a quick reminder

In case you forgot what falling snow looks like:

taken a few minutes ago.

But that's not really what I wanted to remind you about...

it's that the Grow Your Blog Party giveaway entries

close tonight at midnight, Eastern Time.

So if you haven't already done so,

you might wish to leave a comment on the giveway post.

Tomorrow I will make a numbered list of commenters

and use random.org to select the winning number.

And I will post the winner's name on the blog tomorrow!

Good luck  :)

And a big "thank you" to everyone who expressed interest

in the Snow Leopard Trust!

~~~~~

wordless wednesday

~~~~~

that's entertainment

Need slippers?

Step 1:

knit giant clown-sized wooly footbags. 

Step 2:

throw them in the washer with very hot water.

Cross fingers and hope for the best:

Step 3 (optional):

make a before-and-after composite

for full comedic effect.

What, doesn't everybody measure their knitting

with a Biltmore stick?

(It just happened to be handy.)

And here's a rav link to full project details for felted slippers.

You may want to try it!

First it will make you laugh,

then it will keep your feet warm.

How many things can you say that about?

~~~~~

focus

(Pssst: Looking for the Grow Your Blog post? It's right here.)

~~~

This is how cold it has been lately.

These days, I often remind myself to "focus in."

Keep my mind on little things.

Small, manageable tasks.

Small, quantifiable achievements.

It seems like a good way to stay positive and avoid becoming overwhelmed by...well, anything.

Just before falling asleep,

I try to jot down one thing I've done that day,

that I feel good about.

One day it was finishing some onerous paperwork.

Twice - on two separate days -

it was successfully extricating the little green sportswagon

from a mound of deep snow.

One day last week, it was cooking this squash:

The biggest of the Sow True Seed Pink Jumbo Banana squash

raised as part of the 2014 "Reporter At Large" planting project

hosted by my blogfriend Tipper at Blind Pig and the Acorn.

The three varieties of winter squash I planted in my garden all produced so little and so much later than everyone else's, I was not much use as a reporter! But eventually I harvested a few squash and carefully saved them for Winter.

Which is certainly here.

So.Much.White.

Isn't it time for a little color?

Or a LOT of color?

Isn't this refreshing to the eye?

Everything about cooking this squash -

the weight of it, the colors,

the lovely fresh smell -

reminded me so happily of the garden.

The sun, the rain, the aching back, the sweat.

The magic.

Summer in the garden, August 2014 

Summer in a bowl, February 2015

And nothing was wasted,

which is always satisfying!

The seeds were cleaned and saved

for eating or planting.

The fibrous core was a treat for the hens,

who appreciate fresh vegetables in the winter

as much as I do.

And who always eat organic, even when I do not.

Happily, this time we all did.

And now, it's time to bring out my Deep Winter Survival Strategy:

the 2015 seed catalogs!

I do not even peek at them until February.

We are expecting two more days of snowstorm.

It is definitely time for the seed catalogs.

And a continued focus on little things.

~~~~~

february

The little birds have found the feeder again.

Early in the morning, before the sun is up - 

hence these dark pictures -

they begin to appear, perching atop branches
and clinging vertically to the icicles hanging over the windows,
awaiting their chance to swoop in.

Some are willing to share.

Some are not.

But sooner or later,

everyone has a turn.

~~~

There has been a lot more snow this week,
and also some snowstorm knitting.
Bundled up in the big chair by the parlor window.

With entertainment.

It has been so brutally cold lately,

I've been feeding the squirrels.

It helps keep them from going insane

trying to winkle seeds out of the bird feeder.

We all need a little help from time to time -

don't we? - 

to keep from going insane.

In February.

Which is why I made a handknit "cozy"
for my hot water bottle.

Do you use hot water bottles?

Or do you associate them with Wodehouse-era pranks
and slapstick calamities?
I used to be in the Wodehouse/calamity camp,

having never seen or heard of a hot water bottle in actual use.

But after reading a thread on ravelry
where many Irish and British and European ravellers
gently expressed their surprise that everyone doesn't
routinely use hot water bottles...

I bought one online in 2008

and became a convert.

Encasing one's hwb in a woolen cozy

will help it retain heat for much, much longer.

So wouldn't you think I'd have knitted one a bit sooner?

I have no excuse.
Until now, my hardworking hwb has been
wrapped unceremoniously in an old polarfleece pillowcase.

Well, not anymore!
I began this project for
the Stitched Together Random Rummage Craft-a-Long
and finished it in four days.
It still needs a light steam blocking
to even out those wonky stitches...
but it's pretty cozy, alright!

~~~

I hope you are faring well, whatever your February weather.

Try to stay warm if it's cold

and cool if it's hot.

And whatever you do...

don't run out of hay.

~~~~~