This Winter

We have had a little bit of somewhat cold weather, and have been making these suncatchers (inspired by Amanda Blake and Steven Soule's Rhythm of the Family).  I wish I were a good enough photographer to do it justice, but it is really pretty.  And, it is a good way to get ourselves outside on cold days, to collect bits of nature and then to check on the slowly freezing pie tin.  And then to see how long it lasts, hung up outside on our porch.  This one lasted a whole two days.

 Even in this strangely warm and almost totally snowless winter, I find that I am less motivated to go anywhere.  I haven't gotten the kids into the woods in several weeks.  I just want to stay at home, maybe knit, try to regain order, cook, read and play outside with the kids.  I do think that that is my rhythm, in the winter, I want to stay close to home, hole up with my family, and I miss the snow.  We live in a geographically large (population-wise, quite small) town in the mountains of North Carolina.  There is usually snow, but because it is the south, and because there are so many small, windy roads that it would be inefficient for the town to be able to cope with it, things shut down when it snows.  And, it's fun.  A big snow where we couldn't get to the grocery store (and I am a northern driver who lived in rural Utah and can drive in the snow) motivated me to start baking my own bread, which has continued on fairly (sometimes annoyingly) steadily.  And my kids are longing to make a snowman (I am afraid David might think that his snowman will come to life--he has been singing Frosty a lot) and go sledding.  And drink some hot chocolate for Pete's sake.  And while I know I should just enjoy what is, but I am struggling.

We finally burned our Christmas tree.  This turned out perfectly--we had it out in the garden for a while and the kids made a fairly hotel in it, and the good-bye to Christmas was gentle and slow.  And, full of roasted marshmellows.  And eventually, Jesse did throw the whole tree in the fire pit--wow that tree was dry and made a massive fire.