The beaver pond is a perfect place for ice-skating. Recently, on Sundays after Mass, the kids have been spending afternoons skating with friends while the dogs harass each other and the adults huddle around the fire.

This week, after two bouts of snow, the pond is covered, and we’re debating whether to go shovel it off today or not. Tomorrow will be cold. Actually, the deep cold is supposed to linger all week long. Once again our Saturday is spent preparing.

It’s not that we’re epically unprepared, it’s just that each shift in the weather requires a different response. When the nights are over 10 degrees, I can be a bit more casual about things. Our indoor wood pile is a little smaller, the animals don’t need an extra helping of food before darkness falls, and the van doesn’t need to be parked so the early morning sun can warm the engine.

So today, before the extra cold nights roll in, I’m giving the animals some extra love, refreshing my woodpile, and [hopefully] taking a nap. But we may go shovel off the pond too, because cold Sundays are ideal for skating!