As we slide into winter, I have a new feeling of contentment at home. I first became aware of it when we returned home from a visit to our daughter who lives in Dallas. City traffic and city noises that used to be part of my everyday experience seemed unnerving. Once we returned to our farm, I felt relief to be surrounded by quiet and nature.

Perhaps surprisingly, the quiet natural surroundings of our house didn’t feel like home immediately. I’ve lived in a city neighborhood since leaving my parents’ farm for college. I missed seeing my neighbors and hearing the sounds of daily life beyond my own walls. It made me feel part of a community. I enjoyed chatting with neighbors as we walked our dogs and looked forward to regular chats with our mail carrier, who always had treats ready for Chester. I belonged, and it felt very good.

My new-found contentment very much comes from the hope that I will belong here too. Now, when I go to the local grocery store, the people at the checkout line recognize me as a regular and even freely ask me what on earth I’m going to do with that jar of capers. My neighbors wave at me as they’ve become accustomed to my white Jeep driving down Hickory Road. These everyday exchanges mean a lot! Isn’t that part of what we all missed when we stayed at home during the early days of the pandemic?

Contentment at Home

Some big changes on our farm also sparked my home-fires of contentment. Our house is perched on a hillside that is part meadow and part woods. When we moved in, the woods showed years of neglect as buckthorn and Eastern red cedars had invaded the native growth of oak and walnut trees. Late one evening, a few weeks ago, my husband began cutting down the cedars and opened up our views around our property. He kept at it for several days, cutting down and hauling away nearly 50 scrub trees! I’m especially excited because our winter views of wildlife moving through the hills and valley will be delightful.

Speaking of home fires, we heat our house with wood, and my husband cut and split wood all summer. And now dead, unsightly trees are keeping us toasty warm inside as the wind changed our unseasonably warm days into unseasonably cold ones. If you’re a bit curious about what it’s like to heat with wood, here’s my husband loading wood into the outdoor boiler. This heats water that runs through the radiators of our home, delivering consistent, quiet heat. Initially, there is a bit of woodsmoke; however, once the boiler is hot, the wood burns cleanly.

Of course, our puppy Wally adds a lot of joy and warmth to our home. I smile a lot more during the day as I watch him bound about the meadows and pause to sniff intently through tall grass and thickets. Here’s a rare photo of him resting in the house; he prefers to nap outside! (In three months, he’s grown from ten to thirty-five pounds.)

Pumpkins in my Sewing Room

Lately, I spend a lot of time feeding, grooming, walking, and entertaining Wally. Yet, I did squeeze in some sewing time. This year I was determined to make a pumpkin quilt with some of the orange fabric I bought last year. Thankfully, Joanna Figuroa of Fig Tree Quilts offered a free Honeybun Pumpkins pattern and sew-along on her blog. This four-week project was fun to sew and easy to complete. I hoped to deliver it to my daughter in Dallas, but the mail carrier had that privilege. Now “my pumpkin” has a pumpkin quilt to remind her of her parents’ love. When she was a tiny baby, we bounced her and chanted, “Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie!” Sweet memories!

To my surprise, Wally was all in when I needed a quilt model! Perhaps you can see the blue houndstooth-check flannel backing in the photo below. My daughter assured me that she would welcome a flannel quilt even in Dallas.

Looking Ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas

We have a few fun things to look forward to besides the big holidays: lunch with our son and his girlfriend, high school football tournaments (Yay, Lions!), a play at the local professional theater, and other small gatherings. So, rather than spending time decorating my home, I decided to declutter more stuff and savor time with family and friends. This year – with a puppy – we will enjoy the people who gather around our table and give thanks to the Lord for providing for our needs, above and beyond.

I have one more quote to share from the October/November 2022 issue of Victoria magazine. James T Farmer III, the author of Celebrating Home, said, “Celebrating isn’t always about big parties. It’s often about being truly content at home, which is my favorite place to be.”

Joyfully,

Tracie