Hello February

Here we go — officially immersed in the new year now. There's no turning back. Month two. And so soon? How time flies!

It snowed with a fierce force on Tuesday and Wednesday, then warmed to 40 degrees. Suddenly, as if they flew in with the turn of the calendar page, lots of little fluffy birds began flitting through the tree branches. I can't tell what type they are, but I know they weren't here last week, unless they were hibernating or something. I'm so glad to see them. They sing a little, mostly short chirps and seem to travel in groups. Their feathers are so flouncy, all puffed up to block out the wind and cold. Flying puffs of feathery song. I love it.

Izzy is putting on a little too much weight. I'm not helping her cause. I feed her way too many tasty morsels of human food. I know it's not good, but I just can't help myself. That face! She stares at you and makes a little squeaky sound or sometimes gives you a quick tap on the shin. "Hey, hi. That looks super tasty. . . and look how cute I am, all fuzzy and cuddly with my big brown eyes. May I try a bite? Pretty please with sugar on top." So of course I say "Oh sweetie, do you need a bit of cheese? Yes, you do!" She's starting to resemble a short foot stool.

See these stuffed animals? These are a few of Izzy's toys. She seems to have an obsession with tearing off their noses and giving them a slow death by removing their stuffing through their nostrils. Eeek. And poor duck, though he still has his beak, is suffering from a torn, stringy eye. Ouch.

Tomorrow the fam is going skiing. I, however, plan to start on a huge granny square blanket I hope will eventually grace our bed at the cabin. Snuggly. Plus I hope to read a little on this book and maybe write a poem, if inspiration hits.

Oh, and have you seen these? Classic literature turned into board books for toddlers. The needle felted illustrations are what got me. Brilliant!

Happy weekending!

My favorite

I'm posting more winter photos. I hope you don't mind. I never intended to be a weather blog but I simply had to show you some pix I took a few days ago.

A thick, dense fog settled over the whole valley but the temps were still far below freezing and when we get that combination it makes for my FaVoRiTe of all winter landscapes. The moisture in the air wraps around every blade of grass, every tree branch. It lies down on every field. And then it freezes, forming the most delicate shroud of white on everything in sight. 

I actually get giddy when I wake up to this beauty. It feels like a gift. All magical and mystical — like stepping into Narnia. And it's so delicate. If you dare to touch the frosty surfaces the heat from your finger instantly melts the crystals and the spell is broken. Or if the sun heats things too much the fog lifts. Lucky for us it stayed like this all day. Some of these photos are from 10 a.m. when I was out running errands and some are from around 4 p.m. when I ran out to drop off something for Emma at the school.

I'm F-F-Freeeezing

Icicles outside an upstairs window.

Lone tree across the street from my house.

View out my front window as the snow falls.

Canada Geese in a field by my girls' school.

The top of the hills on Missoula's East side.

Looking East around 4 p.m.

Again with the deer.

Looking North from central Missoula as evening sets in.

Snow falling on deer.

Sunset on the North hills.

Dusk, tip-top of southern hill in Missoula (extreme zoom on camera)

It's really, really cold. The kind of cold that causes involuntary wimpering when you go outside. Can you feel it in my photos? Everything is that same frostbitten blue color — the sky, the snow, the mountains, the air. They all blend and merge into a silent, frozen canvas. It's so quiet and so beautiful. But if you're outside and you stare too long your eyesballs crystallize so it's best to take in the views by looking through the window while you stand over the heating vents and sip a hot beverage.

Even indoors I can't seem to get warm. I'm in a constant search for heat sources. Aside from heating vents and hot drinks I'm trying fuzzy socks, soup, hair dryers (not just for drying hair - they make a great instant warming device), indoor-mitten-wearing, blankets, and space heaters. If it looks toasty I'm on it like a moth to a flame.

This coming weekend we're heading up to our cabin in Philipsburg, where it was -8 degrees (-22 celsius) at one point last weekend. My family plans to go skiing at Discovery Ski Area. What the—? Not me. I plan to plop myself in a chair by the gas stove, and do all the cozy indoor stuff I love so much.

Christmas wishes

Wishing you peace, joy, and a very merry Christmas.

xoxo
Jenny



this peace-promoting barn is just a few miles up the road from our house ~ love it

Busy as Elves

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Things are busy, busy, busy . . . and the snow arrived Friday night to add an extra dash of holiday spirit. I rallied everyone out of the house with a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream and a drive around the neighborhood to look at all the Christmas lights. We opened the front door and found a full-on blizzard outside. The short drive to Dairy Queen was quite an adventure — large drifts, cars cautiously navigating unplowed streets. At one point it was blizzarding sideways. Just a solid whiteout heading from West to East. I loved it.

All of the houses in our neighborhood are gussied up with lights and wreaths and some have those crazyhuge blow-up things — 10-foot tall Santa balloons and whathaveyou. It's fun to see all the different styles and tastes in lighting and decor.

After that little adventure we hunkered down for most of the weekend, only venturing out when necessary, although the girls did gather their friends for a lot of sledding and snow play. Being one who isn't too fond of the cold, I was waiting indoors (where it was cozy), prepared with hot chocolate when they came piling back inside.

The polymer clay snowmen I made are now standing in my Christmas village. I am pretty proud of how they turned out. They stand about 1-1/2 inches tall and have real twig arms from the spirea bush out front.

Kate got bit by the creativity bug today and got busy melting chocolate and crushing candy canes (results in marshmallow photo above). She hummed Christmas songs while she worked — sweet girl.

And Izzy? Well she just follows me all around the house asking "Now what are we doing?" "Where are we going now?" "Can I eat some of that too?" "Should we take a nap together?" Oh, that FACE.

She refuses to come inside

The beginning of the end

Suddenly Autumn was at the height of perfection, every leaf an exquisitely painted gift, every breeze carrying a shivery wisp of sublime October. I was in pure, seasonal heaven.

Then along came a deeper chill, a gust of dense wind from the North, and the trees were shedding their leaves in waves. The air was alive with golds and reds. 

And then . . . white. 

Snowflakes!? Already?! 

Piper is in Norweigen Elkhound bliss. She tries to eat the flakes as they fall. She SMILES. It's as though somewhere deep in her gut she knows she comes from long lines of dogs who love such weather. 

For those of us who aren't as fond of the cold it means a little bit of sadness. Fall is my favorite time of year and it's beauty is so fleeting, you look away for a second and it's gone. 

As I type this the evening is gathering and it is snowing like crazy. Huge, heavy flakes are blanketing the ground at an alarming rate. *sigh* It's all good though. November is silently beautiful and magic in its own way too. And the best news is that I finished Emma's blanket last night, not a day too early.  

The Blustery Day

The weather in Missoula yesterday felt like something out of Winnie-the-Pooh's Blustery Day story. The wind and the rain began before dawn and although it quit raining by late morning the winds continued to howl and ominous clouds crisscrossed the sky all day. Fallen leaves hurricaned along the streets and sidewalks in multicolored cyclones and clustered in the sheltered spaces around the foundation of the house.

All day long I kept thinking how glad I was for the rain. I felt as though a weight had been lifted. At some point in the afternoon I realized I was feeling relief because I've been reading so much on the Dust Bowl (dirt blocking out daylight, cows choking to death on dust, children eating pickled tumbleweed to survive). I think in some crazy way I was feeling relieved for all of those parched 1930s folks. Sadly it's 80 years too late.

I drove to the top of the hill across the way to take a photo of our neighborhood (that last photo is the one — see the cluster of tiny houses?). Our house is nestled in the trees along the creek bed. 

What you can't tell from this photo is how crazywindy it was out there. I couldn't even see straight and my hair kept whipping me in the face and getting stuck in my mouth. But from this vantage point everything looked so delicious and peaceful that I could hardly stop looking. I should drive up there more often.

~

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  
— John Muir

shooting the moon with new camera

Last night.

Thousands of miles away, under this same moon, my brother and his wife awaited the birth of their firstborn.

Today they welcomed their son Townes into the world. Welcome little one.