FARMGIRL AT HEART: Bringing coziness to the seasons and some good books to read

by Virginia Jones

As I go outdoors in the morning to do farm chores I am met with a crisp and cold wind. I notice little changes in the air; the color of the leaves as they shed their coats to bring us brilliant colors and the shade of the clouds as they glide swiftly by. It is these little changes that, if not observed, will go away too fast and then be forgotten.

Autumn is my favorite season with Spring being a second. When I am walking the dogs around the field or bringing food for the chickens and goats, I sometimes stop and look around at all the brilliant colors of the trees in our back field. I smell the scent of pine and fallen leaves underfoot and just pause to be grateful. My husband and I live on six acres which we call home. We are so grateful to have our little farm where we can experience the antics of our chickens and goats.

For some the end of Autumn brings an excitement of winter to come. They look forward to snow and all the activities that it entails. I am not a winter person, so I wish Autumn to last just a little bit longer. I am not quite ready for the leaves to fall away so quickly only to be replaced with a fresh layer of snow. Don’t misunderstand me. I love the first snow, especially at Christmas, I just wish it didn’t stay as long as it does here in Maine. I plan on getting a new perspective on that though.

With the colder weather comes the understanding that we will be shut in for a good part of the winter, unless you enjoy skiing or snowmobiling. I don’t tend to want to be outdoors when the weather drops below forty degrees. I like to be curled up on my sofa with a cozy blanket, a cup of delicious tea and a good book.

Thinking of coziness… there are many ways to bring a sense of coziness to your home. I love to light a few candles to bring a sense of calm to my home. I will put on some soft piano music while I am getting dinner ready. I drape the sofa with a few soft and cozy blankets. I stack a few books in a basket and place them on my coffee table. A simmering pot of orange slices and cinnamon sticks will bring a festive scent to your home. There are even lightbulbs that you can replace the brighter ones with to soften the lighting in your home. I love to have a pot of soup or stew simmering as well on the back of the stove.

Part of having a cozy home is to have house chores done, which isn’t always easy when you have a farm. There is always something to be done which can’t always be put off till tomorrow. When I do finally have my chores done I then like to sit in my lazy boy recliner or on my sofa and dive into a really good book; whether that be a cozy mystery, an interesting biography, or a look into days goneby.

Recently I started reading a magazine called The Cozy Issue published by Bella Grace. They have such good articles about ways to enjoy coziness. You can find this publication and more at www.stampington.com . I long for a simpler lifestyle and they have such a way of showing the reader how to achieve that goal. I usually have at least three of four books going at once. If you love to keep track of books that you read or want to keep a list of books to read you can get an app for your phone called Goodreads. You can challenge yourself and others to a goal of books read per year.

Here are some recommendations for books to read during the cooler seasons and the days when you are snowed in.

Winter’s End (Alaska Wild #4) – Paige Shelton
The Lighthouses of New England – Snow Edward Rowe
The Fellowship of the Ring – J. R. R. Tolkien
The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis
The Volstead Manor Series – Anita Higman
The Taster – V. S. Alexander

You can find many books to read during the cooler seasons of the year at your local library. Be sure to thank a librarian for all of their hard work. So steep your favorite cup of tea or cocoa, grab a cozy blanket and dive into a great read.