This week has been so up and down — but I’m maintaining my positive attitude!
Starting on Sunday, my 20-year-old bread maker walked itself right off the counter, exploding in a mess of plastic pieces. We managed to save the dough inside that had been kneading and bake some half-risen bread, but that was a bit depressing! My husband, who has a strong appreciation for homemade bread, said we’d replace it right away. But I’ve been thinking — for years I’ve said I can’t make bread in a traditional way. This is the perfect time to stop using this excuse! There are hundreds of bread recipes … I guess I’ve got a new goal. (Think positive)
Then this week, our meat chicks arrived in good health! I’m very excited and trying hard to keep reminding myself, “These are meat chicks, do not get too attached.” We’ve never had meat chicks. I have butchered one chicken, but never fifteen in one pass. I’m hoping I can manage this without too much stress over the next weeks. I’m looking forward to this learning experience and filling the freezer in a couple of months.
This week, we were also in the midst of some pretty strong storms in northwest Arkansas. Remember my rain barrels that were set up so nicely last week? The storm knocked my full rain barrel over, putting a huge hole in it and cracking the faucet. Sigh … no rain storage for me at this point. I’ve got two more barrels, and I can get a new one set up pretty quickly, but this was another depressing lesson. Our yard is sloped; I’ve got to secure the barrels somehow. So, the bright spot? I won’t make this mistake again.
There’s a theme here. The rain barrel and the bread maker? They were missing a little balance. And the chicks? They are going to change the balances in my day-to-day efforts.
Trying to do things on my own is not always pretty or easy, but it’s always satisfying and enlightening.
