Friday Favorite: Southwest Airlines
I’ve spent my life flying here there and yonder, when you live in a different country from you family this is the way life is. Throughout the years we’ve had good and bad experiences with airlines. Five or so years ago I discovered Southwest and will pretty fly with them if I have the option. With this big winter storm they were fantastic. We had flights purchased to head back to Ohio, it so happened both legs of our journey were on days with big winter storms. They alerted us the night before encouraging us to change our tickets (for free). Which we did. Then another storm threatened our next trip, they told us to wait and we could cancel up till 10 minutes before our flight and keep the ticket amount for a future trip or reschedule again if needed.
I’ve had lots of bad experiences on flights, amazingly, none of them have been with Southwest. I’m sure they have problems and eventually I’ll have a delayed or cancelled flight with them. I’ll still keep using them because their customer service is top notch!
Do you have any favorite companies to recommend?
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Quote of the Day: Andrew Wyeth
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the garden…”
Andrew Wyeth
Of course I’m not sure how much of the garden’s structure you can see when it’s buried below 6 feet of snow, but at least you get to see it for part of the winter.
What’s your favorite season to notice structure?
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A Little Maintenance
I sew a lot in the winter, this winter has been no different. Sewing machines are like any other machine, they need periodic cleaning and maintenance. My machine gets a good vacuuming every couple months and a bit of oil.
I’ve been sewing so many zipper pouches this winter, I should have cleaned it sooner. The amount of lint buildup inside was a bit ridiculous. One of these days I need to take it in to have it properly cleaned and serviced. We’re lucky to have a guy that will pick it up at my local fabric shop and drop it back off the following week. My little machine isn’t an expensive one, but keeping it properly cleaning & maintained has made it sew like a champ for the 18 years I’ve had it.
One thing I need to get better at is keeping my garden tools properly maintained. This summer I need to build the bucket of sand with some sort of oil (maybe organic linseed or jojoba) to dip my tools into before putting them away. That’s one area I definitely need to up my game, especially before putting them away for the winter.
Do you have any tips for properly maintaining gardening tools?
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Digging Out
Sunday and Monday we had a big nor’easter hit us here in Maine. We spent a large portion of the day yesterday digging some things out, more digging will be done today. It’s hard to say how much snow we got, with the gusting winds and drifting it’s waist high in some places and only a foot in others. If I had to guess I’d say we got between 18-24″.
It’s like mother nature was procrastinating this year. We’ve gotten 3-4 feet of snow in the past week and there’s another 15 inches or so predicted for tomorrow. I am happy that there’s finally enough snow for snowshoeing, which is one of my favorite winter activities.
What’s the worst kind of weather you get in your garden?
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Quote of the Day: Shauna Niequist
“I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us, and generally I don’t even see it, because I’m too busy waiting to become whatever it is I think I am about to become. The big moments are every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting.”
-Shauna Niequiest in Cold Tangerines
I’ve been thinking about this over the past few years, settling in to notice the beauty in every day moments. Washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, fixing dinner, weeding the garden…
So often we assume that the good moments can’t coincide with chores or the mundane, when in fact, these moments can be the very thing we crave. It definitely takes a deliberate mindset to cultivate this gratitude and appreciation for the mundane. For me, slowing down to wash the dishes is one of those moments. It makes me stop and appreciate the landscape outside my window, the dishes in my cupboard, the clean water from the tap, and the food on my table.
What mundane item do you find the most beauty in?
