January 7, 2014

      Being that we are in the midst of an arctic freeze and then getting an email about Siberia, I wondered how people survive there.  Aren't we being a little over protective and extreme in not going out at all?  Apparently not:  they only bundle up in furs and layers to go from one place to another.  They do not hang around outside.  Well I guess that answers some of my questions.  I became curious as to why they live there.  Originally it was just a temporary place for nomadic reindeer herders.  Sounds reasonable.  Then gold was discovered so miners came up to settle there.  When the tsarist government toppled they decided to send dissidents there, very few survived.  The people that have been born there feel it is their home, so they stay.  Maybe that's why we stay here, so I can't judge.

January 6, 2014

     Today was supposed to be our first day back to school after Christmas break, but the dangerously frigid air is giving us one more day (possibly two) to kick back and relax.  It is pretty rare in this area for the school district to do this, so we really appreciate it when it happens.
     The wind blows wickedly from the southwest and whips around the corners of the house with a most formidable sound.  I can only imagine how it would sting the only part of my face that would be needed to be uncovered to see where I am going.  With each breath I would taste the coldness of winter.  Any scent of winter would be frozen before I could even identify it.

       I slip back in time to the school playground where we always went out to play King of the Mountain on the huge snowy hills that lined the edge of the parking lot.  I remember eating a homemade chocolate chip cookie out of my mittened hand and deciding that it tasted even better with the frozen air as a complement.  I loved every part of winter as a child. It now takes an effort to enjoy something that was once so effortless.   That feeling is lost so quickly as we get old enough to drive in the slippery conditions and risk our lives as we do so or fear falling instead of sliding with happiness across a patch of ice.

January 5, 2013

      Everyone is wishing away this winter weather and dreaming of spring, but we have a long season to get through yet.  Today it is supposed to drop into bitterly cold below zero temperatures.  It reminds me of my first years of teaching near Green Bay.  I had a huge winter coat and continued to walk across the bridge to school each day, even though it was 19 below.  People would stop and urge me to get in their car, but I was bundled so warmly it didn't bother me.  We even went out for recess in the huge field behind the school.  I would never dream of doing that now.  So...it is what you make it.  I live here, not in a warmer climate, so I feel the need to accept what we have and embrace the beauty of the season.  When it is still snowing and freezing in April, then I will definitely be having a problem with the weather.

January 4, 2014

  You know you are deep into winter when the sun rises at 7:22 am.  It is to be so bitter cold here that area schools have canceled classes for Monday 3 days in advance.  This will lengthen our Christmas break by another day, so there is much reason for happiness.  I have been learning to weave which is very therapeutic, although humbling and frustrating as well.  It took forever to set up the loom and untangle the yarn once I had made a mess of it.  I thought of how when I was younger I would have already given up, and felt an ounce of pride for persevering.  I will probably have to restart for the second time, but I cut myself some slack since I don't have all the weaving tools.  Women in the pioneer days spent the winter weaving, according to Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so it is a wonderful feeling to experience a bond with the past, and hopefully have a beautiful scarf to wear before winter ends.

January 3, 2014

     The sky to the west this morning is the exact definition of 'sky blue' with just a tinge of pinkish hue.  But we pay for the beauty with a temperature that is harsh -7 Fahrenheit.  The snow from yesterday makes such a beautiful landscape it is hard to listen to people complain about it.  It covers a pretty desolate looking land at this point, so I will enjoy how it brightens up the world.  Today I venture forth into reality with the running of many errands.  I have put it off as long as I possibly could, but reality always returns, sometimes with a vengeance. This time out of time has been a beautiful, much needed gift.  I hope I can retain some of the peacefulness when school starts again on Monday.

January 2, 2104

The morning sky is gray today with no hint of a sunrise.  Another day of snow from the east.  It is a gift to be able to stay put and not venture out into the driving wind and slippery roads.  At first it was hard to fill the days during this vacation, especially when the hours loomed ahead with no schedule.  Now it will be hard to go back to a schedule on Monday.  I found a wonderful book of short stories by Victorian writers that I love: Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, even Edgar Allen Poe.  It has inspired me to read more Sherlock Holmes stories again.  I look forward to exploring other Victorian authors that were featured.

January 2014

There has been a steady fall of snow all day, slanting from the east.  Lake effect snow, they call it, and it is supposed to fall through tomorrow night.  It is so beautiful out of the back windows, covering the orchard in front of the huge gray outbuilding belonging to our neighbors. It is my favorite view in every season, but especially in winter. I have my comfortable chaise lounge and reading lamp strategically situated to enjoy the view.

     There is not an animal to be seen, but every morning there are tracks surrounding our house indicating that something has been hunting for a meal. 

      I try to enjoy the fact that I don't need to go anywhere or slide around trying to drive through the storm.  Whenever that happens snow becomes my enemy instead of the beautiful gift falling from the sky.