Saturday, February 02, 2013

Dear Winter, Stay

Happy Groundhog Day, dear ones.
May the seasons, and the weather, be to your liking.

Spellbound

by Emily Brontë

The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow.
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me;
I will not, cannot go.


January

by Helen Hunt Jackson

O Winter! frozen pulse and heart of fire,
What loss is theirs who from thy kingdom turn
Dismayed, and think thy snow a sculptured urn
Of death! Far sooner in midsummer tire
The streams than under ice. June could not hire
Her roses to forego the strength they learn
In sleeping on thy breast. No fires can burn
The bridges thou dost lay where men desire
In vain to build.
O Heart, when Love's sun goes
To northward, and the sounds of singing cease,
Keep warm by inner fires, and rest in peace.
Sleep on content, as sleeps the patient rose.
Walk boldly on the white untrodden snows,
The winter is the winter's own release.



Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Friday, February 01, 2013

{this moment}


A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

:: Inspired by Soule Mama ::

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments, for all to find and see.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Hey! What's Hot?

Hold on! Don't worry. I promise, we let him out, and the Thermafail 2000 is almost* fully functional.

*Our Thermafail 2000 model has a nifty griddle built into the stove top. I use the term "nifty" loosely. The griddle has not worked in about nine months. Parts are on order. etc, etc, etc...

After working away all day, the job was finished, and so Geoff and Alex were free to clean up, and help prepare for a family get together. I am so lucky to have generous, multi-skilled men in the house.

These garlic knots were not a vote of no confidence. I ordered them from the pizzeria before Geoff announced that he would resurrect the oven. They came home hot and ready for the spaghetti dinner Ruth prepared, and we even got to warm them up in our own working oven.

When Izzy, and her friend Simone, arrived, they made a B-line for the goats. Never mind the soggy yard, the cold and drizzle! Maria, Izzy, and Simone were as happy and frolicsome as little goats.

At one point the girls were more playful and frolicsome than little goats... when it began to sprinkle the goats would not budge from the shelter of the porch.
"Wet water? No wa-aaaaay!" say our goats.

Not only did Ruth make two kinds of spaghetti sauce, she baked this beautiful angel food cake, with lemon icing.
Family gathered, all this, and a few episodes of Axe Cop, and you've got the makings of a nice birthday celebration.

I think Geoff was happy with the perfect balance of mellow-low-key and fun.