February Ending

Originally I am from Wisconsin, with long and cold winters.  Since 1989, I have lived in Missouri, considering it a southern state.  After all, the history tells of civil war, both sides here in Missouri, of slavery in my county being 20% of the population before the civil war.  Yes, to me that means south.  The people speak southern to my thinking.  However, weather wise, this year has been nothing about southern. It has been frigid many, too many, days, and it has been snowy, for long days, with snow staying on for weeks.  Does it remind me of Wisconsin.  Never.  But, the winter, with its needed moisture, has been a brutal one this year.  I saw tree branches crashing to the ground due to ice build up.  One thing we certainly have here in Missouri...ice storms....icky!.  I personally was in one blizzard that came on in the short time of ten minutes from my home, driving down Hwy. 61, in blinding snow, to get to the hospital for blood work.  So I kept going, very slowly and made it safe, only to find that on my way out of the hospital, there were about four inches of snow.  Yes, four inches.  I was NOT in there that long, maybe 30 minutes at the most.  So does that remind me of Wisconsin....NO. 

Wisconsin is a beautiful state in so many ways.  It is my home state.  However, I have lived in so many other states that I won't list them here.  And in those "other" states, I have lived in many different areas.  I tried to enjoy the journey and find something good about each place I lived.  It was, truelly hard for me, to find something good about Indiana, accept that I only lived there for 1 1/2 years.  I have to consider that when moving to gray skied Indiana, I had moved from 90% sunny days beautiful state of Colorado.  Now that is hard to beat.

But each state, each place, taught me things about the place and about myself.  I am thankful for each adventure, and I really mean that....as some were really adventures.  Like the time I lived in a truck camper with two dogs and three children, and homeschooled, while camping in the Rocky Mountains.  Wonderful time.   Good memories.  Another time for that story for sure. 

I have come to the conclusion that none of these states, even Missouri, will compare to Wisconsin.  I was born there.  I was raised there.  I lived there until I was 21, then the moving started.  I did move back two different times, once for nine years and once for only two years in my adult life with children.....and dogs, of course.  I have lots of memories, and bonds to Wisconsin.  But let's get real.  I have lived in Missouri since 1989, in good and bad times, but 1989 is a long time now that it is 2014.  So, is Missouri home.  Yes, in many ways and I will most likely live here the rest of my life, in rural Missouri hopefully, in this home, with my dogs and my yard and my garden and my camping as long as I can, and my painting, and my knitting, and my baking, and my quilting, etc. etc. etc.  Oh, those etc's make me sound like "The King and I".  At least I am not that far away from home.  but what is home?

Home is where you are, where you make your life.  Therefore, I have been blessed so much to have many homes in many places, and currently, and for many years now, I have lived here in rural northeast Missouri.  No, it is not Wisconsin, and No, it never will be Wisconsin.  But it does not have to be.  I will let it be Missouri, or as my husband says...Missourah.  I am in the south....with snow and cold at least this winter.

And to close.....please, oh, please, spring, please come soon.  But it will be the same time.  March 20th.  Happy Spring to all.

Winter Wonderland/Inside Creativity

Winter in Missouri this year has been extremely cold, with ice and snow that stays and stays.  It does give me fond memories of living/growing up in Wisconsin northland.  I would ice skate, ski, sled, snow shoe, and just have plain fun in the snow with snow forts and snowmen and snow horses.  But as an older adult, I am not sure I am appreciating the cold weather for any of those reasons.  I must admit I enjoy walking my Daisy Mae, bundling up of course, but being out in the falling snow and slidding along on the ice patchs in the yard and driveway.  I like crunching the thin ice on puddles of water and have even been able to walk on our pond this year.  I only recall being able to do that one other time in the twenty some years I have lived in rural northern Missouri.

What I am enjoying most is the inside time.  I enjoy the slow mornings, not getting dressed and out the door.  I enjoy the time to sit and knit, whatever project I am working at that time, and watching the early morning news programs.  By the way, right now I am working up some baby hats for charity gifts for the hospital.  They go fast and are a nice change from larger projects.  And, of course, I always have a small basket with a pair of socks I am working on.  My antique dressers right side top drawer is filled with about 20 pair of homemade knit socks I wear, but I continue to make them for myself and family.  I believe it is my knitting passion (socks). 

I also am enjoying quilting my large French colored block quilt by hand.  My dear dog Daisy likes this quilt also.  Whenever I get it out on the bed to look at it, she jumps up and lays on it, looking up at me, with a smile I believe.  I place it on the dining room table to quilt, while listening to books on CD from my library.  Daisy again jumps up on the table and lays on the quilt, as if it is where she belongs.  I had to tell her that I really will finish this quilting project, which is a big one, but when I do, we will use the quilt on the home bed and also the camper (glamper) bed.  I think I saw another smile on my dear foxhounds face.  Maybe she is not an English foxhound after all and is French, because she sure does like the colors in this quilt.

Of course other things I spend time doing are crafting (homemade Valentines made with my 11 year old granddaughter, Alorah), and reading....lots of it, from my Bible, to books on CD, to magazines such as Orion and MaryJaneFarms, and knitting, quilting magazines, plus plays.  Yes, plays.  You see, I am taking some audit classes at Hannibal LaGrange University.  It is lots of fun, all learning but no papers to write or tests to take, and much cheaper then for the credits.  I was reading in the AARP magazine that many "baby boomers" are auditing classes for the fun and continued learning while they work their brains, and meet new people.  So, I applied that bit of reading to action of doing. 

Cold weather can be hard on us, but we need to bundle up and go out when we can.  Fresh air helps our health.  Inside time is also something we need to use wisely.  You see, I have so many projects planned, that I am hoping that spring does not come "to" soon.  This lady has a list she is working hard on to complete.  Well, I can keep the list for next winter if I don't get it all done.