12/19/2025
Peace on Earth
We want to take the time to wish everyone peace and to also say thank you to everyone who helped support our small craft business through purchases in person, Etsy, and for the events that allowed us to “set up shop”.
While I’m (Steve) a quiet collected person (I married social and beautiful--Kristin), those that know me know I can get a bit chatty. I’ll share a story of what peace means to me.
Growing up on the farm there were many summer days of working in the hay fields covered in sweat, dirt, grime, and often times even a little blood. My favorite time would be as the sun was setting and the and the dew point would reach the level that you could smell the moisture in the hay you were baling begin to increase (only those of you that have worked in hay fields in open cab tractors may truly know to what I referring. The best equivalent I can give to others is of a mowed yard---the change in smell of the cut grass from the heat of the day to the evening). If you baled the hay damp, it would spoil. The setting sun and damp smell of the hay fields were the sign that the work day was done. After taking a shower to wash all the work grime off and eating supper, occasionally there would be enough of the dusk light to sit out on the front porch and listen to the cicadas sing. And then I’d retire to bed with the windows open (yup, no AC growing up, but honestly isn’t as hot out in the country with a breeze as it is in town) and often times listen to the coyotes serenade. To me this was the "clear cut" sign it was time to sit back, relax, and rest.
Fast forward a few years, I got used to town living and life never “going to sleep”. For our first wedding anniversary I took Kristin to the small quaint town of Lindsborg, KS. Multiple years of Kansas history in school gave anticipation for it to be a big destination spot. (It is a beautiful little town full of culture and Dala horses.) Our first night there as we were checking out the night life (this was early evening, what I would consider supper time), we were greeted with mostly closed signs. In fact, all we found was a coffee shop that was just about to close. We were able to order a couple cups as they were closing and sat out in their patio area in front of their store as they too turned their sign to “closed”. While it may seem inconvenient that everything closed early, it brought back that sense of the day being done. Time to sit back, rest, and relax. A sense of peace. After all, peace begins within ourselves.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
---S & K Gray--
