Winter cold, tea and wool

Yep, winter has arrived. We have snow on the ground and temperatures between -15 and -20 most days, cooler at night. The stock tank heater has been installed, we've gone through nearly three bales of hay already, and the trucks are complaining about starting on chilly mornings ... as am I. Somehow I always have much less energy in the winter - the darkness and chill seems to drain me of strength.

Still, a mug of tea for the drive to town does wonders to improve one's morning, I have discovered, as does the heated seat warmer that Princess Girl and Dinosaur Boy gave to me as thanks for chauffeuring them to and from school.

In the evenings, I like to do my spinning or knitting, as the warmth of the wool is somehow warming to more than just my hands. I have done more experimentation with Kool-Aid and wool dyeing, and have managed to come up with a neat variegated skein of greens, browns and beiges that reminds me of Vancouver Island, as well as more pink (no matter how hard I try, things seem to end up shockingly pink).

I've been knitting up some new projects, too: I found a lovely set of fingerless gloves and a beautiful cabled sweater to make from some lovely blue wool that my parents brought back for me from a trip they took to PEI a few years back. It's been waiting for just the right pattern to come along, and so far, I'm pleased with how it looks!

I think I'll go work on it some more right now, in fact.

The beginnings of winter

Winter is officially on the way ... we have snow on the ground and frost in the air. We got our hay delivered just in time!

Construction on the addition continues, the electrical installation is nearly complete which means insulation will be up next. Once windows and insulation are in place, we can turn the heat on ... and once the heat goes on, some of the things that are crammed into this tiny space can be shifted over to the addition and we'll have a bit more breathing room! It is lovely to have everyone together, though, so it's worth the hassle and crowding.

I've been doing a bit of spinning, a bit of knitting, and some reading - I finally finished the last Harry Potter book. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire series: the Harry Potter tales manage to look the pain and sorrow of loss straight in the eye, and they inspire faith and courage in the midst of difficult times. It may be that the sheer intensity of the emotions in the stories resonates with me, but whatever it is, I come away from the books with a sense of gratitude for all that life has given me.

Ah, books are a wonderful thing. In fact, I think I'll go turn on my audiobook (the current one is a story of a spoiled prince stranded in the jungle where, in the course of his travels, he learns to be a real human being) and see if I can get a few more rounds knitted on my other mitten.

Check out www.audible.com - I'll bet they have a story for you, too!