Holy Rollers

January came and went and brought fierce cutting winds, deep snow, and birds of all sorts. Morning routines are easy to pick-up after a weekend away. Here I have learned to perfectly poach an egg, how to make quinoa interesting, how to perfectly pour tequila and orange juice.

It is here that I spend hours reading from my library stash.

It Is Freezing And I Have Nowhere To Be

Actually, I'm Up By Dawn

I want to tell you about the birds. I want to tell you about the ritual of waking up now. Each morning before nine, I reach to every article of clothing that is dashed around the bed and walk, eyes half shut, into the kitchen. The task I manage then is coffee.

When the kettle finally cries I make circular pours from left to right, snag a mug, and walk along the invisible tightrope that leads me into the living room. It is there that I grab a coaster, set down the hot carafe, and sink into a tan, velvet couch that I swear I have seen on Roseanne.

It's then that I watch. The suet is almost gone after being out there for a few weeks. I have filled all three feeders twice. We have quite a few brightly colored woodpeckers that look drunk when they swing back and forth on the tree. We have a pair of blue jays that surprise me every time because the Jay's in the West seem bigger and more aggressive. The blue they carry is deep like storm clouds across flat fields. I see a cardinal every now and then.


It is the most magnificent sound to walk along a dirt road and hear nothing but the bird's song.

The Winter Freeze

These photos showcase the last few weeks of December. Christmas, my birthday, and currently.

Living life in the woods is so very still. The weather patterns have changed drastically, forcing us to tighten up and tamp down. This weekend we will have purchased two cords of wood from a seventy year old man named Mike. A place like this makes you want to live forever. To always have the privilege to watch the world outside.

Pre-Winter

What we have been experiencing: