Sunday, December 15, 2013

It Is Winter

Papa Pea and I have been lamenting that we just don't get the snow in the winter time like we used to.  After what we've experienced already this season, I think we may be changing our tune.

Not only have we been getting (what we consider) nice amounts of snow, but Mother Nature has chosen to stuff us into the deep freeze about six weeks earlier than usual this year.  The highest temp I can recall seeing in the last week or so is a balmy 14° above zero.

About 9" of snow fell yesterday afternoon and into the evening.  Then we were awake in bed for what seemed like a good portion of the night listening to the high winds.  (Why can't we just ignore that sound and sleep peacefully snug, warm and cozied up under our blankets?  Are we concerned the house will blow away?  No, but one of our wood stove chimneys did come crashing down last year.  You can bet that noise made us sit up and take notice.  And there was that outside combination storm/screen door that got ripped off year before last.  I suppose we lie awake wondering what it will be next.)

We're in now after a morning of plowing (mostly by Chicken Mama and her big, ol' work horse truck and plow rig) and shoveling.  At these frigid temperatures (a sizzling 3° above now at midday) all the snow blown into drifts and needing to be moved is as light as could be.  (If only there wasn't so much of it!)

A small assortment of Christmas cookies is baked and ready to be shared with others.  The bulk of the presents are wrapped.  I've thrown in the towel (and knitting needles) and given up hope that I'm going to get all of those crafty little gifties made for the holidays as I planned.  As the saying goes, I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid.  (No comments from the Peanut Gallery, please.)  I've decided a nervous breakdown just isn't worth the stress of trying to get it all done.

I love the way the house looks with its festive decorations.  Unfortunately, our tree is a sad looking little bush this year.  It was a nice tree to start with; that isn't the problem.  It's the lights.  Or lack thereof.  One of the strings we were planning on using would light up for only half the length.  Okay, we'll make do without using that string.  After testing the others, we got three other strings on the tree.  And then another bunch of the lights went out and refuses to come back on.  So we have a tree with a well-lit top and a well-lit bottom.  The middle section is dark.  And it irritates the heck out of me.  Bummer, since I think we enjoy the lights on the tree even more than the decorations.

I shouldn't complain because we've certainly gotten our money's worth out of the lights.  I'm sure they're at least twenty-five years old (yes, they are) and possibly even more than that.  Folks have been talking about how much brighter the new LED lights are so you know what sales I'll be looking for after Christmas.

Jiminy Crickets, moving snow out in the brisk, fresh air sure does give you an appetite.  Papa Pea just said his cup of peppermint tea isn't doing it and he's contemplating snarfing every Christmas cookie he can get his hands on.  Me?  I think I'll just go drink about a gallon of spiked egg nog in celebration of this gorgeous, snow-filled winter we've got going here.

16 comments:

Lisa said...

It takes a very wise woman to know 'when to throw in the towel'!!! Your place sounds lovely and full of good sights and smells. Glad ya'll are cozied up inside with that frigid weather going on outside. Hope there's not too much wind tonight so you can sleep well.

Tombstone Livestock said...

Stay warm and dry and Merry Christmas.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

We got over 7 inches and it will be down to 4°F tonight. Crazy weather, but beautiful to look at.

DFW said...

I'll bet it is absolutely beautiful at your place. Spiked egg nog sounds good too, especially on a cold night in front of a fire. Stay warm & enjoy the beauty the season has to offer.

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - The wind (of all day!) does seem to have died down now. We could use a solid night of sleep tonight! I'm wrapping a couple of packages now but plan on being in bed early . . . more snow forecast for tomorrow so I've got to keep my shoveling muscles rested!

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - That we will do! Merry Christmas to you also, bloggy buddy. This coming week is the last full one before Christmas Day!

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Ha! We're not that much colder than you are! Stay warm, please.

P.S. I can't get to the "read more" of your blog post so I can't comment. Don't know where the problem lies, but hopefully it will clear up soon. Frustrating!

Mama Pea said...

DFW - For all the time I was outside today, I neglected to take a single picture. I will have to get some soon to show all our snow. More expected tomorrow, too. We love it!

Freedom Acres Farm said...

What I'm trying to figure out is HOW it can snow when it's so cold? It never used to be able to do that!

Mama Pea said...

Freedom Acres Farm - I know! I can so remember saying, "It's too cold to snow today," when the temp was near zero. I always thought it had to be around 20° above . . . that was the perfect snowing temp. Apparently, somebody changed the rules when we weren't looking!

Cat Eye Cottage said...

I love your header photo! Beautiful! Wow, I don't know if I could handle those temps. I cry when the low is 32.

Mama Pea said...

The Weekend Homesteader - Thank you!

Back when we lived in Illinois, we would judge whether it was frigid outside or not by if the temp was above or below 32°. Up here in northern MN, the dividing line is 0°. What's the saying? Everything is relative? ;o}

Susan said...

I read with relief your decision to give up the stress of handmade gifting! Yay! It made me feel like I wasn't the only one going through the same dilemma. We got a nice thick layer of snow and I am very happy. I love snow (not, necessarily the arctic winds that come with it). You and Papa Pea enjoy your 'finally' winter! By the way, I L.O.V.E. your new header photo - those are some extremely attractive and healthy deer!

Mama Pea said...

Susan - We have more heavy snow coming down right now. My, my, my, it's almost unbelievable to be getting this lovely covering of snow. I have to get out there to take some pictures.

Thanks for the nice words regarding my new header photo. (It's actually one of my photos rather than my daughter's!) Can you believe the "perfectness" of the coats on those deer?

Lisa said...

btw - LOVE your new header!! How in the world did you get those beautiful deer to pose so gracefully for you?!

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - I took this last winter when we were walking down our driveway to get the mail. There were three deer standing in the middle of the driveway, and they dashed into the woods when they saw/heard us but didn't go very far off the road. These two were especially close and I was able to snap several pictures of them. We don't feed the deer but many people in our area do so these deer may not have been as shy of someone with a camera as those who never see a human. Lucky for us to be able to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat.