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.