simplicity of winter

A fire is blazing in the fireplace and the snow is gently falling from the sky. A perfect day for cuddling up on the sofa, maybe with a movie later on but for starters with a book (maybe Alice Munroe), but for now my fingers on the keyboard while my brain lamely tries to figure out what to say.

We’ve gotten our social life geared up: supper w Jo Ellen, Don and their charming grandson Shawn; and, supper w Pat to catch up on how the dogs were while we were away - we hadn’t seen her since we left on our trip so it was good to catch up. I’ve used the instant pot for a pot roast, and shock of all shocks, the sautee pan on the stove for a yummy mushroom gnocchi. I have to figure out what to make for the next guests - maybe Creole black-eyed peas with a salad on the side.

I’ve hardly left the house, and to be honest I’m starting to go a little stir crazy. I should have gone with Carm yesterday when he went into the city to buy a replacement door shelf for the fridge. You’d be shocked at how much we had to pay in order to store a few condiments, etc. Fridge space is precious though so we had to fork out the $70 (yes, you read right).

Winter… oh the joy of being stuck inside or risking life and limb on the icy roads. Oh, why don’t we live somewhere warm, like Puerta Vallarta Mexico where my uncle Graham spends his winters. Surely we could fly the dogs down, although I can’t really picture them getting used to downtown PV with all the stray dogs and no grassy spot to poop. They are old and set in their ways, much like their owners :-0

… several hours later…

It’s almost 2:30 and I haven’t cracked the spine of a book yet…  I’ve looked at hundreds of photos on the hard drive - a mix of photos that I put together years ago for a electronic photo frame and forgotten about. Lots of memories of old dogs long gone, and these current dogs as young pups. There were photos from our first two years of camping, and lots of nieces and nephews now grown up, some with kids of their own. There were some photos from 30 years ago when we first got married - gosh we looked so young! One photo was taken the day after our wedding and my mom was 10 years younger than I am now!

After that I traipsed outside to see how much snow had fallen. There is enough that once it finally stops Carm will have to snowblow, and I’ll take a turn with the shovel on the back deck. Then it was time for a thick bowl of minestrone soup. Then, to the dog’s horror, the nail clippers came out and I dragged each dog in turn to the blood letting corner. Spike and Kabira faired okay, but Bella was not so lucky as the red spots on the floor attest. Now they are in their crates with bones.

And so the day wears on, not unpleasantly I must add.

The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread.

~John Burroughs