The Pope Press
a biweekly-ish update of life on the home front, here in the woods of north idaho
Cozy Mornings
I’ve dreamed of early mornings in a rocking chair by a real fire for my whole life. That’s not an exaggeration. When we purchased this property last November, I decided it was time I learned to embroider…because I wanted to be ready to sit and do so as soon as it was time for a fire in the wood stove. Here we are, a year later, and I can embroider AND live in a finished house with a wood stove. Dreams really do come true. Lately I’ve been waking up with the baby (who gets up with the chickens, as they say) to read my morning news (subscribe for free—you’ll be so happy you did.) I get the fire started, make my chai-milk, sprinkle raw turbinado sugar on the foam, and then sit and read while the baby plays. It’s a good forty minutes or so before the kids wake up, and then they stay in their rooms until 7:45, when they’re allowed to come out and either snuggle me by the fire or watch a little show until we start chores and breakfast cooking around 8:00. I do my best to get some Bible reading in before getting on with the day. Needless to say, it’s wonderful and cozy. And yes, the children have to be reminded *every single morning* that it’s “still quiet time” and that their clocks aren’t green yet… :)
Melissa’s Tomatoes
I didn’t tend a garden this year, as we moved in March. Nowhere to start seedlings OR transplant them. It was a relief in the end, as all the unexpected happenings with Willaby would have rendered our garden waterless and dead anyway! Most of my gardening is for fun. We eat what we grow, as it grows. But my tomatoes, I put up. I try to put up a year’s worth of tomato puree each season so I don’t have to purchase any tomato sauces (or spaghetti sauce) from the store. I tried to put up double last season, knowing I’d have a year’s gap. But then my friend Melissa showed up with BAGS of green tomatoes for me to ripen. So I roasted, blended, and froze them, and now we’ve got enough sauce for another year! I am so grateful for the love and generosity of a fellow gardener and friend.
Incandescent Bulbs
For a small fortune, I bit the bullet and swapped all our drop-down lighting to incandescent. We still have LED can lights and use them during the day, but as soon as the sun sets it’s lamps and incandescents for us. I thought Ben would balk, but even HE is happy! You wouldn’t believe the amount of effort one has to go through these days to find decent incandescent bulbs. It’s absurd. You’d think there was some conspiracy behind it or something…
Nostalgia
When I was about seven, my grandmother made me a flapper girl dress and head-piece. I wore that costume for nearly every halloween until I outgrew it. Then I passed it down to my cousin. When my mom was back in Minnesota a few weeks ago, my Aunnie located my old costume in a closet and sent it home with my mom. My own seven year old girl now wears it with glee. Isn’t life grand?
Felisha Days
I’ve been complaining about “being so behind on photo albums” for eight years now. I still don’t have our wedding album done. The complaints reached such a crescendo that Sweet Ben decided to do something about it. He hired our neighbor to come watch the kids for two hours a week so I can lock myself in my bedroom and work on 1) balancing our budget and 2) photo albums. You wouldn’t believe how much I can accomplish on my computer in two uninterrupted hours! Or maybe you would. Needless to say, all my Chatbooks are now printed, so I can officially shut down my Instagram December 1, and I’ve almost got our 2024 family album finished. Onward and Upward! And thank you, Felisha :D
