Winter Solstice

We've arrived!  Today is the shortest day of the year for us in the Northern Hemisphere.  

It's the turning point - from here on out, the days get longer.  Right now our world is mostly black and white... a wintry monochromatic backdrop for cold, quiet days.

Our current snow situation makes this all the more so. 

Many of us are living in the narrow lanes between snow banks... each lane leading to a necessary part of daily living.

All of the birds are locked in their yards for the time being.  

Their grassy spaces are under a foot of snow, so there's no point to being out of their yard.  And with all of the small, wild animals safely nestled in burrows beneath the snow, our birds are more likely to fall victim to predators during this time when food supplies are scarce.  

They don't seem to mind... preferring the warmth and dry footing of their henhouses to the snowy path in their yard.  Like us, they don't mind staying home...'cause there's really no where to go!

The horses have had full access to the front pasture... not for the purpose of eating, but more for the exercise.  They plow through the snow with no difficulty.

The donkey girls, however, want no part in snow exploration.  They only move along the paths that have been shoveled for them, like the true divas they are.

It's hard to navigate off the path in snow that reaches our knees.  So, with high boots, warm socks and many layers, we trudge our way across layers of packed snow with a little ice to take care of all of our critters.  Farm work takes a little more time when there is so much snow around.  

Still, I don't mind the change in conditions.  The countryside is beautiful in the snow.... an austere, monochromatic beauty that is sharply contrast to the colorful, blooming world we had just a few short months ago.  There is a time for everything, and right now our world needs to rest and recharge.  The melting snow will help to replenish our water table and make way for a spring that explodes into life.

The seasons are the warp and weft of this woven fabric of life... making the perfect canvas for us to add the stitches that make up the tapestry of our days. 

 Our weekend was filled with a few last-minute Christmas tasks.  I made homemade marshmallows, granola,

 peppermint bark, 

and biscotti.   

We did a major closet clean-out and reorganization.   We visited with our Colorado and North Carolina family via FaceTime on Saturday - the day which would have been our annual family Christmas party, if it weren't for Covid.  Months ago, we re-set our expectations for this holiday season.  And although it won't look like any other, we will enjoy it none-the-less.  It is enough to know that all of our immediate family has remained safe and well this year.  We are very lucky.