January is fast fading away. Our winter weather has finally returned in full force, with deep freezes at night and bright, cold days. I’d love another snow storm to cover all the ice, but for now, we’re enjoying the starry nights and sunny days. Yesterday, we took the kids ice skating on our beaver pond….
Month: January 2021
So I Finally Ditched My Smartphone
It’s weird to think of off-grid life with a smartphone, isn’t it? When we first moved to our land, in July of 2010 smartphones seemed like just another annoying fad. We drove to local cafes when we wanted to check something online. I wasn’t freelancing, Seth wasn’t selling his art, and only about 20% of…
Wintertime Puppy
Yesterday, friends from Ohio brought us a puppy. Actually, they brought up two puppies. One for us, one for a friend. Puppies are expensive around here. Too many people paying too much for faux-kids maybe? Whatever the cause, finding an affordable puppy that will fit in well with our life was a challenge. But in…
January Books
Last January, I started a reading challenge that took me from Sigrid Undset’s disappointing Kristen Lavrensdatter to Jean-Claude Schmitt’s fascinatingly dismissive “Ghosts in the Middle Ages” before the insanity of Spring: 2020 had me curled up by the fire with Tolstoy, Rilke, and the letters of Dostoyevsky. It took me a few months crawl out…
The Virtue of Revolt
I have a tall church-candle burning on my alter and Epiphany water from 2020 warming on the stove, with which to wash the walls. There is a thrilling pile of books on my bedside stand.. Life goes on as usual, with cozy mornings, slow evenings, and the eternal joy of my towering trees; but in the webby nooks and crannies of my life, there’s a disquiet.
Nourished Health
Last night, I sat up late with my books and papers all around. My husband was camping in the January snow, the kids were tucked into the big bed – sleeping cozily; while I was making charts and lists and filling my mind with images of a peaceful, abundant 2021. As I was planning, I…
Y is For Home! 