Oh, how I love rainy days...the sound of rain pattering on the roof makes me feel all cosy inside, especially if the fire is blazing and there is a cup of tea brewing...
And the knowledge that clean water is filling our rainwater tanks and dam as well as saving me the trouble of watering the garden a few times a day keeps me smiling as I go about my household duties.
I think living on a busy homestead means that one welcomes rainy days for a number of reasons: one being that physical outdoor work simply has to wait for a warmer, brighter day and time can be taken to accomplish other pressing tasks that seem to be neglected when the sun is shining.
Here are a few ways a country girl can enjoy a rainy day and still be productive without resorting to a movie at the cinema or going on a needless shopping excursion (and spending what you work so hard to save by being frugal on your farm) for want of something better to do...
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~ Plan your garden, write in your garden journal or sort through your seeds ~
I find that a rainy day is perfect for this important task! It means that on the next bright day, I can go straight into the garden without having to first figure out where I am going to plant what.
Also, by taking time to organise my seed box (throwing out old seeds, sorting seed packets into order of the seasons, etc.), I can make better use of fair weather.
Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee if you prefer, put some beautiful music on and start drawing a layout of your garden. Use this opportunity to check on your handy list of companion plants, good crop rotation, etc, if you are unsure of what to plant where or with what.
It pays to plan ahead... If you like, take a few moments to update your garden journal too.
Perhaps you could even print a few photographs out to look back on at the end of the growing season. You will find this to be quite an enjoyable activity and time will fly...
~ Spend time writing letters, updating your journal or writing a blog post on what your garden is producing or the happenings on your homestead, sort files on your computer ~
I believe that it is healthy to maintain a good balance in our lives, even though we live a busier (since when did country life get dubbed ''simple"?) lifestyle in many ways.
We always have to be one step ahead of the seasons which can be tiring to keep up with!
We cannot spend all our time working, but we can alter our leisure activities so that they are more purposeful and productive.
Writing a letter to a friend is a double blessing...it will bring a smile to their face as well as bring you joy. I am old-fashioned...I love handwritten letters, but an email is also wonderful. People love to hear of life on your homestead and nothing beats entertaining stories of the misadventures of Molly the cow...
Spend some time writing a blog post or two which you can schedule for those sunny days when computer work goes by the wayside. Having a blog is a wonderful way to keep track of what is happening on your farm and how your efforts have multiplied over time.
Another lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon is updating your journal...oh, how I love looking back on old entries, it usually leaves me smiling.
I am surprised by how much I forget, so taking a trip down memory lane is great fun!
I also like to organise files on my computer from time to time as well. For instance, I don't always save my images to a specific folder right away (often I have more pressing things to do), so a rainy day is great for getting to those things that seem to never get done!
~ Preserve any harvest that has come in, cook a few double meals for the freezer, bake loaves of bread for the week ~
Image Source: Pinterest
Personally, I think rainy days are divine for cooking! Why not save time for more important work such as when the garden is beckoning on the next sunny day, by planning and cooking ahead?
Make a few dishes for the freezer and not only free yourself up later, but cut down on cleaning, washing dishes, etc!
Another way to productively use a rainy day is to preserve any harvest that has come in. With the rain pouring down outside, you can't be in the garden anyway, so enjoy a leisurely day of kitchen work (why is cooking, preserving and baking called ''work"?).
We go through a big loaf of bread everyday, sometimes more and I must say, having to bake every second day or so can be irritating as you cannot just leave it to see to itself!
Thus, spending time putting a few loaves in the bread bin or in the freezer will mean more weeding time tomorrow and fewer dishes for the next week!
~ Sew a new blouse for yourself, make a gift for someone, update the curtains in the bathroom with something fresh and handmade, make new labels for jars in the pantry ~
In other words...do something lovely because you can.
Today is a great day for all those things you perhaps don't need to do, but are on your to do list for sometime in the future for when you don't have anything to do (ha!).
I find that unless I don't have anything ''better'' to do, I find it difficult to do something frivolous.
However, eventually updating the curtains in the bathroom that are beyond faded and paper thin from years of use is not exactly frivolous, it just doesn't appear at the very top of your urgent list.
And making a sweet gift for someone should be considered important too...after all, relationships count.
~ Use the opportunity to de-clutter cupboards, reorganise the kitchen/pantry ~
Image Source: Pinterest
Ah, now this is a good idea for a rainy day! Who wants to be de-cluttering messy cupboards when the sun is shining? Put some music on that is going to help you get done, not cause you to fall asleep on the job, and get sorting! I love cleaning out wardrobes, shelves and cupboards...there is a mysterious thrill in seeing how much needless ''stuff'' can be thrown out.
Rainy days can actually be a blessing. True, it may mean that the weeds become knee-high or the second crop of carrots is not planted till a week later, but it does mean that when you are hot and tired after ploughing your way through a jungle of overgrown weeds or fencing in a new chicken run at 5pm, you can smile and think, "Supper is already made...my bread for tomorrow is baked....I have planned my garden jobs for the next week or two and so and so's gift is wrapped and ready..."
You can actually enjoy your outdoor work and not have to rush.
I am a plan-ahead sort of person and this is how I like to function, but I would love to hear your ideas for how a country girl can still be productive on a rainy day and enjoy herself...
On a side note...I also gladly welcome a reprieve from work and love snuggling up with a cup of tea, a few homemade biscuits and an episode of my favourite period drama.
How about you?
Blessings,
Kelly-Anne
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