amaryllis ready to bloom on a very chilly windowsill.
bird’s eye view, yesterday, with seven buds!
opening this morning.
We made it through the bitter spell, when arctic blasts battered our cozy “bit of earth”. Two days of -24 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill factor to -40. Whew! Maybe you had a dose at your place too. We had made sure everything was in good order when we heard the forecast, and we did not leave the house for a few days, except to fill the bird feeders! How lucky we were…to have food, shelter, fuel and the option to stay home.
Jigsaw puzzling, reading, sewing, knitting, cooking, baking, a bit of screen time…we were hunkered in. We watched the sky change, as the sunlight drifted in between clouds and then left again. Stargazing is best on chilly winter nights, but we did not venture out.
The house has been filled with fragrance. Meyer lemon blooms in our upstairs bedroom, paper white narcissus in the living room. The blooms are also a welcome sight as the view outdoors was filled with swirling and drifting snow. The “draft dodger” has been pushed up to the threshold at the front door. We pulled the sliding door across the breezeway and latched it. Snug and cozy. Just like these goofballs…
pull that box right up to the radiator!
mirror images, big and little.
In today’s offering from my Department of Hope, (where I’ll be sharing gems to help you embrace light) I’m linking you to Krista Tippet and her newest episode of On Being. These wonderful interviews are back after a bit of a break. Batman and I listened to The Thrilling New Science of Awe, with Dacher Keltner (and his Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley.) Just WOW! I think it may deserve a second listen. I really hope you will love it.
I’m still playing with my food. Yesterday I pulled a bunch of bits and pieces out of the fridge and make a chopped slaw. I chiffonaded Napa cabbage and kale, grated carrots (from the root cellar), sliced scallions, chopped a bit of yellow pepper, added pea and radish sprouts and sunflower seeds. I made a dressing with a bit of mayo, lemon juice and a pinch of dill, salt and pepper. Mixed it all together and voila, a healthy, crunchy salad in the midst of a wicked cold snap. :-) What have you been cooking/baking/making?
I’ve got a new quilt to share with you soon. It’s sentimental. And another one is on the design wall, a collaboration between me, Linds and Gretta.
We just passed through Imbolc, the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox…can you feel the light returning to our late afternoons and early mornings?
Lots of plans for February, with devotion leading me in wonderful directions.
How about you, dearest readers? Do you have a project or intention secretly percolating in your heart? Are you ready to share it?