I knew my life had changed when I asked for a pocket knife.  Not even when I lived in seedy apartments in west Denver with its cacophony of gunshots each night did I desire a pocket knife.  The past two houses/gardens I just carried a kitchen knife around to open bags of soil, finding lost knives in the garden several months later.  And here at this mini-farm there is likely a kitchen knife in the garden somewhere.  But, when it seemed that the kitchen knife wasn’t cutting it (haha…cutting it!), I decided to ask for a pocket knife for Christmas.  But this is still me, people, so I couldn’t just ask for a utilitarian pocket knife, something that makes sense, or has lots of tools on it.  No, I wanted a turquoise pocket knife, small enough to fit in my apron pocket, with knives and a corkscrew (for impromptu bottles of wine I might come across in the orchard!).

Doug went on a wild goose chase looking for it for Christmas and I was ever so pleased to find it in my stocking. (I was a fairly good girl; I still get a stocking!)  A beautiful, hand made knife with inlaid turquoise, two blades, no corkscrew.  Oh well, I’ll just have to plan outings better and bring one along.  But the knife is truly beautiful.  Farmgirl ready.

I use it to cut the thick twine off of bales of hay, open twenty-five pound bags of organic chicken feed with dancing chickens at my feet, stems off of flowers that Doug brings me, impossible to open bags of whatever, and potting soil.  In the summer I cannot wait to cut a tomato off the vine, slice it with my turquoise pocket knife, savor its sweetness.  Perhaps we will have apples this year.  I can slice them on the spot and put the farmgirl knife back in its safe spot, my apron.

Things I want to “cut” out: Never ending to-do lists, worrying when I should be enjoying the present, hysteria over the kids growing up, and thinking like an adult.

My goals: See things as a child would, play and sing and be silly, and enjoy the people around me.  Spring is coming; time to cut out the winter blues!