John looked at this picture over my shoulder last night and said, you are not showing them that dreary photo are you? 
I said, when it is dreary the blog shows dreary.
He is appalled.
But if we don’t see the dreary side how can we possibly appreciate the sparkling side.
I think there is a lot of dreary ahead. 
Things run in peaks and valleys, we are all constantly evolving – this is right and proper. The peaks may be few but the slide down to the valleys and the slog back up to the peaks again are the meat and potatoes of life. The ordinary stuff. I feel mired in the dreariest of ordinary stuff lately. I feel that the blog also has reached a plateau, it is just ticking over. Nothing new.
Yesterday I spluttered through my day; I could not find my rhythm. Faltering. The cold wind sandblasted my face until my cheeks were as rosy as that caricature of a Dutch girl. It was not too cold, my hands and feet did not hurt or anything so I could still work a day outside, but it blew and blew and snow blew with it, not landing anywhere just blowing past. I felt a white noise annoyance with everything. Out of kilter. Boo was limping again. Tane was not good. I carried buckets and buckets of warm water. The barn smelt wrong. Lady did not milk out properly. A window fell into the barn with the wind and smashed. My head ached. 
If I had a television I would have laid on the couch and watched it. So instead I went about the barn plugging the last of the holes with straw, the piglets following me about, chewing on my boots and shredding the hem of the clown suit. This is an old barn, made with old untreated timber there are a lot of holes. The mindless work kept me out of trouble and out of the wind.
Some days are dreary, some days sparkle. Some days I stream through the day like a well oiled machine. other days I lurch from one thing to the next and everything feels wrong. And I cannot think of one decent thing to write.
Not all days are good days. 
Today I get a second chance. Even the weather is almost exactly the same as yesterday. Same high, same low, same clouds. But less wind.
I hope you and I BOTH can find loveliness today.
Love celi
Oh and thank you for the other day and all the movies. I will make them into a list and I bet there will be some that all of us have not seen! And then we will find one to watch on Christmas afternoon in the mountains. Thank you. You came to my rescue again. c
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “Oh No – Not Dreary!”
Movies! I can tell I’m falling behind in my reading. Maybe I can catch up this weekend! Happy weekend to all!
Movies are good in the winter.. c
The weather at this time of year never helps, but it’s soon forgotten when the sun starts to shine and the wind drops.
We are looking forward to checking all the films that were recommended to you, some classics and some new.
Yes – I do too – can you get movies way out there? or do you buy them?
The Internet plays a big part in stocking our movie library 🙂
[J+D] We agree with you Celi! Dreary is and dreary does! Cheery does as cheery is!
Lovely! c
John would be right if it were an advertising campaign for the farmy, but on a blog about daily life it’s reality. I hope today is better 🙂
Yes, today was better.. c
Phew!
As the shirt says – Better to lurch forward . . . less wind will make it feel warmer so I am good with that!
Good to remember that too! c
I love your posts, look forward to them every morning with my coffee. I don’t see dreary in the photo, just a wintry day on a midwestern farm. Growing up in the midwest, it looks like home to me. Some days I am busy all day and feel like I accomplished so so much and on other days I wonder where I spent my time? Heres to a better day today!
I love that you are from the midwest – probably you can teach me a thing or two!! c
As you rightly said, to fully appreciate the highs we need to experience the lows. So is life and as long as we strive to have as many highs as possible, we are doing well. Have a great weekend.
I hope you have a good weekend too Nadia! c
Dreary days beat horrible awful days. Good days/bad days, c’est la vie!
True that! c
I realize what a special place this is to come because it is the reality of your life and we (the Fellowship) all accept and respect it. Even if some have never lived rural life or a working farm scenario, you help us see the real every day life. We respect that way of life. And we understand that in life there are ups and downs and know that without the experience of either or both, we couldn’t appreciate the whole. I love reading it all. I relate to it all. And I love the way you express yourself. I see and feel where you are – even without the photos!
Well said. I heartily agree!
I love writing it too, my day is strangely incomplete when I don’t get to hang out with The Fellowship.. c
I can only speak for myself, but I think secretly everyone else will agree with me. Your posts are NEVER DULL AND DREARY, NEVER. What we read about is your life on your farm, and so there are up and down days when not everything goes right..and other days when everything is wrong. But we read , we digest and we post out comments.
Maybe you do not comprehend just how many people look forward to seeing your post drop in to the letter box. .It makes my day! I don,t like reading bad news. I dont like it when the chooks go to the abbatoire, or the piggies, or the heffers are sold..but this is what farming is all about. I don,t like it when Boo is not totally able to do his job..but that is life…its the way things happen and none of us can ever be certain about the future…but one thing I will say again..you are NEVER DULL OR DREARY…oh and one other thing…..we all love you dearly
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2016 at 1:56 PM
oh and I have not received my Lurchy T shirt…..
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2016 at 1:56 PM
Did you get in touch with the company that makes them – that side of it has nothing to do with me you see.. c
Some days are just ‘eh. My day yesterday was what I call a Pinball day – and I was the ball. I was batted over to this problem, then that problem, and then again to another problem. Everything I touched was a problematic and I couldn’t fix any of them unassisted. Of the 12 issues – we still have 2 to resolve today. But – hey – in IT – these are job security. I just would like less of them all at one time!
Maybe we both need a short trip….
As a fellow IT person – I agree wholeheartedly!
PINBALL day! Perfect description! c
The wind just beats you to death this time of the year. It’s amazing how hard it is on people…and animals…and how much nicer your animals have it than many, even when you feel like you are just slogging through. Big differences.
I hope so – it is going to get awfully cold – I am feeding these little pigs as hard as I can to get a layer of fat on them.. c
Never thought of the Farmy as dreary, never. Sitting here sweating in 34C degree heat your cool snowy pictures are wonderful. Laura
You are warm!! c
It makes you more human when sharing the less sunny side, and by that I mean more interesting for your fellow humans to read about. Like you said, how would we appreciate the sunny sparkling days, if we never had the dreary ones ? Thank you for a great post!
You are most welcome Maria! Have a great weekend.. c