Feather your Nest Friday, 30th October, 2026.
It is the last day of October! I can hardly believe it! Christmas season is almost here!
Today was the warmest day of Spring so far. It is windy and a change is blowing in. If this brings rain it will be so helpful. This week I planted my pumpkin beds with seeds I saved all year. Also I planted some sunflowers. Warmth and rain would be great.
My cook up this week was spaghetti sauce. I turned some of it into a huge pasta bake for Chloe's family and froze a big batch to top up my freezer.
I plated up a meal for myself (which was beautiful) and two more. I froze one of them.
Because there are quite a few of us here that are widows I am going to throw in some advice. Always keep some ready made meals in the freezer. You will need them. But I would tell every household that as well. I hear people saying they can't be bothered cooking for just themselves and they can't figure out how to cook for one. I almost never cook for one. Sometimes I will have a toasted sandwich or something super simple but mainly I cook a few meals at once and if I can freeze one or two then they are meals in the "bank." The food bank! Doing this soon you only need to cook two or three times a week and also you have built up easy emergency meals. You also eat well and no junk! You also save money!
While I am on the subject.... if you are married and your husband does the budget/banking/investments etc at least know how to do all of these things. At least know passwords and where things are kept. At least know where things are! And know how to run the irrigation - generator, where the keys are kept and so on. One day someone is going to ask you where the key is to some random padlock. Trust me on this. If this seems daunting then tackle one thing at a time. A lovely friend did not know how to access internet banking, log into their account or make a payment. I nagged her until she learned to log in. Then a couple of weeks later she told me she learned to make a payment! 💅
Since then her husband died after a short illness. I want to encourage you for many reasons to work to being capable not helpless. Be informed not oblivious. Ignorance is honestly bliss at times but overall it is not wise.
If there is resistance about seeing bank accounts, web sites, web browsing, anything like this just remember people with nothing to hide don't need to hide anything!
Speaking on this subject.... there is a thing I didn't know about. Another thing that for some reason no one tells you about. You have to find out for yourself.
All my life I was never really picked on or abused. No one would have dared. I had Dad. Andy was the only boy who ever was brave enough to knock at the door of my teenage home. 😊
One time when I was about sixteen for some reason a boy was allowed to drive me home from a dance. It was about ten kilometres. This wasn't normal.... I always had to be home by 10 30 and this was the only time a boy ever drove me home. Anyway, our road was a quiet old dirt road and about half way he pulled over and stopped the car! I was terrified! I looked at him and said "if you touch me my Dad will kill you." And so the car was restarted and that was the last time I had anything to do with him.
Andy didn't find out about this until about thirty years later. He wanted to go beat him up. I said Andy... it happened decades ago I think maybe it's a bit late!
Until we moved here I still had Dad and there was no way I was ever going to have anyone really give me problems. Then I also was married. So double there was no way anyone was ever going to treat me badly.
I wandered around in this cloud of protection completely oblivious to what life would be like without it. I knew nothing else.
Now I have found out. At first I thought I was having a run of crappy things. Then just a couple of weeks ago it hit me. Actually a terrible thing hit me. My invisible shield was gone. (Now I am talking earthly invisible shield but I will get to that later.) It crept up on me but I had something happen that was so shocking I had to process it. When I had time to absorb it I realised there is no way on God's green earth anyone would treat me this way (or speak to me this way) if Dad or Andy or both were alive!.
At that moment it was like I was hit by lightening. WHO waits for you to be defenceless and then strikes? This tells you all you need to know. Once I knew this would not be happening if Dad or Andy was here I knew I was being abused. Really this was a massive dose or reality and shock.
Now the next bit. They made a big mistake. I may be a widow. I may be getting older. But God is my Heavenly Father and a host of Angels are watching out for me. I have a priest and church family that will storm heaven on my behalf. When I was confirmed I chose Joan of Arc! She was a good choice for me.
If you feel you are on your own you are not. If you are being pushed around tell someone. If you don't know how to do something ask someone to teach you. If you feel you have no value that is a straight out lie. We are living in crazy times but this does not diminish the truth that you are precious and valuable and loved.
Recently my helpers told me I should buy a shipping container. I was not convinced. But I listened. Their argument was that a shipping container is rodent proof and stuff like generators and pumps and things with cords cannot be invaded, cords chewed etc. I could see that made sense. As things work out within a couple of weeks someone had one for sale near by. So I made the boys dream come true and bought it.
I had bunches in jars of water all over the kitchen.
This is what I took today, they are in bunches in a bucket of water.
Chloe also had spare eggs and rosemary so all of this was very happily received today and it is so much fun to take things. I still have a lot of Parsley in the kitchen!
My pear trees are covered in babies. Very soon we will put nets over them. My apple tree does have tiny apples forming but I am still battling aphids. I am hoping to beat them and get a crop this year.
I went to the nursery on the way home and picked up some seedlings to quickly refill the garden beds that we emptied.
I hope it rains and I will get these all planted over the weekend.
Otherwise... I made two date loaves...
I worked on some more cards....
Then I packed them up into sets for Christmas gifts.
I have one more to finish up then I am going to change over to some cotton projects.
This week I remembered how I used to keep a list of things to be grateful for. I haven't been doing it and need to. Then I read Jenny's blog! The Gratitude Journal and Book mark. So I am beginning again as I have so much to be grateful for. Problems and worries can take us over and we forget our blessings. This is one of the best practices ever.
Another is having nice things to watch. The Homespun Wife. This is a lovely channel and here she suggests a series of other great channels.
One of them is A faithful and simple and retired life with Judy. She has really won me over and she really needs followers and watchers. This particular one is called "Be Prepared Not Afraid in Uncertain Times."
This is apt because all week it has been impossible not to notice more countries are asking citizens to be getting prepared. Well, I have been getting prepared for a decade now. And if you have ever listened to a word I've said so have you!
For anyone that doesn't know, if you go to my index I have a whole series on getting prepared including free things you can do. There are many totally free and very cheap ways to be better prepared! A wise woman builds her home!
So I think I better call it a day. If I hear rain on the roof tonight this will close October very nicely.
How did you build up your home this week? Did you add to your pantry, preserve or plant? Some of us are in Spring and some in Autumn... but we are all working in the same way in times of more expensive power/fuel/food and pretty much everything. And now we have Christmas to prepare for! Christmas can be just beautiful and way less expensive.... if we start early! xxx
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