Sunday, January 2, 2022

A Lovely Week of Relaxation and Snow

Papa Pea and I have talked for years (YEARS!) of taking the week between Christmas and New Year's off.  A staycation here at home.  To just relax.  And this year, we succeeded.  (Sort of.  For the most part.)  Lots of time to do as we pleased, to sleep in if desired, while getting out to breathe the fresh, clean air, do a little hiking through the snow and to generally enjoy ourselves.
 
I'm tickled pink to report we have about two feet of snow on the ground now.  More than I think we've had in total in the last few winters.  It feels so great to see that clean, white blanket of snow covering all outside.
 
Snowplowed banks of snow are everywhere and Papa Pea has done a great job of shoveling snow up against the house all the way around which provides insulation and really helps in keeping the house warmer inside.  It's been appreciated and needed these past mornings when yesterday we woke to an outside temperature of -11° and -5° this morning.
 
Saturday we walked out to get our mail at our mailbox and couldn't believe the plethora of wolf tracks up and down our driveway which showed up very distinctly in the new 1-1/2" of snow we had received over night.  The tracks were definitely those of timber wolves (BIG, they were!) as opposed to the smaller brush wolf (coyote) tracks.  There was one spot where there were so many tracks it looked as though it was the wolves' last convention meeting site of 2021.
 
I made a big pan of Macaroni and Cheese with a tossed salad for dinner on New Year's Eve.  (There may have been a couple/few glasses of wine on the table, too.)  Our daughter joined us for our quiet dinner and a game or two of Mexican Train Dominoes and Mancala after we ate.  I think her mom and pop pooped out before she was ready to go home, but we haven't made it to midnight to officially welcome in the new year for many years.  After we wished each other Happy New Year and she left, we did manage to collapse on the couch to watch a couple episodes of "Alone" before going to bed.  I think it was around 10 o'clock when our lights went out both literally and figuratively.
 
I'm sending all of you the very best of wishes for a new year along with hopes it brings you peace, happiness and health.  Remember to keep looking on the positive side and smile as much as possible.  Funny thing, I've noticed that my progressively saggy jowls aren't quite as evident when I manage to keep a smile on my face.  That alone should be enough to remind me to smile.   Smile, SMILE! 

17 comments:

suzanne dorries said...

Happy New Year and your philosophy of smile, made me smile. How we need more smiles. Have You heard or seen the wolves since you have lived there? The reason I ask is I have a love for wolves and bears. My dream is to visit Yellowstone and see the wildlife. But it is just a dream. Stay safe and keep on smiling.

Deborah said...

that sounded so peaceful. that's what i did, mostly...

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

That sounds like a very nice New Year's Eve! But wolf tracks! Wow - is that normal for you? No wolves here, but coyotes are definitely in the general area. -Jenn

Mama Pea said...

suzanne - I'm sure we've all noticed that if we smile at someone, that person will naturally smile also. So, couldn't hurt to keep smiling! We have both wolves and bears in our area and woods. And, yes, we've seen the timber wolves (and bears) but not as often as we see the coyotes. Don't give up your dream of visiting Yellowstone and seeing the wildlife. Remember, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true!

Mama Pea said...

Deborah - We have been in a peaceful (even the "must dos" have taken on a more relaxed feeling) down time surrounding these holidays. And that simple New Year's Eve dinner felt so much better than a more time-consuming, complicated spread. (Tasted better, too.)

Jenn - It's always such a treat to go out after a snow to see all the animal tracks. Makes you know there are critters traveling to and fro around you all the time. You just don't always see evidence of them. Wolves are a natural part of the environment here but they do tend to stay away from humans. When they are hungry, though, there have been many instances where they've taken pets. Years ago, when we had our Bouvier dog, we watched a wolf chase him across our hay field. Luckily, Max was very big and fast and no harm came to him.

NanaDiana said...

Wishing you the best to come for 2022. Crazy how close those wolves come. Glad you like the snow. I would be happy to send you all that I have here. lol
Blessings- Diana

Mama Pea said...

NanaDiana - I know some folks think we're crazy for living where we do and loving the winter snow season. Just shows you're wise to have chosen your location . . . and we're wise to have chosen ours. :o) Best wishes to you for the new year.

Michelle said...

Well well well; it sounds like you two actually succeeded in RELAXING! Maybe you can teach old, er, MATURE dogs new tricks! ha

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - Oh, dear girl, it doesn't happen easily. Teaching old (mature) dogs new tricks is possible, but it's definitely harder than working with a new puppy. ;o)

Ufa88kh said...
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Leigh said...

I love the idea of taking off the week between Christmas and New Years. I'm not so sure we'd manage because the weather would have to cooperate, but I love the idea. Here's hoping the new year is less stressful for us all.

Retired Knitter said...

Well as I read your post, we are getting our first snow outside - 4 to 10 inches and coming down at abut 3 inches per hour so pretty darn fast. It looks lovely. I love snow - especially when I don’t have to go out in it - I can just enjoy seeing it fall from my window.

And the best breaks in life or vacations are stay-cations. I just wish my stay-cations (when we took them) included a cook.

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Yep, it so happened that we spent many hours during our week "off" working on clearing snow because of two storms. But we asked for snow, so we shouldn't complain! Weather always enters into the picture, doesn't it? And it's during a period that you're trying to take a "vacation" at home that you realize the number of chores and tasks that must be done each day to keep the place operating!

Retired Knitter - Snowfall is the prettiest when it occurs during the day and you can truly enjoy the beauty of watching it come down! And yes, yes, and yes as far as wishing and wanting to have a cook-in-residence (other than yourself!) when trying to "get away from it all" at home! ;o)

Lisa K Thomasson Jung said...

Happy New Year! Your staycation seems like a great time. Stay safe and warm .

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - Thanks! Our noon time temp is up to 17.5° today. A real warm-up. Hope your new year is a good one. :o)

Nancy In Boise said...

Glad you had some well-deserved time off! Happy New Year and we have white stuff on the ground too and have been in the single digits, but it is finally warming up a little

Mama Pea said...

Nancy - Can't remember, but are your snow and low temps normal for you? We're supposed to be getting more snow during the night but amounts seems to be disputable. Guess we'll have to wait until morning to see what has really happened. Happy New Year to you and yours!