Well, I think for one thing I would be more diligent about seeking out more Fair Trade products. Having those who produce goods in other countries less rich than ours paid a fair wage boosts their standard of living and provides new opportunities in education, met needs, and human dignity.

I might be more conscious of this than most as my husband and I used to grow produce organically to sell at market, having raised the plants from seed. When you know what it took for that gleaming heirloom beefsteak to appear on the table, it changes things somehow.

This morning, I am grateful that the most recent “winter weather event” was such that the Sheriff declared roads bad enough in the two counties my husband travels through that he can work from home today! Such a blessing to have grace from his employer as they prefer their workers whole and in one piece vs on the road. His last employer was the opposite, so the contrast makes for gratitude.

The weather trends towards warmer, and 55F is forecast for this coming Thursday! That will be something like a 50-60 degree leap from last Thursday. And as the extended forecast shows no more descents into the glacier for weeks, perhaps the worst of this winter is passing.

Don’t the words, “The worst is past” feel like a relief when we hear them, regardless of what we say them about? The idea that we’ve made it through the rough stuff helps us feel more capable of handling the next stuff, even if it is not ideal to our way of thinking. While part of us might arise in fear that it is too optimistic inonnection with winter weather, another part heaves a sigh and begins to think of snowdrops and daffodils. ????

Yes, grateful, it is a real blessing. He has worked most of his life in a high pressure environment, then we moved here. He lost his job in 2008 in the recession, andxwhile that was hard, he has not missed that employer. We found out theircreputation AFTER we had moved here, so at least theirctreatment of him was notvpersonal, just difficult.

Now he is in a place where he fits, just really FITS. His abilities, his personality, their appreciation of his talents and knowledge all are a match. It is such a relief and blessing! The biggest challenge has been learning to trust that the grace of this place is real and not going anywhere. It is a harder lesson than it sounds, but a very beneficial one!

Yes, Diane, I understand the anxious bit all too well. I kept reminding myself he knew how to drive in it having been raised in Michigan, but I was SO relieved when it was no longer a concern. He said only two of the team made it in, and they pretty much live around the corner.

Funny. I am about to work on a website on a different computer, so I powered it on. As I did not get to it fast enough to suit it, the screensaver slideshow kicked on.

That made me think of you and Manda as the file it is drawing from is a shoot from a summer’s day wandering through the Ohio countryside. My husband was driving, and I was saying things like, “No, a little farther, just a fraction, just a…Stop!” as I lined up shots. (Such a patient man. We made similar jerky progress down the coastal highway between Santa Cruz and Big Sur in 1998…)

In my slideshow, it is summer. There’s layers upon layers of clouds against bright blue sky, proud green corn starting to tassle as it reaches for the sky, trees in full leaf, and well kept farms full of activity. I see cows in pasture, and an assortment of horses happily munching their way through the lush verdant field beneath them. A hawk with sun on its wings soars over the fields of cut hay looking for an unwary lunch, while laundry flaps on lines with neatly trellised grapes in the foreground.

So many lines of color and texture!

I wish I could export the slideshow for you, but I have had zero luck in getting anything more than a picture or two to convey without issues. I hope my word picture gave you a summery pause. ????????

I, too, have a keen sniffer. I say it is because I have spent so much of my life around dogs!

So glad, Diane, that your daughter is getting all prepared. Truly, that must give you comfort. And NYC is not Spain, as you said. ????

Essential Oils have been huge for me, too. I recently came across a study done at Johns Hopkins on the effectiveness of essential oils on Lyme bacteria. It was very encouraging as they found that oregano oil actually did stuff the antibiotics molotov cocktail coukd not, especially with biofilms. Powerful stuff!

I use a lot of Pink Grapefruit in the winter — like sunshine in a bottle!

I agree, Kevin. So often I find myself aghast at the things that are being spouted. So much unnecessary and cruel fear! How can it be forgotten that ALL of us came from immigrants at some point. Even the Native Americans supposedly came over the Bering Strait.

Where we are now it is a much redder state politically than where I spent most of my life. In Maryland, even the earthworms are blue! I have to watch what I say and to whom sometimes.

I have friends who work with the immigrant population in their area of NC. She taught ESL for many years and said it is heartbreaking to have a child look up at her with huge teary eyes and ask, “Why do they hate us?” When we were downsizing our gardens, we sent boxes of daylilies to her to hand out to some immigrant families she knows who had just gotten their first homes. They loved to garden and had no extra money for decorating their yards, so what we did not want to discard became great joy for another. A win-win! I always told her to translate my notes welcoming them to life and homeownership here. I want some of those faces to shine with the knowledge of love and welcome. ????

If everyone ate with a consciousness of all those through whose hands their food had to pass, there might be more compassion and gratitude for the migrant workers who are such a vital link in the chain. We live in an area where migrant workers come for harvest. Some of the farmers have built temporary accommodation for them, some better than others. One dear man treats his workers so well that many stay and wind up as full time valued employees and friends. It is easier to make the connection when you see the faces of those who picked your fruit!