Red Dirt Farm and Studio

We all have something.

We rang in the new year day with mild weather – almost balmy.  Today back to cool temps and rain in the forecast.  Rain is always in the forecast anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received a message just before Christmas that a local shop that has been selling my art-work for the past few years is closing down.

It brings me sadness on one hand and on the other I’m happy for the owner; she is moving on to do something else, to follow another dream and who doesn’t love that.

I went to the shop over the weekend and packed up all my inventory.  I had forgotten how much stuff I had in that store.

When I got home I backed my car right up to the farm stand and put some of it in the farm stand to sell.

Another artist will be opening her own store in another section of that same complex in a few months.  I got to meet her and she has asked to sell my work in her new place, I haven’t committed yet.

This past summer I felt so overwhelmed with stuff and I didn’t know what direction my life was going. I felt that I desperately needed to simplify my life and declutter.  I felt the time had come for me to end my creative endeavors.  I deleted all my online web pages for 3 Wishes Studio and Nightbird Creations and started the process of closing my business down officially.  I had no interest in making art or trying to sell it.

Over the past several months, my in-person friends, and my reader friends here have shared support and encouragement and given me hope. Something I needed to move forward and find a new direction.

  Thank you for caring and letting me know that you are out there.

  Fast forward to today.  I am looking forward to new beginnings and possibilities.

 

The girls were loving foraging for bugs and worms and other yummy treats during the balmy weather on New Year’s day.

 

Tile work is wrapped up in the house addition, for now.  We’ll have them do more work at another date.

Our plumber will be out next week to work on installing the water heater, and getting the lines hooked up over in the addition – then we will finally have water over on that side of the house – big yay!

  Next on the schedule is installing the hardwood flooring.

 

New Year’s Eve was a candlelight seafood celebration of bacon wrapped scallops, spicy shrimp and lobster tails.  Early to bed for these two.

The next day, I took down the Christmas tree and started to put the furniture back in place.

 

The grumpy old man.

I met the grumpy old man at the farm stand the other day while I was stocking the egg cooler.  He has left a few disgruntled messages in my honor box at the farm stand these past few months.

Seems he keeps coming to the stand when we are sold out of eggs because our hens weren’t producing enough eggs, or when the stand was destroyed in the snow storm and then we had to close down and there weren’t any eggs for sale.

  He wanted to be grumpy and grouchy because he had been inconvenienced by our losses.

  I wanted him to be compassionate toward the hardships we have experienced here on the farm this year.

  We each had our own outlook.

I introduced myself to him and thanked him for stopping by.  He grumbled something along the lines did I have eggs today.  I assured him we did.

I don’t remember what I said to him after that, but something I said made him pause and then one thing led to another and before I knew it, we had chatted for quite some time.

The grumpy old man shared with me that he is the caregiver to his wife, who has Alzheimer’s.  I shared my personal story of losing my mom to that dreadful disease.

Memories of how difficult it was taking care of mom came rushing back to me and in that moment I realized it wasn’t about me not having eggs.

George, (not his real name) thanked me and said he would see me next week, he looked forward to talking with me again.

I am reminded we all have something.  Moving into this new year, I want to remember to have that extra patience and compassion, not only for strangers but for myself too.

Wishing you all good things in the new year.

Thanks for stopping by today.

xo Kim

P.S. Did anyone notice the new blog theme?  Thoughts?

P.S.S.  I’ve been having trouble leaving comments on other WordPress sights, I don’t know if it is my computer or a problem with WordPress anybody else having trouble?