Coming Soon

This time last year I was musing on my son's first year of life.  I was thinking of all the moments and memories that combine to make him the little person that he is, and that define our relationship.

 

While I always think on him and his little life, this time of year brings an even sharper nostalgia. 

 

This coming Monday he will be two. 

 

 



Happy Birthday, dear boy.



 

He is the light in my day.  He is why I do so many of the things I do.  He is the reason why I seemingly smile at nothing throughout the day when I am away from him.  I hate to leave him, and can't wait to get back when I do. 

 

He has made me who I am.  And even though in a few short months after his second birthday, he will become a big brother, he will always be first.  He is the one who MADE me a mother.  He has shown me that I can do so many things.  He has given me confidence in ways he will never know.

 

 

See you soon (but not too soon!), sweet girl.

 

Something I often wonder is if we made the right choice in moving here.  I hope that in this wide open space, our children are free to grow in character with no bounds.  I hope their minds expand and their bodies grow in tune with the earth and their surroundings. 

 

I hope more than I can ever put to words.

 

 

Morning

It's no secret that I really enjoy mornings.  I have always been a morning person.  There are days when I do more before 9 a.m. than I accomplish for the rest of the day.  I like to rise early  during the week (usually around 5 a.m.) to run and enjoy some peace before the rest of the house wakes.

 

 

 

 

 

I love being awake to watch the sun rise.  It is a very important thing to me, and one that has really only developed since since moving to Maple Lake.  I've always loved morning, though.

 

Why?

 

Mornings hold a power that no other time of day does.  Being awake before any one else brings a peace and serenity to me that I struggle to find throughout the rest  of the day.  At sunrise, anything is possible.  Mornings are when we make a choice.  Will it be a good day?  Bad?  Nondescript?

 

 

 

I try every day to choose positivity.  A sunrise is a clean slate.  Anything is possible, and if you're like me and up before anyone else, no one is there to tell you "no".  At sunrise my mind is completely my own, and it's absolutely bursting with possibility.

 

 

From the Weather Book

February 8
- snow!

February 9
- bright, cold, sunny day

February15
- snowy then sunny
- lovely

February 16
- gorgeous sunrise, cold morning

February 19
- lots of snow!
- mild

February 20
 - clear
- cooler, temperature drop late afternoon

February 21
- cold
- clear day

Over It.

As I slogged home this afternoon on a road that hadn't seen a plow all day, I came to the realization that I am over winter.  It's a bit early to be having these feelings, I know, as we have many weeks of winter left.  But I'm done.

It really has so much more to do with the lack of road maintenance around here than anything else.

Beauty still surrounds. 

We are still enjoying the fun that snow brings. 

But the roads?  Terrible.

The Giant

Just like our enormous icicles of last year, we have a new crop growing.

 

I haven't measured this one yet, but I estimate it at around six feet.  Just a few more inches and it will touch the snow on the deck.

Sunrise Surprise

As I have mentioned, most days the sky over Maple Lake has been heavy and grey.  Low cloud cover has been bringing many snowy days.

This morning, though, on what seemed to be just another drab day, I was surprised to see a perfect pink sky over breakfast.

How appropriate for Valentine's Day.

The rest of the day was snowy, but the pink morning was lovely.

This Morning's Sunrise

Longing

In the deep freeze of winter, I am missing my favourite spots.

From the Weather Book

January 19
- mild, snow

January 22
 - -30C

January 23
- -32C

January 28
- milder
- big, fat flakes of snow for most of the day

January 29
- mild, rain

February 2
- Groundhog did not see his shadow (early spring?)
- COLD

February 3
- cold!
- sunny morning

Something Missing

I was really looking forward to winter this year in part because of the spectacular sunrises of last year.  They just aren't happening, though.

 

I wonder why.

 

Mornings have been generally dull and grey over the lake, with the occasional hint of pink or orange at the horizon.  I've taken very few sunrise pictures - last year I took them almost every day.

 

Was last year an anomaly created by day after day of high pressure and cloudless skies?  Certainly we have had many more days of dense cloud low in the sky this year.

 

Here's hoping for more days that start like this: