Friday, February 20, 2015

keeping warm (or trying to)




I complained about winter for the first time yesterday afternoon. It was beyond frigid, so cold that my toes were aching even though I had my severe-cold weather Keen boots on (that's never happened in the three years that I've had those boots.) The locks and latches on all of the animal buildings were frozen and stuck in place. The "heated" waterers for the chickens and the rabbits were frozen, requiring extra work to thaw and get into proper working order. And, my poor little Majestico (an alpaca) was so cold he was shivering, which required me to put together a make-shift coat for him out of one of Brad's old quilted flannel barn coats. (He looked quite handsome, I must say.)

But all was well in the end. And, having to be at a very early appointment with my psychiatrist at 7:00 a.m. this morning, I was greeted by a lovely -17 degrees. Brad literally laughed at me as I gathered up extra gloves and boots as I made my way out the door. "I must be prepared in case I break down or get stuck in a ditch," I told him matter-of-factually. A wise woman is always prepared. 

And of course I had to explain the following to my doctor upon weigh-in time ~ "You see, Dr. ____, vanity tempted me to wear light-weight clothing because I knew that I would be weighed at this visit, but my practical side won out and I have exactly three layers on my entire body, plus extra heavy socks and a scarf. Surprisingly (and quite pleasantly) I weighed even less at this visit than I did at my visit back in the fall.

And I was very thankful for those extra layers as my car never even got warm during the entire trip to and from the doctor's office. 

After arriving home, and defrosting all of the animals' waterers (again) and making sure they were properly cared for and more hay was spread for warmth, I gladly entered our toasty warm house and filled my coffee cup up to the brim (twice, this morning.)

And I did refrain from complaining again. I did bite my tongue and reprimand my mind when I was tempted to let those negative words escape across my lips. After all, this is one of God's seasons. And it is a good one. And spring will surely warm the icy grounds in its due time.


I'm having fun searching for the perfect yarn to start this new afghan. I've had this one in my Ravelry queue for quite awhile. I finally broke down and purchased it yesterday. All of this icy weather is inspiring me to make another afghan. There's nothing better than a warm pile of pretty wool on your lap when the snow is blowing outside.

I found this tasty homemade taco seasoning recipe earlier this week. We tested it out in our taco meat on Wednesday, and it was definitely a winner. I bought the ingredients to make it in bulk it was so good. And we eat Mexican food here at least once a week. It's one of our favorites!

Working on some more chunky "Allie" scarves for my Etsy shop. Winter isn't over yet, and these scarves definitely take off the chill!

3 comments:

Lulu said...

its lovely to see your home in all that snow..never been in snow..
its sunny again here today..although we had some showers early this morning..we need the rain so bad though..
love to hear all your goings on on the farm..
have a blessed week..

Pam said...

What a cozy post. It is truly understandable that you should feel weary of the cold. I have found myself in that same mode the last several years and I don't think we got nearly the cold temperatures in Colorado that you get in your neck of the woods. But all in all, your description gives me such a picture of you snug in your home with your precious family. It is a sweet picture that causes me to feel a tiny (only a tiny bit mind you) of homesickness for our snowy Colorado on a winter day by the wood burning stove. I would love to see "Majestico" in his coat. As always, I love your pictures.

Heather said...

Oh Amber!! That first photo, and then the one of your house in the snow! Just breathtaking. SO beautiful.

Cheers,
Heather