Ponder this:

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday morning, winter

Finally, winter weather. The blinding brightness of sunshine-on-snow is emotionally strengthening. I would not say that I had been wishing for snow cover, but in these first few days, it's pretty and not yet treacherous. After some time, after it's thawed and frozen, thawed and frozen, and it all becomes ice . . . then I'll want it to be gone. I am reserving lots of wood ash for traction. For now, with two more days of a long weekend, lots of wood for the stove, the cold and the howling wind makes me feel cozy . . . like a mouse cuddled up in my nest.
Image from "Old Balls Please" BBC Nature & Outdoors

The presence of the bright full moon has disrupted my hibernation mode. I have closed all the bedroom shades, but I can't stay asleep for more than two hours. Part of that is Max's doing . . . even with his diaper/belly band, he must be lifted to the floor to . . . feel better . . . and then replaced in bed. Part of it is that my brain train won't stop steaming down the track. Far too often I feel, as I lie in bed in the dark, in the quiet, that I am suffering a bout of Irish Alzheimer's, that is, forgetting everything but the grudges. What a weight to drag around! Jacob Marley, adrape in his chains, has nothin' on me in these full moon nights.


I have cinnamon raisin bread in the bread machine. It will be ready in about two hours . . . a long time from now. It does not yet tantalize with its yeasty warm aroma. 
I have the scatter rugs flopping and thumping around in the dryer upstairs. Putting down freshly cleaned scatter rugs makes me feel inordinately virtuous.
I paid the property taxes yesterday . . . drove down and around the hill to the Town Hall and handed over my check and that confusingly arranged tax bill. If not for my exposure to tax bills through Morning Job in Small Pond, I wouldn't have the vaguest idea what amount was required of me. Happily, the amount due is a few fewer hundreds of dollars this year. Thank you Agriculture Credit!


You might remember that last year my middle name, about this time of year, was Sparkles. I was obsessed with pearly sparkly jewelry, nail polish, lotion... I'm back to that now, but my focus seems to be narrowing onto my fingernails. I have a new toy: a crystal nail file. I love it. I keep filing my nails just for the fun of using the pretty thing.


I'm reading nothing but trash. Escapist goop. It suits my mental status in these winter months. 
All right. I have the wood stove going well, I have bread baking . . . I'm going back to bed. 
Because it's Sunday morning and I can.
I never claimed that I got any smarter or more ambitious in the wintertime.

21 comments:

esbboston said...

It is nice to wake up to the near smell of your bread machine. I had one a long time ago, but seemed to have wore it out, sharing with my best friend neighbor. My older son received one for a wedding present, and after a couple year of never even getting it out of the box, he gave it to me! But that eXclamation mark evaporated when I discovered that the paddle was missing, and I had just bought a bread mix from the store, double eXclamation mark erasure.

DJan said...

You bring back memories of the days when I baked bread. I didn't use any kind of bread machine but kneaded it until it felt just right. It was a very satisfying activity.

The bright moon has illuminated my nights, too. Usually we are overcast and dark at this time of year, but many clear nights when the moon is full have happened this cycle. It's kind of nice.

Pauline said...

Loved every minute of this post - we could be looking out the window at each other's progress through the winter. Spent some time mulling over the effects of the full moon each and every night it shone through my window. One night I even went out of doors and walked the moonpath. Going to go bake some bread now :)

Tamara said...

I don't miss snow... I miss the "look" of snow and its quietness after a new snowfall.

Love your post!

Olga said...

MMmm. Nothing beats the aroma of bread baking...Sparkle on.

Tracy said...

ummm, sounds like you have the perfect set up for a perfect day...cozy and nothing beats bread baking :) I wish you a phenomenal day!

schmidleysscribblins,wordpress.com said...

The photo of the mouse is terrific. Did you take it? Dianne

June said...

I've gone back and added the proper photo credit . . . that's a Welsh mouse!

Joe Todd said...

Happy New Year June.. I've been keeping real busy. Seems like a number of people are having "troubles".. Made a turkey pot pie using turkey (frozen) from Thanksgiving.. Still healing after the surgery..

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

I love the sound of your Sunday . It could very easily become a way of life !

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

P.S. I've been allowed to leave a comment !!
Fridge Soup won't let me .... which is rather funny , if you think about it ,

Friko said...

Just more sensible, allowing yourself to do as you please. Actually, that is smart.
I am a great believer in a bit of being kind to oneself.

Friko said...

Me again,
just to say that I am finding the millennium trilogy almost unputdownable. you might hate it, of course, but maybe you won't.

It's not exactly high-brow, but it's certainly not trash.

Barb said...

I'm not sure but with the baking bread, the wood stove, and the moon through your window, you could be Little House in the Big Woods! Glad you're sparkling again - I like you that way.

#1Nana said...

I love snow for a day or two when I don't have to go any where. By day three it's starting to look gray and unsightly. We haven't had any yet. Forcast said it was coming yesterday, but we've got blue skies and no snow.

Rubye Jack said...

Can you believe it is in the 70's here in Oklahoma? Amazing. Yum, that raisin bread sounds so very good!

georgia little pea said...

I learnt something new today ... irish Alzheimer's. I'm not Irish, but I think I may have that.

Poor Max. Incontinence sucks, for everyone.

I love crystal nail files. I never even knew they existed until a friend got me one from Germany. Actually, I didn't even know that's what they're called.

Carolynn Anctil said...

This post makes me smile - full of visual imagery and homey scents.

Vicki Lane said...

I love the way snowy days seem to give us permission to lounge about and eat comfort food.

Lord Wellbourne said...

Smarter or more ambitious? OK, perhaps not--that's your call. However, winter does nothing to diminish your eloquence or your ability to set a vivid scene.

Linda Myers said...

We missed the snow and ice at home while on vacation in Arizona. I wish I'd been there!

I love the smell of baking bread. I have a bread machine but rarely use it. I don't make it by hand either. I wonder why that is?