Have you ever made a comment, an action, had a thought and then realized "that is just like my Mom, Dad, Sister, Aunt...?
Today when I came in for lunch it seemed I would need to wash my hands right up to the elbows, then use the facecloth to wash my face and neck. This action transported me back to my childhood days. I could clearly remember Dad coming in from the field, performing these same movements, and then sitting down for lunch with his family.
Of course the mind did not stop there but carried on to other thoughts - summer holidays, playing cars and riding bikes with brothers, coming home from school to fresh bread, camping with family, washing floors on Saturday morning, tagging along with my older brother, fighting while doing dishes with my sister lol, and then back to farming and my Dad. I guess I am missing him today.
I love and appreciate how farmers, especially those who homesteaded, were forced to use whatever skills were needed to survive - the ability to plan, work long hours, manufacture, listen to their intuition, market... and hopefully somewhere in there have some down time, family time.
Now we are on the farming side of things (market garden, not grain) and I am appreciating my husband's ability to work hard, be creative, manufacture, embrace new ideas (probably too many new ideas! lol). Even though times have changed, the desire to work and grow on the land is still the same. When January rolls around, we start working on the garden plan, order seeds, make a list of spring to do's - all in preparation for another season on the farm.
I am grateful for having the opportunity to learn farm living as a child and am honored to use these skills on our farm today. Skills that include everything from planning a market garden to washing up for lunch.