As with most of the country,
Winter has moved into Pennsylvania way ahead of schedule.
Frigid winter winds are blowing...
sending temperatures plummeting down to what we normally expect in January.
We are back in the season of liberal helpings of hay...
I have gathered baby kale from the garden, trying to save it from freezing...
using it in soup, salads, smoothies.
Over the past few days I have changed all of the water buckets to heated buckets,
and have winterized faucets, beehives, and my wardrobe.
UnderArmor is the uniform of the day, with warm wooly socks and sweatshirts.
(not terribly fashion-forward, but oh so comfy!)
The fireplace is roaring, helping to reduce the need for our heating system.
When we built this house, we put in a fireplace that had the ability to blow hot air.
It burns very efficiently, sending most of its warmth out into the house rather than up the chimney.
Yesterday, after vacuuming and laundry chores were complete, I sat and soaked in the warmth
of that fire. Sammy was on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Oakley on my right...
and Annie on my left beside me on the couch...
soup on the stove...
homemade rolls in the oven...
knitting in my lap...
(check out this cool Yarn Susan that I had a friend make for me...
it spins on bearings, allowing the yarn to come off the ball as needed.
No more runaway balls of yarn!)
feet propped on a tiny quilt that I made Hubbs when we first built our home...
"We take a tree, or many trees, as our own,
respecting the stories they contain and the lives they have led.
Of them we create a dwelling,
made beautiful by their presence and strength
and we live within their warm embrace in a place called home."
Joella DeVillier
(Hubbs and I have always thought of our home as a living organism...
made of wood. This quote says it so well.)
It's so cozy I even eat lunch in front of the fire...
rocket salad (arugula) with feta and strawberries.
Ahhhh....there's nothing better than this!
Winter affords us the time to relax and catch up on projects long forgotten during the busy
gardening months.
And although it is bitter cold outside at chore time,
coming back in to a roaring fire makes it tolerable.
Comments
Have you been getting the snow too?