Finding Calm Through Spinning, Soup, and Slow Living
Have you ever felt like you were rushing through everything — trying to get it all done — and then feeling that quiet guilt creep in?
I should have done more.
I wish I had slowed down.
I meant to take better care…
You can fill in the blanks.
Today feels like a good moment for a gentle check-in.
Here on Hamilton Mountain, we’re having one of those rare, holy kinds of days — a snow day, a pajama day, a let’s-just-breathe day. The kind of day when the world outside hushes itself for a while, and the inside of your home becomes its own small sanctuary.
So I pulled my rocking chair close.
I picked up my spindle.
And I listened to what my soul needed.
1. Finding Peace with Busy Hands
When the world feels loud and heavy, my hands remember what to do.
I spin.
I knit.
I create.
Not because something has to be finished — but because something inside me needs to be steadied.
There is something deeply grounding about working with fiber. It connects me not only to other makers around the world. It also connects me to the generations before me. These were people whose hands once spun wool by candlelight. Their meals simmered on wood stoves. Their days moved at the pace of daylight and seasons.
Today I’m spinning from my Distaff Day bat — a special blend I build year after year. I save little bits of fiber from past projects in a jar. Once a year, I card them together to make something new. From that batt have come socks (some that shrank terribly!), mittens, and now a new pair of mitts currently on my needles.
Sometimes I set intentions for yarn.
Sometimes I simply choose a color that feels like joy in my hands.
Both are holy work.
2. What’s on Granny Doll’s Stove
A big pot is bubbling quietly in the kitchen. It holds a bone broth made from beef bones, onion, carrot, celery, and a splash of vinegar. It will nourish my body with warm sips today and become soup tomorrow.
I’m thinking beef barley.
Yesterday I also roasted a local chicken, so tonight’s supper will be simple and honest: leftover chicken, rice, and vegetables. When we make things good, they are good.
This is Granny-core living.
This is larder living.
This is nourishment that blesses both body and soul.
3. A New Gentle Health Journey
Some of you know that I live with type 2 diabetes. Over the past year and a half, I have been learning to care for my body. I am doing this while using a GLP-1 medication. I have been learning its rhythms, its limits, and its blessings.
I’ve recently begun creating a 14-day gentle meal plan — not a “diet,” but a sustainable, simple, grandmother-style way of eating:
- Using what we already have
- Honoring leftovers
- Eating mostly at home
- Avoiding waste
- Choosing foods that truly nourish
I’m turning it into a small booklet. It includes daily scripture, prayer, and reflection. You can adapt it, reflect on it, and make it your own.
If that sounds like something you’d love, let me know. I’d be happy to share it when it’s ready.
Still Waters
Today, Psalm 23 whispered to me:
He leads me beside still waters.
Outside, everything is frozen — snow piled high, roads quiet, the world resting under a white quilt.
Inside, my still waters look like:
- A rocking chair
- A spindle turning slowly
- Soup on the stove
- A meal plan that supports my health
- And the deep knowing that I am cared for
Still waters aren’t always rivers and streams.
Sometimes they are quiet kitchens.
Sometimes they are wool in your hands.
Sometimes they are choosing to care for your body gently and faithfully.
So for today, dear friends…
May every stitch you make,
Every inch of yarn you spin,
Every meal you prepare,
Every quiet moment you take —
Be a blessing to your body, your spirit, and those you love.
You are always welcome in my cozy corner.
Until next time,
Grannie Doll 💗
