Synopsis: Author Jenna Woginrich is mistress of her one-woman farm and is well known for her essays on the mud and mess, the beautiful and tragic, the grime and passion that accompany homesteading. In Cold Antler Farm, her fifth book, she draws our attention to the flow and cycle not of the calendar year, but of the ancient agricultural year: holidays, celebrations, seasonal touchstones, and astronomical events that mark sacred turning points in the seasons.
Amidst the "lost" holidays of the equinoxes, May Day, Hallowmas, and Yule, we learn the life stories of her beloved animals and crops--chicken, pig, lamb, apples, basil, tomatoes. May apple blossoms are sweet fruit for rambunctious sheep in June. And come September, the harvest draws together neighbors for cider making under the waning summer sun. The living beings she is tending fuel one another--and the community--day to day, season by season.
Quick Take: I read this book in two days, during a snowstorm, snuggled on the sofa with a fire roaring.
Jenna Woginrich is a talented writer, reading her craft challenges me to become a better writer, and I'm forever grateful to her. In addition to the amazing writing, the author shares the struggles and triumphs of owning a homestead. The daily/seasonal tasks that MUST happen can be overwhelming at times, but equally satisfying.
"I weed my garden bursting with life, I see weeding as a metaphor for
the lifelong process of winnowing out that which does not serve me,
giving space for all that feeds me and lets me flourish."
"People are drawn to the lives they want to live, at least the stubborn ones are."
Her story is anchored by an ancient calendar, a year of holiday's and celebration that I found fascinating. I'm a city gal who longs for a simple life, day dreams bring chicken coops, sheep, and the joy of growing my own vegetables. Ah... daydreams. You can see why I loved this book.
I have also decided I need a handmade broom, clearly every home needs one.
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Review Copy (Roost Books)