My house is all closed up to keep the cold and winds out and the heat in. I have quilts on the north windows, hanging over the curtain rods, and when the sunlight shines through them they look like stained glass windows. From that I decided I’m going to make window quilts for those windows to use in the wintertime. I have all the blinds in all the other rooms down and shut and the curtains drawn over them. It’s warm in here with just the wood stove, but it feels like a cave. Thank goodness the sun is shining or it would look like a cave and I’d really be going nuts. I’ll post pictures of the window quilts later.
I don’t do well being cooped up; I even feel uncomfortable in an elevator. But the 72 hours of predicted below freezing weather makes me resort to drastic measures like these. And to staple plastic over all the openings in the barn and completely envelop the goat babies’ stall so they won’t freeze. There’s still good ventilation for all the animals, just no straight line winds from the North like outside the barn walls. It makes for an adventure getting into and out of the babies’ stall. I have to tunnel in between two sheets of plastic til I reach the gate, then scoot in before the babies escape. I do that every couple of of hours so I can make sure they’re warm enough and break the ice on their water bucket if necessary, and to check on the lights because the two bucklings have decided it’s neat to lick the lights. Twice I’ve found the group of babies huddled together under the play slide trying to hold in body heat because the boys had knocked the lights out again. So I trek in and out of the house to the barn. I do feel like a pioneer. Tired.
Today was busy making cheese so I could use the warm whey to give the chickens a warm meal. I wanted to save some whey to homemake some bread to go with the pot of chili in the crock pot but I didn’t want to add another draw on the electric. We only use the furnace as a back up. Since it’s set on 61, it only comes on when the wood stove dies down overnight. I’m very grateful for my husband’s wisdom in insisting buying more wood this past weekend when all I wanted to do was go home and take a nap. Last night we slept in the living room with the couch and recliner pulled up close to the wood stove so we’d be warmer and so we could more easily feed the fire. During this cold spell I’m not as much worried about our electric cost as everyone using so much electric the company may burp it’s output and we’d all be hurting then. So I skip the homemade bread but my taste buds still crave it - served warm and slathered in butter and dipped in the hot chili, it would be a real treat.
A friend brightened my day today and brought by Christmas/New Year’s gifts so I’m gratefully munching on homegrown, native pecans as I type and feeling so blessed. The friend’s little 1+ year old boy came with her and he is so delightful - light red hair and pure country. First thing he does is sit on the floor and pulls off his cowboy boots and socks!! See, he can’t stand to be cooped up either. Before he left I snuck a hug - a warm gift on such a cold day.
My friend apologized for getting the Christmas/New Year’s gifts to me late but to be honest, I’d forgotten Christmas had just passed. Time has such a light effect on my life (’til I look in the mirror) that I forget what ’season’ it is based in normal society. My mind knows the seasons I live with - winter gardening, spring planting, fall rest, etc. and my year is almost switched mentally to the school year so that New Year’s isn’t really the beginning of a new year. After 10+ years of not wearing a watch exact time isn’t really a big part of my life unless I’m going away from the homestead for subbing or an appointment or church - where our pastor can tell the time based on us - 10 minutes late. I just recently started wearing a watch to school and John laughs at me because the watch doesn’t keep time. I have to keep adjusting it throughout the day. He asked me why I don’t just buy a new watch but it’s hard to explain that I don’t want to be that tied to time. I can and do verify the time by the classroom clock so I have a backup plan but I used to live my life by such time restrictions that I even slept with a watch on. All my watches had to have glow in the dark hands and faces so I could see the time at any given moment I woke up. When watches with timers came along I thought they were fantastic - I could not only keep track of every minute, but time life as well.
No, I don’t want a new watch. I like my life the way it is now. I usually wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 even without an alarm . About 10:30-11:00 my stomach tells me it’s lunch time. About 11:30-12:00 my mind tells me it’s reading and nap time. About 2-3:00 my mind and body wakes back up and it’s time to fix supper. John comes home about 6:00 and we eat. When we’re tired we go to bed.
Maybe the reason I don’t like being cooped up is it’s hard to connect with nature - sun rise, sun set, the daily ’seasons’. Like the chickens, I like seeing the sun set and darkness easily fall to know it’s time to roost and rest my body for another day. These window quilts aren’t going to be up long!
January 9, 2010 at 07:36 am
Great minds must think alike. I made chili yesterday, too. Not in the crockpot, but a recipe I love called “White Chipotle Chicken Chili.” It is fast, tastes fantastic and really hit the spot yesterday!