Reflection

 My hair is getting silver. My hands suffer from carpal tunnel. I jokingly say I have matured, as my weight has increased over the years.

Yet, I can still climb a tree. Any chance I can, I will play a sport. I can stack hay like no mans business. I can do pull-ups again. I feel I am gaining back some of my strength and vitality that was lost over the last few years. 

I am thankful for my many blessings. It is a privilege to be able to celebrate another birthday. Below is the recount of the day.

This morning I woke to Caecilius climbing into our bed. He wanted to snuggle for a few minutes, before wanting to get up and start the day. I had planned on staying in bed, but it sounded quite loud downstairs. So, I had Caecilius climb onto my back and we trundled down the stairs. There the boys were arguing about who was making breakfast. I decided to go back upstairs. I settled in my room with the book, “The boy Crisis.” Nice, it was fitting that I was reading about boys in crisis, while listening to the loud moments below. 

Breakfast was delicious. Cyprian and Cletus were the chefs. They baked an apple crisp, made with apples from our orchard. Cyprian fried some of our homemade sausages in butter. The eggs were made with mushrooms gathered from the woods, and organic valley cheese melted on top. There was a French press of organic coffee. I had some of our maple syrup with goat milk added to some coffee.

I did dishes after breakfast. That was under the condition that the boys would straighten up the house and do laundry. They did do the chores with some prompting. I was able to braid all my onions and clean some garlic.

We then headed to the Cashton Park for the afternoon. We gathered with several of my family member and their families. It was a beautiful day and the kids all enjoyed playing. I even enjoyed swinging. I got to hold my nephew’s newborn baby. Oh how I love holding a sweet babe. My goddaughter Maire made me a lovely and scrumptious cake. Maire who is my niece, had stayed with us for a whole week during garlic harvest. She made meals, watched little ones, cleaned house, cared for animals (she got really good at milking the goats), and helped with harvest. As part of our “thanks” for the huge help that she was, we got her a decorating kit for baking. Now she is making beautiful and yummy treats. 

When we got home from the park Caecilius had fallen asleep. So after unloading the car I careful took him out and lay him on the couch, and took a short rest with him. Then it was back to garlic cleaning. Nobody was really hungry so Cletus had started push mowing and I decided to do the riding mowing. Franz was harvesting kale all afternoon.

After the milking I did pull-ups on the clothes line, and climbed a tree. Yep, I need to prove to myself and my boys that I am up to snuff. We ate some leftovers from the picnic. After quickly straightening up, we prayed our family rosary on the porch. That way Franz could hear while washing and hydro cooling the kale. Boys are all tucked into bed. I wait for Franz to finish. I may be eating some cake too…

It might seem ordinary and a boring way to spend your birthday. I loved the beautiful day. Ordinary becomes extraordinary when your attitude and heart are in the right place. 

My simple yet not so simple home.