No, that’s not a euphemism. And it’s not like an elephant in the room.
There really is an ostrich in our bathroom. It’s been there since we built the house. About a month after we moved in I noticed it. I looked up one day, and there she was. I think she looks a bit gouchy, but I suppose if you spent your whole day just inches from a toilet, you might be grouchy, too.
Once the kids are in bed and I’ve tackled the most fiery parts of my TeuxDeux list, it’s late.
I should go to bed.
Most nights I do.
But other nights I stay up too late. I check in on friends. Popular culture. Write long overdue emails. Watch dumb television.
Tonight I watched Dan in Real Life (unexpectedly pleasing despite commercials) and contemplated what breeds of chickens to add to the flock this spring (my current picks are one of each: Australorp, Delaware, and Easter Egger). Moving myself one step closer to becoming that crazy chicken lady.
Tom is trying to catch up on his sleep, and wisely went to bed early. As a couch-warming replacement, Daisy hung with me all evening.
Good dog.
The kids have not left the property since Friday. In fact, they really haven’t left the house since then.
I had an all-day training session yesterday, so they had friends come over. Today, Tom had a meeting. I tried to convince the kids to go somewhere, but I couldn’t get anyone moving.
Around 2pm I ordered everyone to put their coats and hats over their pajamas—we were going outside.
For a long time we ended up in the pole barn, leaping over the wide gap between hay bales. Climbing on the tractor. Vitamin D quota for the day—check.
During this glorious break from winter, I pushed the kids outside. They wandered out with squinty eyes and declared, “Hey, it’s nice out here!”
Today I cleaned out my car. During these cold months, the clutter has piled up in the corners until it was tough to squeeze in a passenger. Groceries were a challenge to fit in the back on account of the tools and half-finished projects.
Ellery joined in. Long after I’d decluttered and vacuumed, she scrubbed the baseboards with gusto. I swear she was in there for an hour. I left her to her work and mucked out the coop.
Shep was running circles around the yard. And Neko? She was hard at work on this fairy house.
It hit 40 degrees today, which is downright spring-like compared to the winter wonderland we’ve been living in. When Neko discovered the rain had melted much of the snow, she got rather indignant, and insisted on pulling out the snow tubes and enjoying what little white stuff was left.
Nancy and Mary Beth were visiting, so we decided to take advantage of the moment to throw everyone outside for some much needed Vitamin D.
Hello sunshine.
(I think Ellery’s boots are on backwards.)
What a fantastic day.
Neko woke up at 5:30am, but we managed to put her off until 6:15am. Everyone was ecstatic about their gifts. I declare that everyone got exactly what they needed. Butterscotch the horse was adored every bit as much as Neko said she would be. Ellery pranced in her twirly skirt and Shep delighted in his magnetic roller coaster.
In the afternoon, we visited my parents for another round of gifts, good food, and sledding.
As a Christmas gift to myself, I decided not to pick up the camera. Instead, I decided to just be present in the day. (But I couldn’t resist snapping a few as the kids squealed their way down the sledding hill.)
Don’t worry—full documentation of favorite gifts, including the world’s most enormous robotic horse will appear here shortly.
I give all credit to Tom who practically forced me to get my camera and take pictures of the frost on his car on this insanely cold day. He was right—it was worth losing all my body heat to snap a close-up of Mother Nature.
(Hooray for the macro lens!)
I had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.
I forgot that I had a meeting with our accountant, forgot to gather the paperwork for the accountant, and had a dentist appointment. (“Come back next week to drill out and replace your sealants!”) Because of the accountant meeting I was late for a photo shoot, my camera fell on the concrete (it’s fine), scheduled a meeting I now need to reschedule, and missed out one of our last gorgeous fall days.
And the children? They are tired and crabby because everyone is waking up at 5am, but still going to bed too late. I will soon be starting my petition to remove Daylight Saving Time from the calendar.
And the house is messy and we’re completely behind on the laundry. AGAIN.
I think I’ll move to Australia. (Where I happen to know it is currently sunny and they no longer observe Daylight Saving Time.)
It wasn’t a big garden this year, but it has been bountiful. Despite far too much neglect, the basil, tomatoes, and peppers have been thriving. We tried onions for the first time this year, and could not be more excited.
(One thing that got demolished by pests—broccoli. Will be investigating floating row covers next time.)
The high tunnel is still under construction, but we hope to finish soon and to try a few things this winter.
This gardening thing? It’s like the Fourth of July fireworks. You spend a whole lot of time spreading out your blanket and finding a good seat, and then, all of a sudden, things explode into color.
