When Light is faint

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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It is early evening on Friday the thirteenth, at the rabbit patch.  Will and Jenny are out of town, so I am staying home for the second weekend.  There is no shortage of things to occupy my time, though I miss Lyla already.  I did get the chair from the barn, painted.  Tomorrow, I will pot a few chrysanthemums.  It will soon be cool enough to place pumpkins on the porch, without fear of them spoiling.  Today was much cooler than the past few.  The first hours were especially cool and fog was well settled over the countryside.  It made leaving the rabbit patch especially difficult.  Then, I thought, spring mornings have the same effect on me . . and so do winter mornings  when the pines are laden with ice.  

Though, it was the thirteenth on a Friday, I had a good day.  Tonight,  it feels good to have a light blanket.  It is very dark at the rabbit patch, as there isn’t a single star to wish on.  I love a quiet night.  It is a good time to sort things out.  Peace and quiet are conducive to restoration, also.  

Saturday

I did not rise as early as is my usual custom.  The morning light was faint and it could have been anytime when I awoke.  Cash and Christopher Robin were curled up together on their bed.  During the week, they are both up when I am rushing about.  They follow me from one room to another, til finally we all end up at the back door.  Cash did  stir, when I went to the closet.  When he saw the bucket of paint, he went back to his bed.

There is a mist like rain falling, but I painted a lamp post anyway, before eight o’clock.  When it dries, I will add some autumn leaves and a bow.  When the chrysanthemums are potted and on the porch, only pumpkins will be left to add to the autumn celebration.  Even the old oaks are doing their part, casting off their leaves and scattering them hither and yonder over the territory.

I came back in and poured another cup of coffee with a heaping amount of table cream.  I moved the morning table and sofa, as I am painting the den floor.  It is an old wood floor that was painted when I bought the house.  I am painting it to look a weathered gray so it is a two tone job-really three, if you count the poly shine that comes last.  It all started, because I painted the chair, and noticed then how shabby the floor looked.  When I asked Christian to help me move the furniture, his face went to that familiar look of “here we go again”.  I reassured him that one day, I would have a little cottage, that didn’t require my life spent on doing such things-and we laughed.  Looking back. I do not know what I was thinking when I bought the rabbit patch.  I was a single woman with two young sons, still at home.  I had vision, but very little skill.  I saw the beautiful territory, and never once thought about mowing it and tending to vines and weeds.  I saw the big old rambling house, and did not consider the keep up or cleaning it!  I never thought about loose tins on the barns and doors that would just fall off!  I never even thought about the boys growing up, as the rest had done, before them!

At one time, the house was full.   Brant, Tres and my grandmother lived under one roof, with Kyle, Christian and I. The barns had chickens, miniature goats and horses-and a lot of rabbits.  It was a happy season and the rabbit patch served us well, in those days.   Grandmama passed, and the oldest boys left, first one, and then the other.  I mourned the end of that season in the years that followed. Thankfully, Lyla was born and with her came a new season.   

While the floor was drying, I started a pot of soup.  I decided on spinach and potato, as Kyle is not here.  He does not like spinach.

By early afternoon, I had potted the bright yellow chrysanthemums.  As always,  I regretted not buying more, for they brought such cheer to the rabbit patch. I cleaned out more beds of  spent flowers .  There are just enough leaves in the yard to proclaim, it is autumn.  The sun never did shine brightly today, but it did not feel gloomy in the least to me.  When light is faint, it brings a feeling of calmness and serenity in the countryside.   The little lamp on the morning table was a soft glow through the window, beckoning me to come in- still I continued working, determined to make the most of my time.  I liked the coolness of the very still air.  I liked watching Christopher Robin playing with a captured leaf.  I liked knowing the territory was drowsy, and soon to have a well-deserved rest  . . .and I remembered how much I like to plant flowers.

Dear Diary, I am glad for quiet times and soft light. I am glad  for work-and I am glad for rest.  I am glad for ” a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which has been planted”.   . . But,  I am more glad for a time to plant.

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33 thoughts on “When Light is faint”

  3. The floor looks lovely. I can relate to a big house filled with family and children and all the upkeep. But it sounds like you have made beautiful memories there that your boys will cherish. I’m excited to see what the next chapter holds for you in your cottage which will surely welcome rabbits to the Patch!

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  4. When I receive each notification that you’ve made a post on your blog, I look on it as an invite to come and visit you at the Rabbit Patch, and I love the invite and the visit. Each and every time. I have get much joy here on your blog Rabbit. You more often than not cook something fabulous which I can smell, and you share with me the projects you’re working on.

    But my most favourite bit is sharing your memories. It’s like being sat with you and closing my eyes so that I can ‘see’ in my minds eye, what it is which you’re telling me about. I’m transported to that place you tell of and this makes my enjoyment of the visit SO enjoyable, as I come away with those shared memories and feel the love which is threaded through them.

    Is it any wonder that we love you Rabbit?
    The only people who don’t love you are those who haven’t ‘met’ you yet.
    Thank you Rabbit, for this post, for all the posts which have gone before, and for all the posts still yet to come.
    Sending love and buckets of Sunday Squidges ~ Cobs. xxx

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  5. You are a quick study my dear Ms.Rabbit.You have already painted the chair and now the floor…and the light post. Goodness! I too have old wood floors and they too need to be repainted. Someday…..

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  7. I just sat back, relaxed, and let your words flow through me. It was good to know about the beginnings of the present Rabbit Patch. You must have boundless energy to paint, scrub, mow, and cook and then write about it all.

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    1. I do have a lot of energy then I stop altogether for a while-HA! I do not have as much energy as I did years ago either-or maybe I got stubborn and just don’t want to work as I did. Oh where is that cottage? thank you my sweet Anne! love Michele

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      2. oh thank you for just saying “when you move . . ” Sadly, I have not heard one iota from the realtor since July and found out it was listed wrong! Oh well-praying about things and expecting all to be resolved. thank you dear! love Michele

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      3. How disappointing to find your house was not listed correctly! That’s how we found our house. We saw a for sale sign next to a house we were shown. It should have been in our cart. The owners couldn’t understand why no one had viewed it. We have the feeling God provided it for us because it wasn’t listed where it should have been. Maybe the right people will now see yours. Hope so!

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  10. Michele – I’m with Kyle. No spinach! Actually, I like it but something in it is not good for kidney stone prone ones such as me. So now I order my favorite item at Zoe’s – the spinach mushroom piadina – with no spinach (add extra mushrooms.) Still tasty, but a little weird that s.th.healthy like spinach (& kale) contribute to unhealthy things like kidney stones. 🙄🌿🍵🌿🙄

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  11. You saw the beauty, peace and serenity the Rabbit Patch had to offer and it still does. It said come make many happy memories here and you still do. It said write about the beauty, nature, and all that comes with the Rabbit Patch for others to enjoy, and we do!! I wish it didn’t come with all the upkeep and maintenance needed so you could stay there and enjoy it all forever. But you will find your sweet little cottage that is just perfect for you now. It will have rooms waiting for new memories and stories for you to tell. Plant those seeds and they will grow into what you desire. Now is the time to plant, happy planting Michele – love Deb

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