Sunday is on the Horizon

This coming Sunday is my son's first birthday and it's all I can think about.  Not because I have so much to do to prepare for it yet, but because I am astonished at how fast the year has passed.

From this -

To this -

And now this -

There was a time when I wasn't sure I wanted to be a mother, and now I can't imagine ever not being a mom.  This is so incredibly cliche, but having Henry completed me.  Not in a way where I feel I couldn't live without him or something (but, really I couldn't), but in a way that he was a missing piece of a puzzle that I didn't know existed.

I felt the same way after I met my husband.  It just fits.

Henry, thank you for choosing me.

A Letter to Winter

Hey Winter -

I've really enjoyed you this year.  More than ever before.  You continue to be beautiful, and for that I am grateful.

I am growing weary however, of ice, of my husband having to plow, and of more grey days than not.  I also think that I may have a slight case of the February blahs.  Totally not your fault, you're still doing a fantastic job.  Snowstorms, frigid temps, sparking snow, impressive icicles.  I'm just putting it out there.

I long for fresh breezes, melting snow, running water washing away winter grit.

While you're still here I'll admire you, enjoy you and feel nostalgic about you (my son was born in a March snowstorm), but consider yourself served. 

 This is your eviction notice.

We are officially waiting for Spring.

A Beautiful Morning

I just can't get enough of my morning view.  This morning it was magical - everything covered in a thick blanket of new snow.

From the Weather Book

February 8
-full, bright moon

February 10
- snow

February 11
- cold -21C
- bright morning
- a really gorgeous day

February 15
- snow
- mild

February 16
- rain/snow
- slick roads
- driveway full of ice

February 17
- sun, mild
- walk on the lake

February 18
- colder -10C
- sunny. clear

February 21
- snowy evening

February 22
- mild
- snowy, snowy morning - thick and heavy
- lots of crazy banging outside...hoping snow coming off the roof??  ::paranoia::

Happy Family Day from Maple Lake

It's cold, but we have beautiful blue sunny skies.  A perfect day for a walk on the lake.  I hope you are enjoying your Family Day!

Mid Winter Porch Decor

Unfortunatly I don't have any shots of my Christmas porch decorations, but I will share what I did today to freshen up the front.  I needed to get rid of the Christmas wreath - it was getting too dry and I was sick of it.  I made a new wreath - but then the planters looked off with their red berries, pine cones and variety of greens. 

I decided to pare it down and use strictly pine boughs.  Getting the birch to stand up in solid frozen soil was NOT FUN, but I accomplished my goal and I am pleased with the results.

A palate of green, white and yellow is modern and fresh.  Can't wait for spring!

My husband has told be recently that I am too negative.  So, I will say NOTHING of the fact that I CAN'T wait to get new siding, and a new screen door, and something to cover the hydro meter and, and...

Composting

This is what my compost pile looks like -

Pretty, isn't it?

I'm not entirely sure what went on here compost wise before we arrived, but this is the pile I'm using for now.  Last spring I wasn't really in any frame of mind to get anything else up and running.

My husband was hesitant to have a compost pile here because he was (wrongly) afraid of attracting wildlife.  A well maintained compost pile might attract some animal interest (especially if it's open), but it won't smell. 

Where we moved from we had a Green Bin program.  I only composted garden waste in our backyard.  All food waste went into the green bin - it was awesome.  Here, though, only veggie and fruit scraps go in the compost.  At least it's something.

I have big plans for the compost come spring.

The whole compost/garden shed area needs a major clean up.  I want to rip down the existing compost structure (because it's terrible) and build a new open three bin system.  I prefer open pile composting because I find it easier to maintain.  I don't have to worry about the amount of waste I am adding, and there are no ridiculous little doors or lids to fight with.

Animal Signs

We have a resident fox. In the fall, I saw the fox (and others) frequently - in the winter hardly at all.  I glimpsed him once running at the shore while I was on the treadmill one morning.  That's it.

His footprints are everywhere, though.  Now, I'm calling our fox a him, but in fact he might be a her.  I really don't know.

This area is prime environment for foxes because of the old farm fields across the road.  At time of year, foxes are denning up and mating.  Happy Valentine's day indeed.

There is also plenty of evidence around of fox food!  Besides my compost, which he has visited, there are plenty of rodents scurrying about under and on top of the snow.  They tunnel about and pop up every now and again, tracing lines across the snow.

Watching a fox work a snowy field is a magical sight.  It looks like playing, and it sometimes is.

A couple of years ago I was at school late for a meeting.  Night had fallen, and I was sitting in my classroom, gazing out the window at the perfect snow illuminated by the moon.  My old classroom windows faced a forest, and one of the kids had left a soccer ball out in the field.  All of a sudden, a fox appeared seemingly out of nowhere, at first working the field for mice, and then playing with the ball.  It was amazing.  He would pounce on the ball and then race around the play structure like a crazed puppy.  This went on for about five minutes and as soon as it had started, he was gone back into the forest. 

I look everyday to see what our fox is up to, and I can't wait to see what spring brings.  Someday soon, if I can manage to sneak away, I'd love to walk the fields across the road and find the den...or dens.

A Winter Evening Walk

From the Weather Book

February 1
- very mild

February 2
- turkey kill on the ice
- mild, sunny

February 7
- -10C in morning
- windy

A Frozen Lake

I love walking on the lake.

Slightly surreal and dead quiet.  A landscape that only exists during a few cold months a year.  It's a strange feeling to walk past the end of your dock.

Walk farther out and a vast flatness surrounds you.  Winds swirls on the surface and sunlight glints.  New perspectives are forced.

And then, of course, my mind dwells a little too long on what lies beneath and the mechanics of it all.

I scurry back to shore.  A paranoid mouse.

We are Sick and it Sucks

So, we're all sick.  And have been since Saturday.

 It's rough.

We have been watching waaay too much TV.  Netflix, couch and rocking chair are our best friends this week.

Here are some signs you've been watching too much TV.

1.  You've been watching too much Sons of Anarchy when you start thinking the man behind you in the cookie aisle is going to pull a gun and force you into a van, hold you for hostage and quite possibly try to kill your old man husband.

2.  You've  been watching too much X Files when...what was that?!?  What's that light?  What?

3.  You've been watching too much Mad Men when you question why you don't have a Scotch and cigarette in hand ...and it's ten a.m.

4.  You've been watching too much Top Gear U.K. when you run into town for baby Tylenol and Scotch  Advil and all of a sudden you are going 137 km per hour.  And you feel like gripping the wheel and spinning it.  On the highway.  That's not good.


Here's hoping I can start living my own life again real soon.