7 a.m., 30 degrees. Foggy, misty morning here in the river valley that holds Bear Path Cottage, with the clouds down low on the ridgeline to the south.
I made a pot of oatmeal for breakfast with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Last week, I was thinking about simple ways to refresh the love, health, and other positive energies in the Cottage. Every time I prepare food or even a cup of tea, I add some magic to what I'm making. That's Kitchen Witching 101 stuff: if you are already doing work, make double use of the energy.
But there is a difference between adding magic and intention to something I am already doing and doing something to create or refresh magic. I don't want to make cooked breakfast every day, but doing it once or twice a week will be an enjoyable part of a morning. Added bonus: food is one of my love languages, and my husband and father-in-law know that. I hope warm oatmeal bellies = warm hearts.
While I was stirring my cauldron...ermmmm...my saucepan this morning, my mom popped into my heart. I have memories of her making oatmeal for breakfast on cold winter mornings in a batch large enough to feed seven kids. She would scoop it into our bowls at the table, thick and lumpy and sticky. Mom was not the best cook, and indeed, mornings were not her best time, but she wanted our bellies to be warm before we left for school.
The good thing about her oatmeal was that once we made it our own, it was tasty stuff, partly because it was one of the only foods we were allowed to play with. I would use my spoon to shape my oatmeal into a mountain, then dig a little lake at the top and draw rivers down the side. Then, I'd pour the milk slowly until it filled up the lake and flowed down the sides of the mountain. Eventually, there would be an island of oatmeal floating in a sea of milk, and I would sprinkle sugar on the mountain like rain or snow falling.
Mmmmm, what a soft, sweet lead into the day ahead. The chickens need tending and some extra care today. Our Vikings have been flying up to the roof of one of their shaded areas, so it is time to trim wings. Cats need tending, and the pup needs time with me before he heads off to work as a shop dog. There are also a few household chores to do, and then I will be painting the new shelves for the kitchen. Oh, and I have to deliver a work order to the Engineer.
Will I get it all done? Maybe. Will the world stop turning if I don't? No.
But yaaaa'll, I am so excited about this kitchen redo. She will be so pretty when she is done!
Oh goodness. I cannot forget to bake some cornbread for my FIL. North Carolina born and raised until his family moved to Big Stone Gap, Virginia, he likes to have black eyed peas, greens, and corn bread for his New Year's lunch. (And I like to do little things to make him happy.)
This day is just one more new day that offers possibilities. The entirety of 2024 did not arrive at 12:00:01.
Practice pausing before responding or taking action. Drink water. Drink tea. Eat foods that nourish your body when you are able to. Embrace interactions that nourish your mind and spirit.
Most of all, be easy when you can.
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