Firstly, I will start by apologizing that it's been so long since my last post. It has been a whirlwind here. December brought kidney stones and surgery for my husband and a sinus cold for me. Then we had a stray dog get in our yard and kill most of our chickens. We managed to purchase some more from someone locally to replace them and we've been working through the transition.
Christmas came and went, and New Year's Eve followed. On New Year's Day I woke up sick again and I've been that way ever since. No, I don't have COVID. I have been tested twice. I'm vaccinated and boosted, and I had my flu shot. Nor do I have strep throat (although it feels like it), the flu, a croup thing that's going around or two other things they tested me for. After a run of antibiotics my throat is no longer on fire but I'm still trying to get my legs under me. Even so, I consider myself lucky.
I'm lucky I live in a place where we have good medical care, antibiotics, vitamins, fresh food and a warm home. I'm lucky I have an illness that will pass, and my immune system will have learned something new to use in the future. I'm lucky that I've had time to read some great books and watch some fun movies. I'm lucky to have a husband who looks after me so readily. I'm lucky for neighbors who will step in at a moment's notice when I need help. I'm lucky to have people who care.
We got buried in snow while all this was going on in my tiny life on this huge planet and I have to say the snow didn't make me swoon with its charms. I grew up with so much snow that I got sick of it. But, for this place I live in, it's a novelty that never lasts long and I was warmed by the sight of children building snowmen and sliding down hills, by people dressed in warm coats and colorful hats, by the sheer cleanness of it as it clung to the trees in the morning and covered all the previous day's transgressions. As I looked out the window at my cherry trees dripping with the whiteness, I was humbled by the power of nature to slow our lives to a standstill and bring our hurry into perspective. It made me think of all the earth underneath resting and waiting, replenishing itself and sleeping. All that snow will soak into the ground and nourish the parched earth. It will keep the seeds that await spring warm and on the verge of life.
For a moment I was taken back in time to my Nana's house where I walked in snowshoes and the cold made my nostrils stick together. We dug out mazes and played hunting games where someone got to be the wolf. We built snow forts and threw snowballs. We tobogganed down huge hills crushed together and safe in our snowsuits. We drank hot chocolate from thermoses. We stayed outside until we were soaked to our skin and our bodies craved the warmth of the house and then a few minutes longer. We cheered for snow days when we couldn't go to school. We ate hot soup with fresh bread. We cuddled under blankets and played cards and board games. We let the world slow down around us.
Maybe I grew up in a place where I had so much snow I got sick of it but, I have to admit, it still holds a place in my heart, however dim. #authorlife #snow #winter
Comments