Story recollecting my wonderful days spent with Grandfather when I was a child. Grandfather teaches me the Old Ways about being grateful for each day and the "ordinary" things of life.

Date:   7/29/2010 6:03:48 PM ( 14 y ago)

Grandfather's House


AN ORDINARY DAY


When I was young I used to spend summers with my Grandfather. 

I have so many great memories of these times.  Someone has been encouraging me to write down some of these memories. Here is a memory of what I would call an ordinary day:

The day starts when the sun comes up and the roosters start to crow.  The house has no running water, electricity, or bathroom--just an outhouse.  The night before we fill up a pitcher of water to pour into a bowl to wash up with.  The outhouse is a little way from the house.  So we wash up.

Then it is time to go outside and do the morning prayers.  We face the sun and greet the sun.  We say how thankful we are for another day.  We give thanks for all the wonderful things the Great Mother has given us and how abundant these things are.

Then we go inside and make breakfast.  There is no running water, so we use the hand pump to fill up a bucket of water that we can use inside.  We give thanks for all the living things that gave their lives so we can eat.  After breakfast we clean up.  We make our beds and do the little household chores that need to be done.

We go to the chicken coop and let the chickens out for the day.  We tell the chickens how thankful we are that they are there.  We tell them that we will do our best to take good care of them.  We say how thankful we are for their eggs and that we will try to give them a good life.  They are happy to get outside and eagerly rush around eating up bugs, worms and other goodies.  We collect the eggs and bring them inside.

On our way inside we milk the goats and tell them how thankful we are that they are with us.  We milk the goats.  We say how thankful we are for their milk they share with us and that we will do our best to take good care of them.  Then we let them outside.  They also are glad to be outside.  They go into the pasture where they run around and graze all day.

We go by the pig pen and pasture and talk to the pigs.  They are already outside happily rooting around in the pig pasture where there are planted lots of things they love to eat.  We tell them how grateful we are for them and that we will do our best to take good care of them.

I follow Grandfather out to the garden.  We grow the traditional corn, beans, and squash as well as herbs and vegetables.  We walk through the garden talking to all the plants.  We say how grateful we are that they are growing there.  We say that we will do our best to make sure they have enough water.

We talk to the bugs and tell them that we love them and that the ones who need to eat the plants there that we have a special garden just for them where they can eat to their hearts content.  We tell the plants how beautiful they are and how much we appreciate them.  We then bring water out for them and make sure they have enough.

By this time the morning has flown away and it is time for lunch.  Grandfather stands in the middle of the garden and asks the plants which ones would be willing to give away part of themselves so that we might have lunch.  I try to do as he is doing and I do get an impression of one of the tomato plants showing a couple of newly ripe tomatoes as well as a couple of spinach plants who show some leaves and a lettuce plant also shows some leaves.  I must have gotten it right as Grandfather goes to these plants to collect our lunch.  As he picks the tomatoes and the leaves of spinach and lettuce he sprinkles some cornmeal as an offering to each plant, thanking it for the give away it gives us.

We go to the house, wash off the plants we have collected, and make a salad.  We drink some nice fresh goat milk to go with it.  We clean up.

It is time for our reflection time.  We go outside and find a nice tree to sit under.  At this time each of us quietly sits and goes within to talk to Great Mother and all her wonderful creations.  We listen for any wisdom that may come or directions we need to take.

Later it is time to make sure everything around the farm is in good repair.  Anything that needs repair is taken care of.

We check the compost pile and the worm beds.  We add whatever we have that needs to go in the worm beds or compost pile.  We talk to the worms and tell them what a good job they are doing.  We tell them how grateful we are that they are there.  We add a little water to each worm bed so the worms will have enough liquid to keep them happy.

When all the chores are done it is getting late and time for supper.  We go past the smoke house where hams have been smoked.  We go to the ice house where things that need to be cold are kept.  We get a small ham and Grandfather takes it inside the house with us.  As we go to the house he goes back to the garden and again asks for some plants to be willing to give a piece of themselves so that we can have supper.  He gives an offering to those who reply and collects the plants.  We go to the house where supper is prepared.  We have a wonderful meal of sliced ham, potatoes, and vegetables.  We give thanks for the giveaway and enjoy our meal.

After supper we clean up.  Then we go outside and bring in the chickens and goats for the night.  The goats are milked again.  We talk to them all again telling them how happy we are that they are with us and how thankful we are for them.  They are all safely bedded down for the night.  We return to the house and sit outside admiring all of the Great Mother's handiwork.   Grandfather may tell a story or two and we quietly talk about our day and how wonderful it was.

The moon is now up and it is getting late and time for bed.  We stand outside and face the moon.  We greet the moon and say how thankful we are that the moon is there being a guardian of the night and watching over everything.  We say that we are grateful for our day and all the great blessings that we have.

Then we go inside and go to bed.

This I would say was an ordinary day.  But now, looking back at it, I miss those days so much.  True we didn't have much but it was a wonderful way to live.  I miss those days.  I miss Grandfather.

NEW for 2015! Snake Dream and Art! http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=2269029

MORE Grandfather Stories:

Gathering Herbs: http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1884265

Blueberry Time:

http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1944751

Making Maple Syrup http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1815117

Spring Song http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1779014  

Squirrels: http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1766705

Winter http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1752146

"The Five Stones": Grandfather teaches me about the Five Stones of Living http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1742716

The Give Away http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1707146

Grandfather and the Breezes http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1625807

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