Baby it's COLD outside!

I discovered just how much of a Southerner I am this weekend; and just how much of a complainer. For New Year's we got a blast of cold arctic air down here, and it looks like it's going to overstay it's welcome and be a pesky guest. During the day it has not even warmed up to 30 degrees, and at night, the temperatures dip down into the teens. With the windchill factor, it feels like 20's during the day and single digits at night. Yuck.

This is pretty drastic considering that average temperatures around here are right around mid to upper 30's during the day (if not warmer)and maybe upper 20's or lower 30's at night. I can remember January days in years past when it reached the upper 60's and I ran around in the woods with a tee shirt. I can prove it; I wrote it down in a journal somewhere.

I do not like it one bit, and I have been letting my Yankee born and raised husband know exactly how much I dislike it. Yes, I have been complaining a little bit; even though I know how useless it is to complain about something I have no control over whatsoever, venting about it affords me a little bit of comfort - as sick as that is.

I am a sun lover, I guess. I love the feel of the sun on my skin; I love going barefoot in the grass. I love getting my fingers in the dirt. I love sitting on the porch in the evening and listening to bugs. I love the warm breezes. I love leaving my windows open.

I do not like putting on multiple layers of clothes. I do not like bundling up like an Eskimo to feed and water the horses or help Kevin with the firewood. I do not like ice in the toilet bowl in the morning, and I do not like doubled electric bills from running the wall heater in the kitchen. I do not like it.

I nearly cried this morning when I saw the weather report - these same frigid temps. until the weekend if not longer. I decided I had better stop complaining and learn how to deal with it. I thought about the Ingalls family in the Long Winter of 1888 - record snowfall, blizzards every other day, and people stranded and starving to death in the 17 below days. Bleh.

Lord knows, I am nowhere near staving to death. That is the other thing about the weather - the uncontrollable munchies I get. The colder it gets outside, the hungrier I get. I eat something and an hour later I am starving again. I mean, stomach growling hungry; not just emotional mindless eating.

I decided I needed to make the best of it and be glad that "Global Warming" (what a stupid crock of you-know-what) doesn't seem to be effecting us here in Alton.

So, I may not be able to ride my horses, (unless I want to have my skin shredded off my bones by 20+ mph winds)tinker in my gardens, hike in the woods, or otherwise hang around outdoors as much as usual, I can focus my attentions elsewhere until a more pleasurable atmosphere evolves.

We have moved downstairs for the time being; pulling out out sofa bed that is in front of the wood stove in our living room. It is much warmer than our upstairs bedroom, where the walls are not insulated yet. Yeah, the pleasures of slowly restoring an old house, right? Anyway, it is rather cozy, going to sleep watching the flames. It is also easier for getting up in the night and re filling the wood stoves so they don't go out. The bad thing is, I am tempted to stay up too late watching public TV stations and all the cool documentaries they show at night. The cats love it too, and usually two or three are in the cozy nest with us, just beside themselves with delight.

Confinement to the house also means I have more time to dig into my 2010 goals list. I have put a huge dent in my mountainous stash in the loft, organized it a little better, and have a huge donate-sell-toss pile for starters.

I have organized my crafts and embroidery stuff in a chest of drawers for easy access. This was no easy task. I am still not quite done with it, but I made a dent.

I took down my tree and other decorations and put back my every day decor.

I also plan on other misc. projects that are good for indoor imprisonment, such as:

* Going through my many equine and other catalogs and tossing old ones, as well as going through my magazines and organizing them.

* Mending I have been putting off

* Going through old photos and getting ready to finish scrapbooks and photo albums

* Gluing and fixing broken stuff I've been putting off

* De clutter and De stashing

I also plan on finishing all of my projects in "limbo" - embroidery, my quilt, re-fashions, up-cycles, etc.
Plus,I have time to read more books. My grandfather keeps me supplied with political, economic, and social books I need to get read.

So if I can keep the munchies at bay, keep the woodpile tall, and keep busy, I can make it through this cold spell.
It will be a huge time of rejoicing when spring comes. I will probably go frolicking around, tossing flower petals in the meadow with the fawns and bunny rabbits, making daisy chains for everyone to adorn themselves with, singing happy tunes and rolling in the green, green grass.

Until then -