While many are watching the groundhog’s prediction for either more winter or an early spring, here at the farm I am thinking about the original “Groundhog’s Day” — the celebration of Candlemas Day. Feb. 2 was the day to take down the Christmas decorations, have your candles blessed and observe the dedication of Jesus in the temple. There was also an old saying that judging by the way your candles burned one could tell if winter would linger or leave. Join me as I step into the past, making candles and embracing Candlemas.
It’s Christmas at Old Stone Well Farm, and this year we will be going to Sofie’s Hill to embrace this holy night and be reminded that darkness has no hold on us…our light has come!
Come and join me!
Click the link below —invite your friends, family…and consider subscribing on YouTube as this channel is growing!
Blessings!
(And if you don’t hear from me…that’s because I am still without power here in Vermont…I am working on the juice of an old generator right now, thus, this message is short and sweet, and might be filled with typos as my husband gives me the look that says “time’s up with the generator!)
Welcome to a special midweek gathering at Old Stone Well Farm, where I have finally caught up with all my chores and rested from leading a women’s retreat followed by a Sunday in the pulpit.
Now it’s time to once again breathe in all the God moments, and today I share with you how I am observing Michaelmas this October.
Yes, the feast day of St. Michael is Sept. 29, but I like the idea of being mindful all throughout this month of how God’s angels are there for us. Frights and fears might abound, but God’s goodness shines.
Come! Join me. Click on the video below. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to this growing channel — and share with others. And let me know how you might weave in some Michaelmas celebrations this month! And who perhaps have been the angels in your life who have walked alongside you in trying times?
I am entering into the Lenten wilderness today with some trepidation, sadness and joy. The world is broken. Rev, the cat, is showing signs of decline. A dear friend’s father is in critical condition having suffered a stroke. Writer’s block stresses the already-stressful deadlines on my calendar. The list goes on. Yet amid it all, I hear the birds singing. And don’t laugh, but I know spring will burst with new life soon as last night there was that pungent smell of skunk in the air! The little critters are out and about as the weather begins to warm up ever so slightly.
This Lent is beginning with a strong sense of change on the horizon. I don’t know what that change is, but I’m standing here knowing I need to put just one foot forward in complete faith in God who leads me.
So today I decided to be kind to myself — to be gentle and reevaluate my to-do list. Today I decided to begin this season with a new Lent tradition that centers my spirit and helps me to set my eyes to the hills where the psalmist proclaims our help will come. And I share it with you.
How is your Lenten journey going to begin? Pull up a chair and join me here at the farm.
An early Christmas treat. I’ve decided to share Old Stone Well Farm’s Christmas Eve’s video a day earlier, as I know December 24 and 25 can be quite busy with last-minute preparations.
I wanted to share this holy night with you, inviting you into my home and onto the snowy paths in Vermont to explore the Christmas story once again. And get a candle ready to light as we will be singing “Silent Night” in the snowy back pasture of the farm together. Old Stone Well Farm will return in 2022, as I will be taking some downtime during the Christmas season.
Till then, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I can’t thank you enough for making Old Stone Well Farm Media & Ministry what it is today.
Remember to like on YouTube, subscribe and share with those who might be blessed by a Vermont Christmas.
We continue our quest to have a holier holiday season. Today at the farm, join me for a candlelit breakfast, some thoughts about the joys of simplicity and the blessing of “my daily egg.” These midweek gatherings are my gift to you and your loved ones — a gift that reminds us all to slow down and savor the God moments all around.
What is that goodly fragrance flowing…and so goes the 17th-century French carol, “Whence is that Goodly Fragrance Flowing?”
If you are not familiar with it, then I have a treat for you here at Old Stone Well Farm. I invite you to join me at my little home built in the 1700s, the oldest house here in my Vermont village, as I make Colonial pomanders to trim the hearth and share with you the use of fragrance in Scripture and its power to hearken back to a memory and tug at your heartstrings.
So light a candle, make some tea or coffee, and allow yourself a break right now. Step back from the crazy modern world and reconnect with a simpler time here at Old Stone Well Farm, where I pray you will find rest and be renewed.
As always, thank you for joining me! Share this gift this Advent with others. A subscribe button has been added in the video, so subscribe anytime.
Happy Thanksgiving! It’s a busy day here at Old Stone Well Farm, and I invite you to come and join me as I get the fire going to make the pies in the Dutch oven, boil the Christmas pudding and melt the beeswax for more Advent candles.
And I will share with you a recent discovery about my black-and-white chicken. Hint: She is a perfect fit for living here at this 18th century home. For now, I want to take time to thank you all for your support with this ministry.
I have some plans for it in the new year, but I need your support. So share with friends and like on YouTube! And now, let’s get cooking.
Observing a Celtic Advent has become a tradition here at Old Stone Well Farm. Beginning on Nov. 15, Celtic Advent is often referred to as a “Winter Lent,” as there are 40 days which leads to the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The Celts used this time to embrace each ordinary day as holy and to ponder Christ’s arrival in the world, in our hearts and his promise to return again. So join me as we begin our Celtic Advent.
Share this new tradition with others and, if you would, please like the YouTube page and consider subscribing. I would love to start 2022 with a channel for Old Stone Well Farm.
It was rainy week here at Old Stone Well Farm, and this country pastor got caught in a downpour while out running in the woods. But a beaver who scurried into its lodge got me thinking…when in a storm, where do I find save haven? That’s when I thought back to a childhood memento that used to remind me where my safety and hope were…in the Lord.
And so, enjoy a crisp fall autumn at the homestead as I light some candles to chase away the darkness and share with you how my Shepherd has always guided me.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
accidental country pastor 