That's also what it looks like outside today. The difference being that it's still furiously coming down (and isn't supposed to stop until after dark) and it's February 17th. My, what an enormous difference those 7 little weeks make in the face of a beautiful snowstorm. I wish that I could say I still find it ethereally gorgeous at this point in winter, but that's the nature of living where there are vast changes between seasons. By mid-February, one certainly marvels at the falling snow, but instead of reveling in it... one copes (though the younger set seems to feel otherwise, which is amazing - how can I reclaim that?).
The tricky part of mid-winter is that I probably should try to revel in it a bit more, because soon enough it will be 95 degrees and humid. I'll break out in a sweat by merely carrying a watering can across the yard from the rain barrel to the vegetable beds. My feet will be bare and I'll have the minimum amount of clothing possible on my body. The kids will likely be cavorting through the sprinkler completely naked. Then we will sit down for popsicles and think... wouldn't it be fun to make a snowman right now?!
So, on this no-school holiday while the house is quiet for naps and rest time, I'm racking my brain for ideas. We had a partially normal morning with Christopher guesting at Colin's playschool class and a sizeable trip to the grocery store. We will need both the kitchen and our playthings to help us ward off the crazies in the last few hours of the day. Maybe we'll create some paperbag puppets. Or, I'll break out the power tools and finally hang up that new rack of hooks for the dress up corner. I just took a stick of butter and an egg out of the fridge (we have chocolate chips - never weather a winter storm chip-less!). The pot of soup for dinner is done: tonight we're having Potato Leek.
There's just a little over one month left in this winter. (Yes, yes... we often get freak snowfalls through spring and the temperatures only climb out of freezing. Sadly, spring does not mean 70 degrees and sunny!) But this is what mid-winter does mean: It's garden planning time. It's the time to make any root veggie recipes that haven't been fully explored. It's the time to use the oven at will since that's the last appliance I'll want to use come summertime. It's the time to break out any art/crafting supplies or ideas that I've been hoarding. And it's time for a new knitting project!
This is a picture of The Icicle House a few blocks away from us.
Aren't those icicles impressive? It's going to look even better tomorrow morning after all of this snow!
