggs/fruit/veg living and raising a family will still have costs.

    But we will own our land so there is a point of difference there. Mind you we will most likely still be asset rich and cash poor, at least for a good few years till we get it established.....

    Food for thought anyway,

    Hope you have a lovely weekend.

    xx

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    1. Emma, I have worked in a Private Christian school. I have come to the conclusion, that really the best education is from the home. I am sure if you create a realistic Christian environment with standards which you would like your children to adhere to, they will be fine.
      What worries me today is the contact the young ones have with the media, especially the internet. I don't quite know how I would tackle that.My children have left home, and have children of their own. I fear for them, because 'out there' there is just too much too soon.
      Good luck with your farming adventure. Not everyone has your courage. Today, we are ruled too much by the dollar and what it supposedly brings. Still, you have a long way to go, so don't rush into anything.

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  8. Keep safe with the expected weather

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  9. Thanks for the weekend reading links, Rhonda. I will check them out later today as I don't think I will be going anywhere in this weather. All the best to those in the cyclone's path. Stay safe.

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  10. Oh, do stay safe! We haven't had tropical storms here in northeast US (wrong season for us), but the snows are just unprecedented, wild in their own way. We've been lucky and kept power so far!

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    1. Ha! When I wrote that comment, I didn't even see that you had a link to the situation in Massachusetts! Yes, it really is that crazy snowy here, and yes--the mass public transit system really is in failure.
      Erin

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  11. Stay safe and dry. It is a good time to catch up with homely chores like knitting and sorting. All I need to do is to break through the grey day blahs.

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  12. Hi Rhona,
    I look forward to your weekend reading. You have so many interesting articles to read. We were in the path of that monster blizzard and received 86.6cm of snow with wind gusts of 139kph. We have drifts here over 20 feet high. The East coast did get hammered.

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  13. some great weekend reading there rhonda, which i've read already, lol. have to disagree with the hair bit, you don't need expensive hair products to make or keep your hair soft, i use plain, natural, homemade soap & my hair is halfway down my back, soft & supple & even the graying has slowed down. i don't even get breakages any more, & my hair loss is even less & it's thicker than it has ever been too, used to suffer with very fine hair before i started using soap. though still an interesting read.
    sorry to rant on
    hope you have a great weekend
    selina from kilkivan qld

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    1. I agree with you, Selina. I do exactly the same thing. :- )

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    2. Selina, I too have fine hair .... do you use a conditioner after the homemade soap?

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    3. Thank you for taking the time to send us some interesting reading, Rhonda.
      I feel for the lady with the small farm. Living in the Northern Rivers, I see the small farmers at our farmers markets. I have no delusions about their financial situation. It really is a labour of love, and I take my hat off to them and their dedication.
      Good luck with all the water and wind, Rhonda. We are getting plenty of it here, so I should imagine you, not to mention those further north, are absolutely saturated!

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  14. I like the garden photos.

    I've driven past the one with the lions out the front before - that town is only two over from mine :)

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  15. Hoping you dont cop too much bad weather and damage from TC Marcia. Stay safe, Joolz xx

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  16. I hope the cyclone doesn't cause too much damage. We saw it on the news while waiting at the doctor's office. Have a happy weekend.

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  17. I love this poem, too.....I think I posted it on my blog a few years ago, but I'm thrilled to see it again today.
    It is strange how events alter ones perspective. I am now focusing on "doesn't everything die, and too soon", because a dear friend who is 14 years younger than I am died suddenly in a car crash last Saturday. Isn't life precious....

    Be well and safe from the wild weather.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that, Kristi. It's so sad when someone dies too soon.

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  18. Rhonda I always enoy the weekend links but this weekend's blow my mind! The Atlantic photos are stunning and the map world's ecosystems -- well this old geography school marm's heart is pounding!

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  19. Stay safe! In Maine, we have had experience with wild weather, and this year has been a wild winter. Again, stay safe.

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