This is something I've been meaning to do for a very long time. More than a few times I have sat down at my computer and started listing in my head things I am thankful for. But for some reason I keep putting it off, not taking the time to actually write the list down or share it with anyone. So, the procrastination ends here. I have decided that my inability to list all the things I would like to at once is no reason to put off listing anything at all (very hard for my perfectionist self to do...)! So this is a beginning.

For winter things:

1. Beautiful snow that fell last night, refreshing the white blanket covering our world at the moment.

2. Morning sunshine turning the snow into crystals, coming through my window and warming our home.

3. Our wonderful woodstove! It is an absolute gift and in the chilly mornings I rarely leave the 8-ft. radius around it where the heat is the strongest if I can help it! (Luckily the computer, loveseat and refrigerator are all in this radius!)

4. Warm clothes. On these frigid days I am all too mindful of those who don't have Carhartt coveralls, fleece hats and winter boots to insulate them from the freezing temperatures.

5. My little canine heater. I'm sure she will show up on this list many times, but when it's chilly out she is a wonderful source of comforting heat as she curls up next to me on the couch and snuggles in for a good nap.

6. Our electric teakettle. It heats up water in a heartbeat for tea, hot cocoa or instant oatmeal, all warming necessities in a New England winter!

7. My husband and his commitment this fall to cutting, splitting and stacking firewood (and yes, I helped!) and this winter to bringing in heavy armloads, getting the woodstove going in the mornings and keeping it well stoked throughout the day so that the house is toasty warm when I get home at night. (And yes, I do my best to help and fill in when he's gone and I'm at home and most days I'm pretty successful. :) )

That's it for now. I feel as though it should be longer, but now that I'm started I'll be back often. :)

A World Transformed

Amazing what beauty such a destructive force as ice can create! Overnight our world was transformed into a million glittering crystals - a fairy realm that we were permitted to glimpse for a short time. To take advantage of the beauty we took a Sunday afternoon drive with some friends - I hope you enjoy this small sampling of our pictures!

These are for you, kk, because I love sun glare too! :)

Towards the end of our drive the sun was setting and you could just see the silver tips of the trees shining above these dark barns... peaceful and beautiful!

Winter Wonderland (or Chill Zone!)

Welcome to the Northeast, home of the "frozen chosen" - how may I help you?

I'm not complaining, I promise. I chose to live here and I chose to work at a job which requires me to be outside in the elements when most people wouldn't even think of venturing to the mailbox. Plus, I am fortunate in that I have a wonderful husband and friends who outfitted me very well this winter: from new insulated Carhartt bibs and good winter boots to ultra-warm Nike long-underwear, instant hand-warmers and toe-warmers and extra-soft fleece-lined gloves (thank you Luke, Ilona, Sandy and Jamie!) I am wrapped up from head to toe and my body stays quite warm no matter what the weather throws at me. I am thankful. I even enjoy the brisk feeling in the air, the cool light in the sky and the feeling of sucking cold air into warm lungs.

However, -4 real temperature with winds on top of that? You've got to be kidding me. This morning I watched in dismay as my car's thermometer dropped... and dropped... the closer we got to the barn. 6:35 - positive 1 at my house. 6:45 - 0 in Hoosick Falls. 6:55 - -2 in Buskirk picking up Vidal. 7:10 - -4 at the barn as we start our workday. Sure, I was warm, but after putting just 4 horses outside I wasn't sure if I still had a face or if it had fallen off somewhere by the pastures! The horses that live outside were covered with frost wherever they weren't already covered by a blanket - even the long winter fuzz on their necks was stiff and white! Logan (Luke's horse) looked like he had had his tips professionally done! This is when I profusely thank God for a heated tack room to thaw out in and a home made toasty by the woodstove my husband stoaked high before leaving for the afternoon.

Despite the cold, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty it brought along - trees, fences, horses all transformed to glittering white by the hard frost, snow singing underfoot as horses squeaked across it towards their pastures, crisp air and a beautiful sunrise shining through the clear, cold sky. I wished I had my camera, but I doubt it would've worked in the cold! But I do have pictures from the incredible ice storm we had in December, which I will post as well.