You know that first day in March or April when you breath in and the air has a scent again because it’s no longer frozen? That was the time of year we moved to the homestead, and that is always the first day of my personal New Year. That is when the air tells me…
Continue ReadingA Fresh Perspective on Pee
Some days it seems all I do all day is manage bodily functions. Jesse’s wetting his pants. Claire’s distraction leading to 20 min. toilet runs. Seth’s stinky diapers. And my own frequent needs–fed by the goal of drinking a gallon of water per day for the sake of my kidneys–requiring multiple runs up the stairs for myself…
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“Life was like a Missionary Bootcamp”
In my teens I often imagined that God had put me on the homestead as preparation for a call to a primitive mission field. I read missionary biographies and marveled at the similarities and how familiar their daily routines sounded to me. My life was like Missionary Boot Camp: Hauling water, gathering fuel for cooking…
Continue ReadingGod, Mountains, and How I met my Husband, Part Second
Our God is a Mountain Mover, People. Here’s my personal testimony to that effect. Read Part First Here. We’d been on the homestead for about two months now. We were still living in the tipi (it hadn’t blown away yet), while Dad and my brothers were busy every day learning how to get the horse…
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Seen and Overheard
I was all over the internet last week – several guest posts I’d written and some other stuff all got posted at the same time. I noticed post getting published barely in time to share them on facebook, so I decided to recap with my blog readers here, in case you missed them. Read about…
Continue ReadingMoving Day
Well, remember that sweet purse coupon deal I told you about two weeks ago? And then I came back to tell you it was not so sweet, that I had misunderstood the promotion? Well. I am here to say, there is still good customer service in this world. Apparently, I was not the only one…
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Of Pancake Zoos and Native Accomidations
Our road trip last month was another chance to relive some fond memories and experiences from the homestead. Considering the bus’ difficulty keeping us cool at times, we cooked outside as much as possible. Thankfully, I don’t mind cooking over an open fire. Apparently, neither does my father-in-law. His specialty is shaped pancakes, which thrills…
Continue ReadingEmpathy
From that day on, I was terrified of the wind. I sat in the rocker in the small, cleared space in the center of the tipi, rocking steadily in an effort to soothe myself. My hands covered my ears trying to block out the rush of the wind as it roared from the west and…
Continue ReadingA day in the life of a tipi-dweller
Wow! It’s been literally years since the last installment of my tipi tales! I have so little time anymore when my mind is empty enough and the house is quiet enough for focused writing. But, oh, how I love the journeys back in time as I tell these stories. I wrote this early in the…
Continue ReadingHow to Take a Bath in Your Fridge
This is one of those memories from the homestead that we were able to laugh about afterward. Many wondered how we handled life’s necessities in our primitive living conditions, living in a tipi for 8 months, and then a small log cabin with no running water. Here is how we took a bath… Bath day…
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Exploring the Land
Once again, sleeplessness is the impetuous for another Tipi Tales post! Indigestion is my least-favorite pregnancy side effect, and has me unable to fall asleep tonight. So, here you go – sorry it’s been so long since I wrote one of these! If you haven’t read one of these yet, you should go back and…
Continue ReadingSpring on the Homestead
I often have trouble sleeping the night before a trip and often quit tossing and turning and come out to the computer to write. Aren’t you glad – for here’s another installment of Tipi Tales! Continued from Episode Six: A Blustery Day, Part 2 I was the first child to celebrate their birthday on the…
Continue ReadingA Blustery Day, Part Two
Continued from Episode Five, A Blustery Day, Part 1… Amazingly, the three little girls slept peacefully in the middle of the floor while the wind whipped our tent high over our heads. Dad and Joel were outside with a flashlight trying to re-tie the temporary ropes that had snapped. The Indians had a clever way…
Continue ReadingA Blustery Day, Part One
I know it has been a while since I published a Tipi Tale. I have not had a lot of time for creative writing in the last few months, but hope to continue working on my book now that the cold, cozy-inside weather has set in. I admit to procrastinating on this next installment –…
Continue ReadingOf Slugs and Sunflowers
I’ve had no time to do any creative writing lately, but I found this in one of my old journals last night and thought it would do for this week’s homestead post. This is a memory of going out in the night to fill a bucket at the hand pump so I can flush our…
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Our first night as Indians
Continued from Episode Three: Pitching the Tipi The first night in the tipi was mercifully non-eventful. We had found our bedding, set up the cots, and rolled out our sleeping bags by the light of a Coleman lamp. We were all grateful for past family camping experiences that made certain aspects of this new…
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