accurate colors of this morning
We are in the middle of another long bout of freezing rain, which began yesterday evening, went on all night, and got heavier just before dawn today. I am hoping very hard that the wind doesn't pick up and cause a lot of tree damage. There is still snow on the ground, which suggests to me that the air temperature must be hovering near freezing point. A sander truck went by earlier.
birds through a rain-spotted window
Yesterday the ice cleats came out for the first time this year. In a typical Winter, cleats are only needed on certain days, so I like to keep one pair of old boots cleated. That way I don't have to struggle with pulling cleats on and off my everyday boots every time I'm taking Piper for a walk along the road or driving somewhere or even coming in or out of the house while doing chores - cleats on flooring are both destructive and dangerously slippery. But this winter I don't have an old pair of boots to keep the cleats on, so yesterday I bought a pair of $30 boots just for this purpose. It was a reluctant purchase; the boots were made in China and I feel so miserable about not trying harder to find an alternative from Not China, that I may just return them unworn. At the moment they are still in their box in their shopping bag. For today at least, the cleats will stay on my everyday boots. Piper and I are going nowhere, and I'll try to pile everything needed for chores near the door so I won't have to come back inside until everything is done.
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In other news, a return to a fiber-rich daily diet is about to commence.
Details will be forthcoming in January.
Expect many, many details.
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I hope you are having a slightly-less-grey day wherever you are today!
Here's to the week ahead.
~~~~~
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your new diet post.
Miserable weather here in Vermont as well, and looks to be the same for tomorrow. I am glad errands can wait a few days.
As for the boots, thrift shop with feet in plastic bags might work for a spare cleated pair.
One of my knitting friends has been urging me to put my yaktrax permanently on an old pair of sturdy shoes. Not a big issue where I won't go on ice unless in an emergency, but a good idea, as you point out.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed that you keep power, but good that your heating is wood. I expect Piper won't be agitating to hike in the woods for now.
Piper only agitates for the closest spot to the woodstove! One day I walked into the parlor and found her hastily getting out of the cats' braided-rug-bucket beds. BOTH of them.
DeleteI just remembered I've been meaning to tell you that when you show us your outside strings of lights, you help me get through the winter. Just knowing someone who does that is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOh that's really nice to hear, Liz, thank you! Yesterday I had to wrestle with the string on the big barn every time I opened or closed a stall door - the top doors are only closed when rain or snow is expected - and after getting a LOT of sleet in my sleeves and having to argue with Bud who was trying to search my pockets while my arms were raised, I finally decided to take the string down. But I really enjoy seeing that string in particular! So I turned it into a swag between the barn and the workshop - and I'm looking at it right now from the porch :)
DeleteWe had rain her in the Ozarks yesterday and Saturday but today is sunny and nice....50's probably. I have Yak Tracs for those cleats and yes, they are a pain to get on and off and it's wise to dedicate a pair of boots or shoes to them. We have more ice down here than snow and power outages too when the wind picks up during one of those ice storms. I would prefer snow! LOL! I love your sketch! Very good! I hope you get some sun soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment - it's a very ususual flower and irresistible as a model :) I agree about the preference for snow! but I have a feeling my world is going to be extremely icy for at least a day or two. Possibly a lot longer, but that's as far ahead as I'm willing to think about ;)
DeleteYuck... rain :( You and I think alike. I have a pair of boots with snowshoes permanently attached to them. It saves similar back-unfriendly work every time that I need snowshoes.
ReplyDeleteYou made me chuckle - can't wait to hear about the fiber rich diet ;)
The snowshoe idea is great, and I know you have the conditions to wear snowshoes much of the Winter! I hadn't needed to wear mine for several years, and I was worried that the bindings would have dried out and weakened, but fortunately they seemed okay. If I had left a pair of boots attached all that time, each one would have been filled with a nest of cozy mice :)
DeleteThose goldfinches must be most thankful for you this winter. Hope your power stays on. Stay snug in between chores!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Chris from Boise
The goldfinches have just shown up in a herd in the past week or so - and they love that particular feeder! I hope they'll start coming to the new window feeder soon, but so far it's just been the brave little titmice :)
DeleteI'm a wuss when it comes to ice - always have been. I think it's because I never learned to skate when I was a kid and my sense of balance is never good. We had an ice storm this past week too - not fun.
ReplyDelete