some stories find us

There. Right at the edge of the trees. Five sheep - in the snow, close to this abandoned barn. I slow and watch for them along HH in Otter Creek, mulling over their story...checking on them. They make me ponder & wonder.  Purposely, I do not disturb their quiet grazing, nor does the farmer that leaves them water.

I am not sure what story pulls at my heart more.  This barn without a house, left in the woods, orphaned.  Alone.  It looks to have once been part of something grand, a busy place where kids & animals were raised.  Now it stands bewildered by time, lost.  

And this small flock of sheep that have found their own farm on their own journey, homeward.   Twice sold, trailered several miles away to a new pasture.  Twice they broke the fence, traveling back to what they knew.  Now they are not accepted at their old home or welcomed back to their new one.  They have found a fenceless pasture, a lone barn.  They have made their own home somewhere in between. 

A flock became a family.  A barn became a home.  Lost became found.  

These are the stories that find me along these country roads.  

down the road

Villages have lanes, cities have streets,

in the country, we have roads....

rural roads, county roads, country roads.

This is the road I travel to my office on.

County Road R to Barka Road to County Road HH,

eventually to Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire.

Along this road are stories:

  The 6 deer that stop their feeding to gaze at me.

  The horse that lives in the front yard of a house....right there next to the deck.

  The elderly woman, still mowing her acre of yard, tending a farm now on her own.

  The dead cow laying near the barn waiting to be hauled away.

  The woman running with her two dogs, waving as I pass.

  "Circle Dog" that comes out to chase my car, spinning in circles...thus the name.

  The cows waiting in line to come in from their fields, some kind of order.

  The roll of twine, still sitting on the round bale of hay.

These roads call to me.  Over & over they beckon.  

Each mile brings hundreds of stories and lost poems along the way.

  

     

sometimes I wonder, sometimes I just know

If I were to pick my mantra, my motto - this would be my choice.

It has taken me a fair number of years, people & places to have these words find me, but sure as the crow calls, they have. It is that ying & yang of being ~~ moments when you step forward because you let your heart lead, moments when you dig your heels in because you must. To wonder is letting go, to know is holding firm....and both can be who you are.  Wonder & Wisdom, cornerstones for certain.

Sometimes I wonder, sometimes I just know.

call me sentimental...

I am drawn to words, to details,

to intricate layers

and

equally magnificent wonder.

(this is the tree line behind our farm)

I put my Halloween decorations away last night, bringing out the turkeys that would roost in the house for the next month.  As I did so, I thought about things -- pondered them in my heart, retelling a story again in my mind and now here.  Although sometimes it seems like yesterday -- it was a fair number of years ago that I spent a last Halloween with my mother - a strong, independent woman who knew a thing or two about joy & hardship & celebration & resiliency (all the ying and yang of life).  She also knew about the power of simple magnificence -- and would mark the first snow fall and the first robin's return as important markers in life.  I sat with her on that October day -- window in the nursing home open with that year's unseasonably warm weather for a Halloween.  I sang songs to her -- from day camp, from holidays past, words that came to my mind ... about peace and farewells and silent nights.  Knowing that in each of those last moments time was fleeting -- but yet it stood still.  So, it was no surprise at all that as she passed on, I would turn to the window just inches behind me --- and see robins lined up on the window sill. 

Call me sentimental, call me spiritual...

sometimes

yes, sometimes

the moment truly takes your breath away.

"my whole world it begins & ends with you...."

(those are the words I think of lately

-- words by my favorite Zac Brown Band)

How lucky we are to have moments, people & places

that make us smile when we see them

and cry when we say our farewells.



you never know...

I would imagine that when you walk thru my home,

you might wonder...

-for example-

What is that little stumpy guy doing on the kitchen shelf?

Or, why ever is there a goat on the dining room table?

At every turn, in many nooks -- there may be

a question just waiting for an answer.

The truth be told

to me it is all about

W O N D E R

That wonderful feeling of smiling just a bit, in that somewhat

curious way, when something that doesn't quite make sense

kind of makes all the sense in the world.

Shouldn't life really be all about not really knowing

what awaits around that next corner?

Thank goodness my home has many corners.

lots of
"you never know"

spaces.

To leave in wonder always feels

like the best kind of departure.

Big Red Barn

By the big red barn in the great green field...

How often had I read Big Red Barn by

Margaret Wise Brown as a nursery school teacher & a parent...

never quite imagining that I would open my back door

one day so many years later to this view.

Never quite imagining that I would live the lessons of the Big Red Barn...

those icons that still dot our countryside, but are also aging & leaving us.

The lessons taught in a barn about life & loss,

about stoic strength,

about something so pure & genuine it can make your heart hurt.

I never quite imagined that I would come to know so well:

•  the feel of a barn door, as you pull it along the track
• the majesty of the hand built construction
• and the genuine, sincere warmth that awaits within

Just last week Dave shared with me that his favorite walk

 was from our house to the barn.

To our Big Red Barn -- the heart of the farm.

A sanctuary - our sanctuary.

Just as free, free as we'll ever be...

It poured -- skies just opened, and it poured.

Still, we grabbed our folding chairs, rain gear...

Ian drove up from Madison,

and we arrived at CountryJam just as they took the stage.

Early -- things were moved around, acts were cancelled or changed.

And then the blue skies returned and for three hours they sang to us...
three hours!

People danced, sang back and were happy.

And, to hear thousands sing the chorus..."free as we'll ever be" with the

Zac Brown Band

magic, pure magic...

Every now & again you capture that moment,

tuck it way way back knowing it is special & will

be cherished.

Standing there, last night with Dave & Ian and thousands

of other folks that had arrived in Eau Claire-

Didn't matter our ethnicity, socioeconomic status, political views...

under that one sky, with mud on our feet

we were all happy -- just happy.

And we sang...

This is how it rolls in the country -- in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
 on a wet, stormy Saturday night.

Jar full of memories...

I stumbled upon this idea somewhere for

A Memory Jar

a place to keep those sweet reminders of childhood.

Here 's the jar for my Ian (now 23).

His jar includes:

• a Ninja turtle
• a tiger that used to knock down Lincoln Log houses
• Legos
• a hockey puck

Not a memory box -- but a collection,

bittersweet...

all those memories mixed up

like a favorite recipe.

That's my Ian --

definitely the very favorite cookie

in my Sweet Shop!

Kari (aka mom)

hollyhocks, day lilies, snowballs and farm gardens

I am not a gardener...

however, I do like the play of foliage & perrenials & annuals -

and know just enough.

In our last home in Sun Prairie - we were fortunate to

earn "Garden of the Month" distinction

and be featured in the city's annual

Garden Walk.

But still -- I make no aspirations at Master Gardener.

When someone asks about a plant -- my answer will likely be,

"I like how it looks".

So - with a vintage farm

- my quest was to keep the gardens

pure & simple & true to the farm's age.

That meant hollyhocks, day lilies, hydrangeas (snowballs) 

& any other planting that
could stand hardy farm living.

And, with a barn red & Old Chicago brick backdrop-
colors must be subdued, thoughtful, quiet.
The pinks above were picked by the hollyhocks, not me...
but I do like their play against the brick.

Plants were rescued from the old gardens, found as
we "civilized" the farm yard edges. 
Rusty "art" was added,
just enough wild was left unaltered,
with a restful, peaceful farmyard as the goal.

What is your favorite garden secret?

reaching out...

across the miles

my hand...

take it if you will.

A shoulder to lean on -

there, too.

A chair to sit in - with me quiet or listening or reflective.

Words, picked carefully, to lift you.

Thoughts, shared gently, to support you.

Reaching out -- not quite sure how -- but I am.

Words alone - sent over the miles.

Thoughts, bold & strong -- harnessing the spirit of comfort.

Prayers...prayers...prayers.

to you -- you know, you know

Once you reminded me, "wisdom begins in wonder".

remember -- we wonder first, we question second, we know, then we find the courage to wonder again.

All my love -- reaching out to you.

Kari

perspective

Phlox...in our meadow.

Beautiful...

Yet, can you see the thistle or nettle that stand beside them?

perhaps

Can you detect the ticks in that tall grass

that thwart my morning coffee as

I instead set my cup down to remove them from my Cinnamon?

(who delights in sleeping in the meadow)

perhaps

There are days I see the thistle & nettle...only.

There are moments that the ticks are the bane of my existence.

And there are, thankfully, hours when the Phlox call out to me - and time stands still.

Perspective...

a gift we get each morning

My sincere thanks...

It has been a year since I started this "blogging thing".

I remember wondering, who will ever be interested in what I might have to say?

I remember thinking -- well, at the very least I will have a journal for my own posterity.

And so I started....with the little picture above and

the little post found by clicking HERE

I took my first step.

And, there you were - those that have provided such

support -- thru comments, thru visits here -- whether vocal or not...

your support has mattered,

and I thank you.

I have grown over the past year --

I have learned the pace & content & climate

of this little world of my blog.

I look back at my own year, smiling often, shedding a tear at times...

ever with you at my side.

Thank you...

Really, thank you.

Kari

just a little secret...

tucked away

that is where they are.

safe

snug

protected

(up in the hayloft - with all the Barn Sale boxes)

three new little kittens

Hope's spring litter

Introducing:  Winter, Spring & Summer

just a little secret...
sweet one at that

P.S. This is no secret --
 we will not be opening this summer for an "in between" Barn Sale,
just too much gathering to do.

Our next Barn Sale will be October 8 & 9.

remembrance

I will never ever forget certain things: 

• The little slip of paper my father folded & refolded in the hospital table drawer-- a slip I would later find with our phone numbers on it...waiting patiently for a visit or a call.
• My mother calling across the nursing home table, "there's my Kari" when I arrived.  Always welcoming me home - no matter where home might be.

These are etched in my mind for forever...and I do remember embracing those moments, capturing & seizing those instances, knowing time is fleeting.  I remember saying to myself "remember this, remember this."

So now, I fold & refold my memories and call out to my heart's deepest deepest places --- because that is what we do on this weekend.  Yes, we may have an extra day off, and yes, we may have time for that first summer fishing trip or flea market....but we also have a bit more time to stop & remember.   I will.

Invincible

"In the depth of winter,

I have finally learned that within me

there lay an invincible summer."

Albert Camus

My thanks to Nan for finding this quote

...it spoke to me - as it spoke to her.

I grew up on Healy Lane in Monona, Wisconsin. 

As snow began to melt, 

we would check that certain spot in the garden where

the Snow Drops would bloom - a sure sign of spring.

In my heart, I am checking there each day...

Intrigued

I have been collecting these intriguing pins for years...

many represent the IOOF -

Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

A bit about the IOOF:

In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called "Odd Fellows." Odd Fellows are also known as "The Three Link Fraternity" which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth. 
In Wisconsin, the IOOF dates to 1835.

Besides the fabulous pins (many with hands), we found this marker from the IOOF.
It is dated "57" --- from 1857.
We loved it because that was the year our house was built.

Have you started a collection just because an item intrigued you?

a wee bit of news...

I tend to share very little about my day-to-day work life

on this blog -- preferring it to be about life on our farm

or antiquing adventures.

However, I have a wee bit of news.

Back in 2003/2004 I had the opportunity to be part of a 21 member

Governor's Task Force

 that wrote a Quality Rating System for Child Care in Wisconsin.

Beginning in March --

I will help to lead the roll out of this system: YoungStar

in 10 counties in Western Wisconsin.

Wish me luck --

if we can first dodge any funding or budgetary issues...

this will be a big endeavor.

My mantra: 

 "May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back..."

Here we go!

P.S. I did ask that "Young" and "Star" be in my Job Title.

Wishes do come true --- Dream with your eyes open!

I like "free"...

Some of our very best finds have come at no cost. 

Yes, I really like "free". 

It is harder to find, but every now and again you do.

That item at the edge of the road waiting for the garbage truck.

Maybe even a "take me, I'm yours" sign on it.

This fabulous urn was a free find.

Dave found it along the road.

It is large & heavy & chippy & rusted.

Did I say fabulous?

This outhouse was a free find. 

Dave found it in a cemetery down the road from our house,

on it's side...waiting for some sad fate.

The cemetery board voted to let us adopt it, even

helped to load it on the trailer....

and now here it stands in our apple orchard,

proudly holding baskets & a bird nest or two.

This charming little green table was a free find.

Dave found this along a country road -- lost & lonely.

Now it has a farm to live on happily ever after.

And the story goes on & on.  Found.  Free.  Reclaimed.

Reloved.  Found.  Free.  Reclaimed.  Reloved.

I do like "free"....and I do appreciate Dave's ability to find & rescue.

Yes, Dave -- I do believe you are an American Picker --- or at the very least

a true Wisconsin Picker.

You win (but so do I).

What have you found "free"? -- do tell.

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

To start, it was cold. 

All my worries about snow or freezing rain were alleviated.

The day was chilly & crisp.

In opening the barn, I decided to mist the air with freshener -- frozen.

Coffee in mug from night before -- frozen.

Apple Cider -- almost frozen.

It was cold -- day for an extra pair of socks & wool coat & mittens!

Yet the kindred spirits, the gatherers, came.

With warm hearts & generous spirit they arrived.

No "coldest day of the year so far" would keep them away from the hunt.

And, friends found along the way -

from this blogging community were there:

Dawn & Diane & Cheryl & Kelly (pictured above)...

and all of you reading this that were there.

With cold hands & warm hearts -

you were there...

some traveling miles.

You were there...

And, my friends...

Pictured above:  me, Nan, Jani, Sarah.

What can I quite say...I put it out to the universe --

"karma, treat these women well...."

'cause you do get what you give.

They left at 5:30 a.m. - traveling from Madison & Sun Prairie.

There, at my side -- with deer antlers jiggling.

Freezing their badonkadonks off all morning -- with smiles.

Helping, laughing, raising my spirits to the rafters.

You guys -- friends of the absolute highest order.

Thank you!

When the day came to an end, my Dave & I sat up in the barn

(sitting because we could no longer feel our toes).

The sparrows returned to the barn

-- singing their song of home.

And, so did my heart!

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts.

Thank you!

You must, must visit sweet Bethany's Blog 

(just double click on prior words)

-- amazing photos & writing...most recently about the sale.

Wisdom begins with wonder.

My friend, Jani, reminded me of these words from Socrates: 

"Wisdom begins with wonder". 

Here is what I have learned along my journey at Meadowview Farm: 

• Sparrows like blue bird houses too. 
• Milk paint was made to last.
• Goats are like dogs - only with smaller droppings.
• Woodchucks & Pocket Gophers are the bane of all existence.
• Cottonwood trees get a bum rap.
• "Catch & Release" just doesn't work for Japanese Beetles or Crickets.
• Storms do announce themselves.
• Farmers are indeed the hardest working people & the best neighbors.
• It is good to know someone with a bobcat or a tractor.
• Country music has a heart.
• Humility is a good character trait....as is personal responsibility & kindness.  They make my top 10 list.
• You can herd cats.

What have you learned along your journey?? 
Do share....