Sleeping in Spare Oom last night, to be nearer the fire's warmth, I woke about 3am to a strange light. Through my open door (to let the warmth wander in more easily) I could see the basement light shining. The girls were sleeping down there, because that's the warmest place in the house right now, right in front of the woodstove. Knowing they were fine, I rolled over to resume sleep. But what to my wondering ears should appear but the strangest middle of the night noise...sleepy brain took a minute to recognize it... it was the sound of paper ripping.
Repeatedly.
Long strips of paper.
I waited. Silence would come soon and I would sleep.
Then Ka-THUNK!! Long pause.....Ka-THUNK!!...
WHAT?? Sleepy brain is waking up fast now!
THUNK!!
...pause...
THUNK!!
Now I have to go check it out. I have no idea what could be making such a racket. Creeping out of bed to head down the stairs, I find the girls up in the middle of the night. One has the ax held high and then down it comes...THUNK!!... They are splitting wood to stoke the fire!! Splitting wood at 3 am! Do you HEAR this??
THUNK!!
I am sure Pa Ingalls never did it this way.
He slept at night and stoked the fire in the morning.
Our furnace quit, and we've been keeping the woodstove going during the days to take the chill off. The basement stays about 80 degrees, the main level about 63 and the upstairs, where the bedrooms are, is about 52. This is something of an accomplishment when the outdoor temp is only in the twenties.
We adapt. We wear layers. We let the sun shine in when we can. We bake more. But no matter what we do, it gets cold at night. It's 14 degrees outside right now, and it gets below 60 in the living room as the fire dies. We don't sleep in those 52 degree bedrooms; we find warmer places in the house to hunker down with our heated rice packs. If Laura Ingalls can do this, so can we!
The girls who were sleeping in front of the fire last night woke up when the fire got cold. So they got up, split a few logs, ripped up some kindling, stoked the fire, then went back to sleep. I just pull the blankets up and snuggle in deeper. They impress me with their strength and determination.
I think we might be sleeping light, all of us, in the cold, because we all feel tired during the day. We aren't getting a lot done these days, either. Keeping the fire going and finding ways to stay warm takes enough time and attention that other things, I'm afraid, get left for later. Apparently, a modicum of comfort does increase efficiency.
The new furnace is scheduled to be installed Thursday and Friday of this week. We should be warm by the weekend, and I think we will all be more appreciative of warmth when we get it back.
Showing posts with label cold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Dirty Snow
The snow is old and dirty. We need a new layer to freshen things up. Old snow gets black around the edges where the dirt from the road gets kicked up onto it. It looks like the end of winter when snows come less often and winter looks bleak and worn out. It's misleading. This is January. Mid-winter. This is the month when blizzards come and rescue us from the world and its schedules. It's the time for firesides and cocoa and family, hot soup and coziness. It's not time for dirty snow melting into mud and making us wish for warmth. Not yet.
I want some fresh snow. Winter needs a good cleaning.
I want some fresh snow. Winter needs a good cleaning.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
At the beach
There is a unique beauty in the winter beach, as in the winter woods. I love the woods in winter. The deep woods in January is silent and still. It's peaceful and walking there clears the mind. I very much wanted to go see the woods this January, but we were all feeling dragged down and didn't make it.
The beach is another story. The last time we went to the big lake in winter, we were impressed with the thickness of the ice, which reached several feet out into the water. The waves splashed impatiently against it, and I warned the children against walking onto the ice too far, so they wouldn't break through and get soaked. Last Saturday we went to the beach again. The sand was getting squishy as the sun came out and the temperature began to warm up a little bit.
This winter has been unusually cold for an unusually long string of days, and the lake showed it! I have never seen so much ice! Instead of a thick ledge three feet or so into the water, this year's ice reached as far as I could see, all the way out to the horizon! Daughter said she saw a thin blue line at the edge of the sky, but all I saw was ice. We couldn't tell for sure where the water's edge should be, so we walked out till the ice became flat and I told them that was far enough.
The winter woods may be silent and peaceful, but the winter beach is strong and rugged looking. I'm so glad we went.
That is a lot of ice.
The children found a crack in the ice that reminded us of a crevice in a glacier. Only small. You can see a reflection, where water shows, up there on the left... but then there is more ice past that! It's practically endless!
Here is the crevice up close.
This tall chunk of ice was melting in the sun, and little trickles of water were dripping off the side. It reminded me of the mountainside where Frodo and Sam finally found water to drink during their arduous journey. These are not Frodo and Sam though, these are two of my daughters.
This is the daughter who is not Frodo. She rescued my winter beach plans by driving us to the beach after I realized I didn't have a license. ( I dropped it somewhere and have to get a new one.)
The daughter who is not Sam has been waiting since Christmas to fly her new kite and hadn't found a wind strong enough until this day at the beach. She was delighted! After a few minutes, her older brother helped her rewind the string when they had to bring it back in. He's a good brother. We all had a great time.
The beach in winter is a must-see.
The beach is another story. The last time we went to the big lake in winter, we were impressed with the thickness of the ice, which reached several feet out into the water. The waves splashed impatiently against it, and I warned the children against walking onto the ice too far, so they wouldn't break through and get soaked. Last Saturday we went to the beach again. The sand was getting squishy as the sun came out and the temperature began to warm up a little bit.
This winter has been unusually cold for an unusually long string of days, and the lake showed it! I have never seen so much ice! Instead of a thick ledge three feet or so into the water, this year's ice reached as far as I could see, all the way out to the horizon! Daughter said she saw a thin blue line at the edge of the sky, but all I saw was ice. We couldn't tell for sure where the water's edge should be, so we walked out till the ice became flat and I told them that was far enough.
The winter woods may be silent and peaceful, but the winter beach is strong and rugged looking. I'm so glad we went.
That is a lot of ice.
The children found a crack in the ice that reminded us of a crevice in a glacier. Only small. You can see a reflection, where water shows, up there on the left... but then there is more ice past that! It's practically endless!
Here is the crevice up close.
This tall chunk of ice was melting in the sun, and little trickles of water were dripping off the side. It reminded me of the mountainside where Frodo and Sam finally found water to drink during their arduous journey. These are not Frodo and Sam though, these are two of my daughters.
This is the daughter who is not Frodo. She rescued my winter beach plans by driving us to the beach after I realized I didn't have a license. ( I dropped it somewhere and have to get a new one.)
The daughter who is not Sam has been waiting since Christmas to fly her new kite and hadn't found a wind strong enough until this day at the beach. She was delighted! After a few minutes, her older brother helped her rewind the string when they had to bring it back in. He's a good brother. We all had a great time.The beach in winter is a must-see.
Monday, January 19, 2009
winter blues/SMAES
Yeah, well, winter is starting to get to me. Not because I don't think it's beautiful. (You know I think it is.) But I get feeling like less than me. See, my brain cells run on solar power and without the sun spending its days shining on me, it is hard for me to think! They call it SADDS. I don't like that name, because one of those Ds stands for disorder, and almost everyone I talk to (north of the mason-dixon, where we have real, bone-numbing winters) is affected by this season in similar ways: depression, low energy, suppressed immune system, foggy brain, etc. So if it's universal, it's not a disorder, it's normal. Obviously.
I think a better name might be... SMAES. Yeah. Seasonal Mood And Energy Slump. Now doesn't that fit better? Let's call it that instead. It's just a slump, you'll get over it, sounds way better than a depressive disorder. That right there is enough to send you into a depression by itself!
Still, I don't like feeling depressed, not even if it's just a little bit. And so I got to thinking, either I can just give up and feel miserable for the rest of the winter, or I can at least try to do something to make it better. But what? Well, the truth is I do realize that I am always surrounded by beauty and it is my choice whether to see it or not. When my energy is low, it can be hard to find the beauty. It can be hard to choose thankfulness and joy. So that means it is going to take some extra work. But I can do it. It may be harder, but I can at least try, right? So that's what I am going to do.
I have been working on that today - being thankful, ... and what do you know, I am starting to feel better. I also have been drinking more water and increased my vita D a bit, and went to the chiro today. So, yeah, a multi-pronged approach.
So here is what I am thankful for today, some of the things that bring delight to my days. I am continuing my "Joys and Thank Yous" list from before and starting here where I left off there. (You will recognize some of these favorite things from last Wednesday's post.)
16. Home made cocoa from scratch: You put cocoa powder in a cup and stir in about an equal amount of honey till smooth. (Takes a lot of stirring.) Then add milk (cow or soy) and microwave till hot. Stir and enjoy! Wow! Amazing hot chocolate!
17. Going on a date with Husband! (-: Yeah, he's cool that way. Every Friday.
18. The cool architecture downtown, with the old buildings contrasting the new.
19. The ice skating rink downtown! What a great city!
20. Walking the sidewalks downtown and remembering walks there with my mom when I was little. Especially Mr. Peanut in the store front, and the Christmas windows with moving statues of Santa and his friends.
21. Mocha.
22. Chai, plenty spicy and sweet. So good on a cold day!
23. Taking pictures of anything that piques my interest.
24. Ice sculptures! So incredibly pretty, sparkling in the sun.
25. The warmth of candles flickering on stovetop and table, in a warm home when deep white snow blankets everything outside.
26. Loving the man I married.
27. Having children who love me.
28. Playing games together as a family.
29. Cell phones with games on them.
30. Fresh, clean water to drink. (I appreciate this much more since our pump quit, once in the dead of winter.)
31. Strong, handsome sons.
32. Beautiful daughters.
33. Having children who, as they grow, become the kind of people who I would want to choose for friends even if we weren't related.
34. Holiday times, when the children all come over with their own families and we have a full, happy house!
35. Random twinkle Christmas lights. (Really! I just love them!)
36. Gingerbread people.
37. Baking Christmas cookies with my children.
38. Going out with a daughter - for lunch, movie, shopping, whatever, and just enjoying the time together.
39. Craft nights! Getting together with some great friends who make me a better person. I am so thankful for them.
40. Blizzards - staying inside feeling safe and protected while the winds howl and the snow blows outside.
41. Snow days! Everything canceled and us here together relaxing.
42. Home made soup. Bean soup, potato soup, vegetable soup, whatever. There's something good about home made soup. (Except maybe pumpkin soup. That recipe, while saying something about my resourcefulness in using what we have on hand, did not win kudos from my fans here. Nope, not so much.)
43. Friends who love me no matter what. Wow!
44. That delicious feeling of cool, smooth sheets against my skin when I go to bed at the end of a long day, tired and so ready to rest.
45. The way the very air seems to sparkle on an extremely cold day (close to zero degrees F), but only when the sun is shining brightly and is at a low angle in the sky. (a phenomenon explained here at wonderofcreation.org.) It looks so magical, it's hard to believe, as if the air is filled with invisible glitter. Wow!
Well, that's all for now. Thankfulness rocks! If laughter is the best medicine, thankfulness is a good tonic. Remember tonics? Neither do I. But I guess they were supposed to make you healthy and strong. Mammy Yokum swore by them. Remember Mammy Yokum? OK, never mind.
(pics: Our Downtown; one of my offspring and I decorating Christmas Cookies together.)
I think a better name might be... SMAES. Yeah. Seasonal Mood And Energy Slump. Now doesn't that fit better? Let's call it that instead. It's just a slump, you'll get over it, sounds way better than a depressive disorder. That right there is enough to send you into a depression by itself!
Still, I don't like feeling depressed, not even if it's just a little bit. And so I got to thinking, either I can just give up and feel miserable for the rest of the winter, or I can at least try to do something to make it better. But what? Well, the truth is I do realize that I am always surrounded by beauty and it is my choice whether to see it or not. When my energy is low, it can be hard to find the beauty. It can be hard to choose thankfulness and joy. So that means it is going to take some extra work. But I can do it. It may be harder, but I can at least try, right? So that's what I am going to do.
I have been working on that today - being thankful, ... and what do you know, I am starting to feel better. I also have been drinking more water and increased my vita D a bit, and went to the chiro today. So, yeah, a multi-pronged approach.
So here is what I am thankful for today, some of the things that bring delight to my days. I am continuing my "Joys and Thank Yous" list from before and starting here where I left off there. (You will recognize some of these favorite things from last Wednesday's post.)
16. Home made cocoa from scratch: You put cocoa powder in a cup and stir in about an equal amount of honey till smooth. (Takes a lot of stirring.) Then add milk (cow or soy) and microwave till hot. Stir and enjoy! Wow! Amazing hot chocolate!
17. Going on a date with Husband! (-: Yeah, he's cool that way. Every Friday.
18. The cool architecture downtown, with the old buildings contrasting the new.
19. The ice skating rink downtown! What a great city!
20. Walking the sidewalks downtown and remembering walks there with my mom when I was little. Especially Mr. Peanut in the store front, and the Christmas windows with moving statues of Santa and his friends.
21. Mocha.
22. Chai, plenty spicy and sweet. So good on a cold day!
23. Taking pictures of anything that piques my interest.
24. Ice sculptures! So incredibly pretty, sparkling in the sun.
25. The warmth of candles flickering on stovetop and table, in a warm home when deep white snow blankets everything outside.
26. Loving the man I married.
27. Having children who love me.
28. Playing games together as a family.
29. Cell phones with games on them.
30. Fresh, clean water to drink. (I appreciate this much more since our pump quit, once in the dead of winter.)
31. Strong, handsome sons.
32. Beautiful daughters.
33. Having children who, as they grow, become the kind of people who I would want to choose for friends even if we weren't related.
34. Holiday times, when the children all come over with their own families and we have a full, happy house!
35. Random twinkle Christmas lights. (Really! I just love them!)
36. Gingerbread people.
37. Baking Christmas cookies with my children.
38. Going out with a daughter - for lunch, movie, shopping, whatever, and just enjoying the time together.
39. Craft nights! Getting together with some great friends who make me a better person. I am so thankful for them.
40. Blizzards - staying inside feeling safe and protected while the winds howl and the snow blows outside.
41. Snow days! Everything canceled and us here together relaxing.
42. Home made soup. Bean soup, potato soup, vegetable soup, whatever. There's something good about home made soup. (Except maybe pumpkin soup. That recipe, while saying something about my resourcefulness in using what we have on hand, did not win kudos from my fans here. Nope, not so much.)
43. Friends who love me no matter what. Wow!
44. That delicious feeling of cool, smooth sheets against my skin when I go to bed at the end of a long day, tired and so ready to rest.
45. The way the very air seems to sparkle on an extremely cold day (close to zero degrees F), but only when the sun is shining brightly and is at a low angle in the sky. (a phenomenon explained here at wonderofcreation.org.) It looks so magical, it's hard to believe, as if the air is filled with invisible glitter. Wow!
Well, that's all for now. Thankfulness rocks! If laughter is the best medicine, thankfulness is a good tonic. Remember tonics? Neither do I. But I guess they were supposed to make you healthy and strong. Mammy Yokum swore by them. Remember Mammy Yokum? OK, never mind.
(pics: Our Downtown; one of my offspring and I decorating Christmas Cookies together.)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Cold!
Today we planned to go ice skating again, after the great fun we had last week. But when we got downtown, the rink was covered in snow and a sign told us we weren't allowed to skate! I guess those who decide such things felt the the record-breaking cold temperatures warranted the closing of the ice rink! Too cold to ice skate? I guess so. Well, I had been warned. When I told friends I planned to go today they informed me of the weather forecast and suggested I might want to go next week instead. Wise friends.
But we did have a good time. Something about getting out in the fresh air, in different surroundings... just feels good. And we did see some ice sculptures that sparkled in the cold air. Pretty!
I told the children who were with me (One son, one daughter this time) that even though we didn't do any skating today, I thought we needed hot chocolate anyway. We did, after all, walk out in the cold. Besides, I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I was hungry. So we got a hot dog for me across the street from the rink, in a place so warm and moist that my camera (and our glasses) fogged up and took forever to clear. Once we warmed up, we went to my friend's coffee place a block down, and got some of his made from scratch hot chocolate with a dash of cayenne. That warmed us up. Another friend stopped in while we were there who I hadn't seen in months! It was great to see her and do some catching up! And I met a photographer there who gave me some helpful tips about my little camera. Very nice!
So we had a good time, us three. When we got home, I needed to fix a supper that warmed and filled us without taking too much of my time or energy to prepare. Lentils! Oh, we had the best supper! Hot lentil soup - simple, quick, hot, economical, and deliciously filling - with slices of whole grain bread spread with real butter! We ate this while watching a movie in front of the fire. What a good evening together!
I sent some of the lentil soup to work with Husband this evening. I hope it fills him there again, and I hope he stays safe on the slippery roads. The strong cold makes the roads much slipperier than they appear. (Is "slipperier" a word? "much more slippery"? You know what I mean.) There were a lot of cars sliding into the median on the expressways today, and even the roads around town were slicker than you'd expect.
Tonight the temperatures are predicted to be below zero, with "dangerous" wind chills. The furnace in the house here is having a hard time keeping up with the need for heat, and the temperature in the house right now is 66 degrees. (Outside is minus 7.) This morning the indoor temperature was 60 degrees. I have been wishing all day for more firewood. We have only enough to last tonight and maybe to start a fire tomorrow, but not enough to last several days through this cold snap, let alone through the rest of the winter. We're using the auxiliary heat strip on the heat pump to keep the house warm. It uses a lot of electricity and we don't like to use it except on the coldest days. It's kind of expensive. But we have it when we do need it, and that's good. I just love the feel of a wood fire heating up the house and am wishing, that's all.
So anyway, we had a really nice day, not ice skating, drinking cocoa with pepper, meeting old and new friends, and being together as a family with warm, wholesome food.
Sigh... good day. Now it's time to close it and rest under warm blankets.
Hope your day is good as well.
(pics: ice sculptures downtown with flowers frozen in them; Son and Daughter sipping their hot chocolate; friend Josh at his coffee house; lentil soup with onions; bread; snow-covered turnaround on one of our slippery roads today)
But we did have a good time. Something about getting out in the fresh air, in different surroundings... just feels good. And we did see some ice sculptures that sparkled in the cold air. Pretty!
I told the children who were with me (One son, one daughter this time) that even though we didn't do any skating today, I thought we needed hot chocolate anyway. We did, after all, walk out in the cold. Besides, I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I was hungry. So we got a hot dog for me across the street from the rink, in a place so warm and moist that my camera (and our glasses) fogged up and took forever to clear. Once we warmed up, we went to my friend's coffee place a block down, and got some of his made from scratch hot chocolate with a dash of cayenne. That warmed us up. Another friend stopped in while we were there who I hadn't seen in months! It was great to see her and do some catching up! And I met a photographer there who gave me some helpful tips about my little camera. Very nice!
So we had a good time, us three. When we got home, I needed to fix a supper that warmed and filled us without taking too much of my time or energy to prepare. Lentils! Oh, we had the best supper! Hot lentil soup - simple, quick, hot, economical, and deliciously filling - with slices of whole grain bread spread with real butter! We ate this while watching a movie in front of the fire. What a good evening together!
I sent some of the lentil soup to work with Husband this evening. I hope it fills him there again, and I hope he stays safe on the slippery roads. The strong cold makes the roads much slipperier than they appear. (Is "slipperier" a word? "much more slippery"? You know what I mean.) There were a lot of cars sliding into the median on the expressways today, and even the roads around town were slicker than you'd expect.
Tonight the temperatures are predicted to be below zero, with "dangerous" wind chills. The furnace in the house here is having a hard time keeping up with the need for heat, and the temperature in the house right now is 66 degrees. (Outside is minus 7.) This morning the indoor temperature was 60 degrees. I have been wishing all day for more firewood. We have only enough to last tonight and maybe to start a fire tomorrow, but not enough to last several days through this cold snap, let alone through the rest of the winter. We're using the auxiliary heat strip on the heat pump to keep the house warm. It uses a lot of electricity and we don't like to use it except on the coldest days. It's kind of expensive. But we have it when we do need it, and that's good. I just love the feel of a wood fire heating up the house and am wishing, that's all.
So anyway, we had a really nice day, not ice skating, drinking cocoa with pepper, meeting old and new friends, and being together as a family with warm, wholesome food.
Sigh... good day. Now it's time to close it and rest under warm blankets.
Hope your day is good as well.
(pics: ice sculptures downtown with flowers frozen in them; Son and Daughter sipping their hot chocolate; friend Josh at his coffee house; lentil soup with onions; bread; snow-covered turnaround on one of our slippery roads today)
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