by Krista | Jan 8, 2016 | Summer
Yesterday was a rough one. After all these years, a lawsuit has been filed against Bill Gothard, an American religious leader who abused so many for so long. Several of my friends are part of that lawsuit, and their bravery and strength brings me to tears. They’ve had to revisit such a horrendous time in their lives and they’ve done it so that no one else has to go through what they did, so that he is held accountable for at least some of the horrors he perpetrated. I admire them tremendously. They represent thousands of us, innocent kids who were harmed by this mans behavior and teachings, and the culture of abuse he and his fellow leaders created and sustained.
The news – you can read about it here and here and here – means a great deal to those of us abused by him and his co-leaders, but it also triggers memories we’ve spent decades trying to overcome. Emotional flashbacks came like waves, whipping many of us back to that time of fear and shame when we had no power and no one to help us. There were the usual tears, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, the feeling of sheer panic and being in imminent danger, but thankfully, they didn’t last. Because that was then, this is now.
And now is so much better.
Now we are free from him and his henchmen/women. He no longer has the power to harm us. He cannot touch us, cannot speak to us, cannot use others to control, manipulate, and abuse us. We are safe.
We are free to live in the light now, to embrace ideals and beliefs that reflect our good and loving hearts, to pursue healing through counseling, the real love of kind people, the help of doctors and other professionals.
And we get to build beautiful lives now, lives marked by kindness and creativity and love for ourselves and others.
We are free to make the most of this life of ours, and that’s something to smile about.
I talked with several friends after the lawsuit news broke, and it was lovely to comfort and affirm each other, grieve over the bad stuff and celebrate the good. We will always deal with the ramifications of what he did to us, but we’ll be OK. We’re strong and feisty and brave and funny and talented, and we really will be OK. We’ve got each other, we’ve got people who love us even with our crazy pasts, and we’ve got today.
Today is such a lovely word full of hope and possibility. What a gift to be able to fill it with what WE want, not what bad guys foisted upon us.
We get to love our people and show compassion to our dear wobbly selves, we get to make good food and stand outside in fresh air with growing things around us, we get to see birds flitting about and draw and sew and paint and take pictures and build stuff and plant things and read books and watch movies and listen to music and write words and dance like a crazy person.
Today is good.
Wishing you a beautiful today. xo
by Krista | Jan 7, 2016 | Summer
One of the things I love about traveling is the opportunity to discover places that showcase distinct ways of life that are totally foreign yet uniquely inspiring or informative.
When Sue and I headed out on our Southern Queensland road trip, our first stop was at such a place: The Woolshed at Jondaryan.
Jondaryan Woolshed is a heritage-listed shearing shed built in 1859 that was once the largest freehold station in Queensland. It passed through several hands, each owner or manager adding their own stamp to the property through additions of land or buildings. Soon the station boasted its own church, St. Anne’s, shearer quarters, a station store, butcher shop, hide and tallow house, and a stable and coach house.
Property owners from miles around brought their sheep to Jondaryan to be shorn. During the 1873 season, 24,000 of the sheep shorn were from other properties. It is believed that over a million sheep have been shorn at Jondaryan over the years.
In January 1946, Jondaryan ceased being station, and in 1972, following the success of celebrations held at the Jondaryan woolshed to mark the centenary of the Jondaryan State School, the owner of the property offered the woolshed and 12 acres of land to the people of Jondaryan.
In 1976 it became an open air museum and tourist attraction. Numerous buildings from the surrounding district have been moved onto the site including an 1850s blacksmith’s shop, a shepherd’s hut from Mt Moriah, the 1880s Lagoon Creek homestead, and a shepherds hut. Visitors can also see the Woodleigh Cheese factory, the Jondaryan Railway Station, a shepherd’s hut from Cecil Plains, a police lockup from Peranga, the Evanslea bagged grain shed, the Oakey Bank of New South Wales, and a railway building from Bongeen, now used as a barber’s shop.
The day Sue and I arrived at Jondaryan, the skies were filled with thick black clouds. And before we’d made it halfway through the station, we found ourselves stranded in the Woodview State School as sheets of rain turned the paths to rivers and the grass to ponds.
It was an excellent building to get stranded in for there were plenty of things to read and the displays inside were interesting. I like how the school desks have slots for the slates to slide down into. No doubt this prevented many a student from losing their slate on the way to and from school and, in the case of students like Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe, smashing their slates over each other’s heads.
My other favorite part was exploring the inside of one of the original homestead buildings. In writing the Freestone history book, I learned that early Australian settlers either built kitchens separate from their houses, or lined the cooking area with galvanized iron. Fires were lethal in this tinder dry country, just as they are now, and the early settlers learned to take precautions.
I talked about it with Bear this morning, discussing how sensible it is to build an outdoor or well-ventilated kitchen in this country that is hot so much of the year. It also makes me smile to look at the table, because we have those same tin plates with the blue rims. Excellent, non-breakable dishes for the eating and food prep we do outside.
This is just one end of the Jondaryan wool shed. It is massive!! I love the open plan and soft light, and the addition of chandeliers to fancy it up for various functions makes me happy.
It really is a unique place, full of beautifully restored buildings, informative displays, and fascinating tidbits of history.
Having grown up with my nose perpetually in one or more of the Little House on the Prairie books, it was interesting to compare the history of American pioneers with Australian settlers. Landscape and weather play such a huge role in how cultures develop, and are reflected in everything from attire and transportation to food and traditions.
And I couldn’t help but be charmed by this cheery red building bordered with flowers and greenery. It was once a police lock up in Peranga.
It was definitely worth the stop.
Next time I’ll take you to the Bunya Mountains, where the nights were cold and wallabies grazed next to my tent.
Do you have a favorite open air museum? xo
by Krista | Jan 4, 2016 | Summer
After eight days on a fantastic, road-tripping adventure through Southern Queensland with my dear friend, Sue, I am home at last. 🙂
We had a marvelous time, exploring beautiful places and gaping in wonder as we exclaimed, “I can’t believe this is REAL!” Australia truly is a magical place of staggering beauty and quirky places and delightful people. I can’t wait to tell you all about it a bit later this week.
But today, my first full day at home, it’s time to settle back in to normal life, drink copious amounts of Earl Grey tea, and chat up a storm with Bear to catch each other up on our various stories.
I’m also back to work today, scheduling writing assignments and photo shoots, arranging meetings, trying to get my vacation head back in the game.
But it’s not all work.
I arrived home to lovely rain, and today is dark and cool. Such a nice reprieve from the heat. I bottle fed Kebab, laughing at how quickly he guzzles it now that he’s bigger. I visited with my dog Luna who was outrageously excited to see me back where I belong. And I wandered my gardens checking all the plants and harvesting all sorts of good things.
Tonight we’re definitely feasting on this bounty.
While I was away I took a couple of hours each day just to read and write and think. Sometimes it was while tucked cozily in my little tent as a storm raged outside, others it was sitting on a cliff edge overlooking endless acres of gum trees while stark white cockatoos circled far below.
It was wonderful for settling and clarifying my thoughts, helping me work through things that otherwise get stuffed down in the bustle of daily life. Returning home now I feel enriched on so many levels, in experiences and encounters, as well as altering of mindsets and deepening of resolves. Mostly I feel peaceful and content, and that is a treasure.
What moments do you treasure most from your Christmas/New Year’s? xo
by Krista | Dec 26, 2015 | Summer
Christmas was simple, small, and quiet for us this year, and that’s just what we needed. We rested and napped, read books and watched way too many episodes of “Arrow”, ate good leftovers and favorite desserts, and enjoyed not having to go anywhere or do anything.
Bear surprised me with two swords of my very own, beautifully strong but light enough for my non-bloke-y self to wield. I’m excited to start practicing with him and our Blackwolf medieval friends in January.
The other pressie from Bear delighted me no end: an adventure.
As you know, travel is very important to me, one of the great delights of my life. But since moving to Australia it has moved to the back burner for a variety of reasons, among them, poor health, visa requirements, and responsibilities on our beloved but time-consuming farm.
But this weekend I get to go traveling again, on a Girls Only Aussie Road Trip with my dear friend Sue. Bear thought I might be disappointed that his gift wasn’t something I could hang onto, but I laughed and assured him that adventure was the very best thing he could give me.
I worked hard this week to get all my projects and writing assignments completed before I left, and the rest of my work I can do remotely on the road. I have stacks and lists everywhere and I’m getting so excited!!
This afternoon Sue and I are packing her van with camping gear, good food, and stacks of books, and tomorrow we drive north. We’re heading for the Bunya Mountains where we plan to relax our little hearts out, cook simply over a gas burner, hike in the bush, and sit around camp reading and chatting and snoozing. We will stop at other places along the way, ending in Biloela where we’ll spend New Year’s Eve with Sue’s good friends from England. Then we’ll mosey on back, stopping wherever takes our fancy. I cannot wait.
But this morning it’s all about getting ready to leave. There are gardens to be watered, newborn chicks to be checked on, house to tidy, food to organize, bags to pack, and a Bear to hug often to make up for a week apart.
My gardens are going beautifully and will supply Bear with tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, greens, and carrots while I’m away. On Christmas Eve my artichokes bloomed. Aren’t they stunning?!
They’re like something magical out of a fairytale or a Dr. Seuss book, and I love them.
Today we’re also finishing off the last of the plum pudding I made Bear for Christmas. Made with crumbed oats, sago pearls, and dried fruit soaked in spiced rum, it is moist and flavorful, delicious served with a generous drizzle of cold cream.
Wishing you all a relaxing holiday and beautiful New Year with people you love and who love you in return. xo
Sago Plum Pudding
4 Tbsp sago pearls
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats, blized in food processor until crumbs
1 1/2 cups dried fruit
1/2 cup spiced rum
2 eggs, whisked lightly
1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions:
- Combine sago pearls and milk and leave to soak for 1 hour.
- Combine dried fruit and spiced rum and leave to soak for 1 hour.
- Stir in baking soda until dissolved.
- Combine with remaining ingredients and stir until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour into greased pudding pot, cover with baking paper, and secure lid.
- Place in large pot, fill with boiling water to halfway up pudding pot, cover, place on medium-high heat and simmer for 3-4 hours. Make sure to check water level regularly so it doesn’t boil dry. Add more boiling water as needed.
- Carefully remove pudding from steam bath, remove lid and baking paper and loosen pudding from the pot with plastic spatula. Invert onto serving platter and decorate as you wish.
- Serve warm with cream.
by Krista | Dec 21, 2015 | Summer
I know I’m supposed to write about Christmas-y and holiday-ish things, but the truth is I haven’t been able to get to them. We have no tree up, there is no baking done, not a single present has been wrapped, and there’s no sign of our Christmas trousers that we usually hang in lieu of stockings.
And that’s OK.
Sometimes life happens (aka – glandular fever) and you have to decide what’s truly important. This year, as much as I love our fun little traditions, I have to accept that I simply don’t have the strength or energy for them.
Instead we’re making time for naps and sleeping in, watching movies from the library, reading through Harry Potter again, and, when we’re up for it, taking day trips to visit good friends and soak up the beauties of the ocean and the mountains.
Instead of our favorite holiday foods we’re keeping things simple, making the most of whatever is growing in the gardens, and treating ourselves to delicious things someone else has already made: fluffy bread rolls, dark chocolate, and plum wine.
It’s enough.
My favorite dish this week was new potatoes from my garden, boiled and tossed with parsley, butter, and sea salt.
My most exciting find in my gardens was kohlrabi. Kohlrabi was one of my favorite vegetables as a child, and my Mum grew heaps of it. We’d eat them raw cut into crudites or grated into salads.
I’ve been trying to grow kohlrabi for four years, experimenting with different seeds and varieties, switching the seedlings from garden plot to garden plot, but they just never took. All I got were lots of leaves but no kohlrabi bulbs.
Until this year. I finally found the right seed company and the seedlings flourished into strong, sturdy plants. This week was my first harvest and they were delicious.
I prepared them three different ways so we could taste test and see which way we liked best.
I roasted some until they were soft with crispy brown edges. They were scrumptious and will make an excellent addition to a roast chicken dinner.
Others I grated for a coleslaw type salad, tossed with dill weed, sliced asparagus, and a mustard vinaigrette.
The last recipe was kohlrabi soup, and that was hands down my favorite. Smooth and creamy with a hint of onion, it is true comfort in a bowl.
Today I finished up the last of my wood-burning orders before Christmas and shipped them off to new owners around the world. I loved doing the order below, a collection of children’s mixing spoons personalized for a group of little girls in California.
Whether you’re partying or resting this holiday, I wish you a beautiful, soul-nourishing time. xo
by Krista | Dec 18, 2015 | Summer
My friend T is a great guy. He’s always sending me books, books he loves, books he thinks I will love, and it’s so exciting to open a parcel from him. Once he loved a book so much he sent it to me twice by accident and we had a good laugh.
A while back he sent me “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown, and this week I finally got a chance to open it and start reading. What a treasure. I cried and grinned as I read, jotted down notes, underlined sentences, sighed and nodded at so many “me too” moments.
There are gems throughout, but the line I keep thinking about is this:
“Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.”
a place of worthiness
Not a place of strength, not a place of understanding everything, not a place of wisdom or courage or got-it-all-together-ness. A place of worthiness.
I was staggered by that. Gripped, gutted, stunned, and, as it sunk deep, deep into my soul, healed.
a place of worthiness
I find myself reciting those words as I go through my day, smiling at the instant calm they bring, silently thanking Brené for all the work she did to write them down.
It’s been interesting to think through the things that stress me out and fill me with anxiety. So many of them stem from a place of unworthiness. When I am secure in my worthiness, I don’t wrestle with shame over my weaknesses, I just give myself a hug and deal with them. I don’t worry about what others think, I just try my best. I am not stunned into silence by bullies, I calmly stand up for myself or others.
Looking back I see that it was the ability to make me doubt my worthiness that gave bullies their power, that allowed abusers to treat me shamefully, that made me afraid to love and receive love. Unworthiness breeds doubt, fear, and shame. Worthiness, on the other hand, does the opposite. It anchors confidence, gives oomph to courage, and makes love a beautiful thing.
It’s been such a healing week for me. I feel so thankful for the whole-hearted people in this world who are lights for us in our dark moments. I’m treasuring this deep peace, the inestimable comfort that comes from the assurance of worthiness.
It accompanies me as I pull weeds in my gardens and wash dishes, makes me smile as I apply for new writing jobs and bake bread while the rain falls. It compels me to randomly hug Bear and squeeze him until he laughs. It’s a good, good feeling.
Now I will slice up some lusciously ripe white peaches, finish burning some spoons to ship to America, and watch Arrow episodes with Bear.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend. xo
