FreeBee and The Cows are sleeping together. More on this later.
First – here is the funniest thing that happened this weekend! I am putting this right at the top because we need a laugh!
Here is the writing from the weekend.
I feel totally confident with the week-day TKG Take Ten, I think these short videos are just where I want them to be, different, restful, experimental and well viewed. But I still think I am finding my feet with the Sunday Farmy newsletter. It needs more freshness and value. And I think it is too long. Though I started it so I could write long. A conundrum.
What do you think?
And sometimes I find it so hard to write about one thing when another is lodged in my brain. Maybe I need more discipline as a writer. But sometimes something on the news makes me so mad. And, as an immigrant, immigration is a subject I feel the need to speak about sometimes. These are real people. So I broke my own rule and went political. I feel much better though. Sometimes a person needs to make a stand, however tiny one’s voice is.
Travel
I have started packing for my next travels. I do not leave for a couple of weeks yet but I am so excited about going up to Canada (first) that I can’t help but begin throwing things at my suitcase. And my challenge (to myself) this year is to only take a carry on and a handbag. So I am forcing myself to go back to packing lightly.
What is your favorite packing lightly tip?
My favorite tip is: pack either lights or darks. Then you can wash your clothes all together. But I almost always wear black, grey and white. And am always left with a white item of clothing loitering about waiting to be washed with its fellows so – yeah- nah – I almost never follow this tip. But my next favorite tip is take a laundry bag. I always do this and it makes my life so much easier.
It is true that only having one bag makes travel a teensiest bit more E-Friendly (though that is like not eating the top layer of bun on your hamburger so you can call it healthy) and direct flights save on gas. But in the end I cannot justify travel so I pay the carbon co-pay in trees.
See how I wander all over the place? I can’t write about just one thing.
Here is Tima again – in case you needed to laugh twice.
FreeBee and the Cows
Now that Jude has settled in his own backyard, (and on a diet) I opened the gates so the cows could come into the pig paddock with FreeBee and clean up some of that standing hay in there. FreeBee does not mind visitors and never goes far so I don’t see him going back the other way.
FreeBee has taken it in stride. And is kindly sharing his vegetables.
And his bed.
Here is a poem for you. I have been worrying a lot lately. Worrying at my boundaries like an anxious pup. Worrying at words. Worrying at hate speech.
I Worried by Mary Oliver.
And Sang. I need to sing more!
Good morning!
I love this poem. I am working on stopping worrying. Banishing the chatter in my head so I can sleep better.
Have a lovely day. Sun is out! and we are back into the unseasonable warmth. (High of 75f today with thunder-storms. Luckily TonTon he can not hear the thunder anymore) but I intend to enjoy the warm just in case this means an unreasonably hot summer is on the way.
Talk soon and Take care.
Remember to tell me your favorite traveling tip. I travel a lot but am always happy to learn more stuff!
Do you use packing cubes?
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
19 responses to “I put the cows in with the hog, then this happened”
I have been travelling lighter lately too. Since I almost always stay with friends or family, I can always borrow things (Like a white top if need be or a coat). On one trip I had set up a number of school/library/bookstore presentations around BC and Alberta. I simply borrowed a scarf from whoever I was staying with and it looked like I was wearing a different outfit on every visit. Books used to take a lot of room but now I read on my tablet when travelling. I also have a very big purse for travel which I can cram a lot into. I pack a small squishable one for carrying while there. I’m learning. Love, love the video of Tima and that Mary Oliver quote is perfect! Thanks. xo
ROFL – Tima is so funny and dear FreeBee has foud some gentle friends!
I used to have a friend who vacuum packed all his clothes …he got more in his suitcase, but they did come out wrinkled.
I packed light, once. I ended up having to buy stuff, so I don’t recommend it. I need options and I never know what I’m going to want to wear!
Thanks for the outrageously funny clip to start the day.
Thanks for the morning giggles. So welcomed – like the poem.
You should write as it flows – writing is an art. Sometimes it seems as there’s no way you can take control nd shape it.
Besides your writing is like sitting in person on the porch and talking with you. Nice in such a world.
Smile on!
I love that it feels like sitting together over a cuppa. That is exactly how I feel too!
I was reading Substack last night, appreciating your words, then watched Tima and had a good roaring laugh about that pig trying to explain herself!
Please write for yourself, say what you need and want to say in the way that feels right and important.
I fly to Colorado a few times per year to visit my girls. I have left bathroom things at both their houses. Those were the things that always seemed to take up too much room in the case. Plus if I needed to I could do laundry while there so I don’t need lots of stuff. Now if I was going somewhere else…I have a hard time not packing my entire closet 😉 I am one of those “better take it all just in case” persons!
I have little boxes of lotions and potions at different houses in different countries too! Great idea.
My husband travels really light and so l generally use a hold case for myself and he carries it, perfect. I have watched the Tima tin video loads of times and still chuckle away. Life seems much improved for Freebee and who knows Jude might be less grumpy now!You always write from your heart and we all appreciate it. It is important you write for yourself as well us us😊
Thank you Andy! I do think Jude is a little less frenzied now that he is not keeping FB in line all the time. And it is a good opportunity to take control of his weight again. All that food thievery was not helping.
Tima is a very clever girl for knowing to come to you for help! Packing cubes just take up more space so I don’t use them. I travel very light these days since I discovered that no one really notices or remembers what you wore but they pay attention to what you ARE. So be your best self and wear and write as you want! We will be here.
My only problem is I need to have enough gardening clothes which get filthy each day – so I literally have a packing cube labeled Gardening clothes!!
I love Mary Oliver. Lots of worries here too–both the personal and the political. I always have a theme when I travel: either blue or black and everything I take has to coordinate. Easier to pack for a warm place though. When my older daughter lived in L.A. I would mostly take a backpack for a long weekend. Canada is a different story.
It’s definitely easier to pack light during the summer, Canada will be cold. Maybe you could exchange your white shirt for a light grey one? Tima coming to you for help in very sweet, poor pig. And I am glad Free Bee has company.
Loved this laugh at the beginning! I’d say to be like the pig, not to worry if you wake up with cows or if you get a can stuck on your snout, just embrace it. No more worries
Substack Sunday writing, especially the latest… wonderfully authentic and engaging imo exactly what’s needed right now… indeed these are worrying times on so many levels which makes that Mary Oliver poem so relevant it helps to provide the respite of pause before I carry on worrying.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about immigration.
We are good at packing light for trips. We had 18 days in Patagonia in December and each had a carry-on suitcase and a backpack.
I take nothing light-coloured. Dry shampoo. Two thin sweaters instead of one bulky one. I pack a couple of furoshiki (those gorgeous Japanese gift-wrapping cloths), as they are so versatile: plane napkins to catch everything, emergency gifts, impromptu laundry sack, pillowcase in the event of dubious pillows… you get the idea. If they’re swanky enough, you can use them as a scarf to dress up an otherwise dull day outfit into something dressy if you have to go out
lol. If my pig interpretation is correct that sounds very much like “Help, help, help; help, help, help; help?