Coveralls and Kitchen Psalms

a day in the life in winter

Welcome to Lady Agrarian. I’m Emma, writer and farmer, wife and homemaker. Today I’m sharing an ordinary day in January, the “Monday of the year”, some of my daily habits, and some of the ways we can mix pleasure and duty to thrive in this slower, colder season. As always, I hope you find nourishment here.

I am not naturally a disciplined person. I tend to go by feel, to do things out of order, and to let the spirit move as it will. Since setting up housekeeping with my sweet husband, however, I’ve begun to rely much more on routine — not only rely on it, but find great delight in it as well. The comfortable security of having a (mostly) standard everyday routine feels like a soft, kindly place to land after the famously tumultuous college years, which was basically the wild west era of my life. In my moments of introspection, I realize I’m finally calming down. This is itself a blessing — this state of being, at rest while moving forward, of being in love with my husband, grateful for our home, and pursuing a reliance on God’s sovereign hand at work. Thanks be to God. It feels wonderful to be rooted.

I’m still not naturally disciplined — is anyone? — but the appreciation I have for discipline and routine grows ever deeper.

The general mood of January is a mix of anticipation, patient restraint, and contented rest. In our small household, these days are as ordinary as they ever get. Eat, work, sleep, dream, go to church, watch The Office, wait for Spring.

Simple. But dull? Not a bit.

A good way to guard against lethargy is to learn to observe how the seemingly insignificant things — things like putting on the kettle for tea in the morning, walking a letter out to the mailbox, finishing the chores at sunset and turning down the bed at night — hold the days together in a sort of tight weave of colors. There are wrenches thrown in, of course, and we expect those. Some days bring wonderful excitement, some feel like plain drudgery, others find tragedy on our doorstep. But for most of us, most days are just…ordinary. And that, I think, is where a lot of beauty gets overlooked.

I thought a good way to share some of these midwinter moments would be to write out a day in our life. I’ve enjoyed reading

Tara

from Slowdown Farmstead’s day-in-the-life essays on everyday tasks and pleasures on their farm throughout the different seasons, and I’m just like the next girl in that I find great interest in the lives of others. I love to see what makes up the patchwork of their days, why they do what they do, and what it means to them.

Here is a little glimpse into what makes up the patchwork of ours. This is my loose schedule, some of the daily things we do for wellness, and ways we try to weave pleasure, movement, worship, and affection into the most ordinary of winter days. This was even a Tuesday — how much more ordinary can you get?

(Folks regularly ask me questions about my “day job”, since it’s a rather obscure one, so I thought this might also be a good opportunity to share a little about what that looks like as well.)