Treadling in place

At this point in Winter, one gets a bit weary of surviving the cold, clearing snow, managing small household glitches ( snowmelt dripping indoors), feeding the insatiable wood box every hour or so, hanging laundry inside, wearing layers of warm clothes.... But I'm not complaining. Not really. We have plenty of clothes, an adequate amount of wood, our washing machine works, cooking and baking help warm the house.... It just seems like this time of the year, we spend a lot of time just staying in place, like treading water. It's a good skill to have. Its also a good time of year, to have a sewing machine, so I can treadle in place, too.

Snowy Groundhog Day

We have an official snow day today to celebrate Groundhog's Day. It's a good day to hibernate!

"Stand on solid ground"

In honor of MLK day, I'm posting this photo of a lovely tree, that reminds me of a poster from my dorm room ( 40 years ago!). The poster showed a massive oak tree and was captioned, "STAND ON SOLID GROUND." I think MLK stood on solid ground when he stated his beliefs and dreams. My college room poster reminded me that it's okay to be yourself and hold firmly to your own beliefs regardless what's in vogue. Change happens when you hold true to your visions.

I had another poster that showed a mossy, green woodland scene that stated, "DREAMERS LIVE FOREVER." MLK was a dreamer; remember the famous line, he uttered? "I have a dream!" His legacy lives on. Don't give up on your dreams that life can be made better by your actions.

A Change of Scene

Today we visited my daughter who lives near Lake Ontario. What a change of scenery! Ice balls lined the shore, as well as a mix of snow and sand.

We looked like penguins on the icy beach. To our surprise, we discovered ice racing in full action on the shore near Sea Breeze Park. Not far from the noise and action, a lone swan swam in serene circles ( or was she or he doing the equivalent of a human's pacing, waiting for the bustle to diminish?)

From the Porch

I like to take morning photos from our porch. This was yesterday's view:

And these are from this morning:

Yellow bowl

This yellow bowl is sacred to our family. It's part of a set my parents had. My Dad made hundreds, maybe even thousands, batches of bread dough in it. My Mom made wonderful pies and cookies. When I use this bowl, I still feel the connection to them and it nourishes me as much as the bread I make.

Today is full of possibility

These photos were taken moments apart...sun, shine!