Stepping Out On a New Adventure
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!
The Nest
I awoke last Tuesday expecting to see frost. The first substantial snow of the season in the mountains near my home supposedly fell overnight. I could not tell whether this was true, as the thick gray cloud cover barred the mountains from view. Usually, this first major mountain snow even comes hand-in-hand with our first frost.
Although I dread frost and the end of autumn, I also welcome it. The frost will kill back the last of the garden vegetables I was waffling over pulling, making the decision for me. If we are lucky, the sun will peek through the gloom, turning every tree and grass blade into a glittering wonderland.
Oh, and birdsong on a cold and frosty morning? A delight for the soul.
Alas, this wasn’t to be. As a watery dawn arrived, barely brighter than the darkness of night that preceded it, all I saw was water drip-drip-dripping everywhere. It was cold, but not frosty cold.
Perhaps this is for the best. I am not sure if I am ready for the hibernation of winter yet. There’s so much to do!
November will dawn with a new adventure for me this year – working outside of the home. Other than a two year stint working in an herbarium and as a field TA for botany students, it has been nearly two decades since I did anything other than write words for my supper.
Never fear, I have chosen an adventure that will keep me in the great outdoors, and keep me moving. I expect hard work, but I also expect plenty of time to daydream and come up with new things to scribble down. I’ll share more about this adventure later, after I’ve tried it on and made sure that it fits properly.
I will admit that I am nervous. Although far from elderly, I am no longer a spring chicken. Four-plus decades and the soft living of being a writer means I am not in the type of shape this adventure may require. My hope is that the novelty of new things and the promise of what I hope to achieve in this venture will allow me to push through the first few difficult weeks without causing myself injury.
If I can manage that, then the problem of fitness should simply solve itself. I won’t lie, that’s another draw of this adventure – getting myself in better health simply so I can enjoy my autumn and winter years with a properly working body!
Of course, the end goal of all this is the same as it has ever been, to move to our woodland cottage to live a creative life close to nature.
Frost or no frost, the nest must be prepared for the cold season. These last two weeks have also seen me preparing for fewer days at home, what with this new adventure. We collected several bushels of apples offered by a neighbor, which I promptly dehydrated into rings. These are delicious for snacking, but they can also be rehydrated to use in winter baking or for sauce.
Late fall is also a good time to delve into the larder and make an inventory. Plenty of produce as well as staples are on hand for the cold season, with very few holes that need filling in. Of course, I also rotated the recipes in my box, moving forward the simple, quick, and filling meals that may be necessary as we adjust to new schedules and responsibilities.
A coming frost does not allow us time to freeze!
A Wren Reads:
The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert
What can I say? I love these cozy grandma mysteries! This one had an appearance from the fairy folk, which is some next level stuff when combined with Beatrix Potter the sleuth and talking animals!
Kenny and the Beasts by Tony DiTerlizzi
Once again, a bit of a quick fun read from the youth shelves. I enjoyed the Spiderwick Chronicles, so decided to try some of DiTerlizzi’s other work. I wasn’t disappointed!
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
This is one of those books you hear other people talk about reading, so I decided to give it a go. Gay is a good writer, and each chapter is more of an essay. It’s not the type of book I’d sit down and read for several hours, but it is the perfect book for snatching a chapter here and there throughout the day.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
This was grabbed on a whim. None of my books were in at the library, and I was worried the stash at home wasn’t going to last until my next visit. The Buried Giant was displayed on the “Staff Recommendation” shelf, so I grabbed it. It is a bit of a slow read, but very lyrical in its way. Although I did find the pacing and dialog tedious at times, it was good enough that I wanted to keep going to find out what happens to the two protagonists. A nice read, but possibly a forgettable one.
By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison
This was recommended to me, and the cover art was so dear that I went through the trouble of requesting an interlibrary loan! This is another work of young adult fiction. Although it’s a fantasy-fairy tale, it weaves in important points about the human impacts on the earth and our environment. It is so lovely, so hopeful, and so well written. I will definitely be requesting the others in the series from my library!
Written Words:
The Lovely Larder:
Food this week has been a bit of a chore, in part because I have been dealing with some pretty weighty decisions on my own and my family’s future. This means simple meals, eating through the pantry, and lots of leftovers. Regardless, there were a couple of stand-out things from the larder:
Bacon Fried Rice and Potstickers
Fried rice in our house is a way to use up leftovers. In this case, some leftover rice, odds and ends of vegetables, and two lone slices of bacon. Add some scrambled eggs along with ¼ cup of veggie stock and ¼ cup of soy sauce, and ta-da! Fried rice. (The potstickers were uncovered during a freezer cleanout, left behind by a past houseguest.)
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Recipe)
These are the ones my mom always made, but obviously the recipe has been around because I found it in several places online. They include a packet of vanilla pudding mix, which makes them into some kind of wonderful that is hard to describe. Most definitely the best chocolate chip cookies in the world!
Errata:
For those who write or read over on Medium, I have launched my first publication! The Yew Tree is a home for creatives, late bloomers, singing-out-of-tuners, and otherwise sensitive yet happy-go-lucky folk.
I hope to make The Yew Tree a calm oasis of moving and inspiring words, whether it’s personal narratives, quirky how-tos, nature writing, or something else entirely!
Please stop on by and give The Yew Tree a follow. Or better yet, apply to write for us so we can make the internet a kinder place!
You can also read up on my personal NaNoWriMo Medium challenge, and perhaps even join it if you feel moved to do so.
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
-Henry David Thoreau
Fondly yours in love, peace, and gratitude,
Jenny Wren