Embrace the slide

My entire “snow safety strategy” boils down to two basic principles (plus “dress warmly enough so you don’t freeze”).

As I’m driving along, repeatedly downshifting to avoid using the brakes, which could lead to sliding on the icy, snowy streets, I realize that 2nd gear is my go-to. In fact, my whole snow safety strategy really is very simple…

Second gear & “walk like a penguin”

I watched a woman picking her way alongside the road this morning and wondered why she was lifting her feet and placing them, one at a time, precisely and distinctly on the sidewalk in front of her. Then I considered that maybe it was her way of avoiding sliding at all. I wanted to yell, “Bad strategy, lady. Be careful! Embrace the slide and walk like a penguin!!” But she was already out of sight by the time I’d processed all that.

Be careful! Embrace the slide and walk like a penguin!!

It might sound counterintuitive, but it’s what penguins (and Minnesotans) do on the ice. It keeps your base of support large to minimize the chance of falling all the way down, whereas, if you lift one foot all the way off the ground and slip on the one that’s supporting you… Boom! Not good!!

That’s all, folks. Downshift to second gear to slow down, minimise the use of your brakes in the snow & walk like a penguin, just shuffle along when it’s slippery. Of course you also avoid the worst slippery spots, if possible. Unless you are a child and determined to enjoy the ice!! 🧊 ⛸️ ❄️

PS Take all my advice with a grain of salt because: real fingers were frozen for the writing of this blog post whilst supervising free ranging chickens in the snow. In my defense, I don’t have gloves that work with my touchscreen.

Stellar

Spoiler alert: Stella might not be a baby hen, after all.

He is a rooster. For sure.

Protecting his gals from the hawks lurking nearby? Or just standing in the snow trying not to freeze?

“Don’t eat rotten food!”

You know, when you put it like that, it seems pretty obvious. But I really don’t like food waste. I don’t want to contribute to it. I don’t want any cooking efforts in my house to go to waste, whether it’s my work, my hubby’s work, or the work of the kids. Maybe it’s even food we’ve grown, so there’s that effort, as well. Or we’ve paid good money for the food. Or a friend took the trouble of cooking for us. Or bought us something… As you can see, there is NOTHING about food waste that I like, with the possible exception of having an occasional treat of “people food” for our chickens, cats, or rabbit.

I can salvage halfway rotten fruit with the best of them. It’s a skill my momma taught me. She used to buy whole boxes of bananas from Bob’s Produce Ranch for $2. Yes, it was a long time ago, but you can guess as to the quality of bananas that you could get for $2 a box. We were chopping the bad parts off, peeling and freezing those bad boys to use in banana bread and what I called “fruit shakes.” (I’m pretty sure we invented smoothies!)

Anyway, there’s also been plenty of other fruit and vegetables salvaged in my home growing up and even now. So I am a food waste warrior. [Although I’m managing to keep my TooGoodToGo addiction under control for the moment, so I don’t end up with a ton of stuff we cannot use.]

“Don’t eat that. It’s rotten!“

As I reach for food in my fridge, I sometimes hear the nudge, “Don’t eat rotten food, Maija!”

“But is this rotten already? It’s relatively new.” One sip, bite, and/or sniff confirms that the voice was correct, and I’m amazed. I need to listen better. It’s so good for my health.

I realized that this is also true of spiritual food. Don’t eat the rotten stuff, the old, the recycled, the stale opinions and traditions of men.

Let your relationship with God be steeped in the current situation of your life, what God is working there. Let your joy and pain inform your worship. Listen, and you will hear the voice of God speaking to your situation, bringing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, and self-control.

Delicious 😋 gorgeous Christmas Dinner. NOT what I’m talking about being rotten. Unless it’s 2 weeks later…

Let your eating be an act of worship

Thank God for delicious food & the ability to enjoy it