Beyond

I hope I never lose my sense of wonder. If that makes me naive, then so be it.

Monday 17 January 2011

crisp


The cold has descended, creeping in and chilling everything. Last night dipped to -25C (-13F), although 'dipped' seems the wrong word when it seems to be firmly ensconced there still this morning. It's chill-to-the-bone cold, nostril-freezing, throat-numbing, hide inside cold. Which is really too bad, as D used the snowblower on the weekend to clear off a section of the creek and (oh, irony!) it's too cold to ice skate today.

On the walls of the unheated buildings, frost forms ornate curlicues that look organic, like bits of stylized moss stretching across to reach who-knows-what. Nature's wallpaper. The windows glow then the sun hits them, again displaying the details of the frosty art.

The chickens huddle in their coop under the heat lamp, their feathers fluffed out to conserve heat. The eggs will invariably come in frozen today, their shells cracked by the expanding egg white. Thank goodness for the electric water heater, or the poor hens would be trying to chip at ice to get something to drink.

In other news, we met our soon-to-be dog yesterday. Well, she's already a dog - but soon to be ours. Six-year-old Meme will be joining us soon, an absolute sweetheart. She's built small but she's lovely, a German Shepherd who's been a show dog herself and the mom of several champions. It's retirement time for her and so breeder LK, who has set the bar for dogs with this family very high with both Tasha and Sam, emailed to ask if we'd be willing to give her a home here at the farm. We're all looking forward to having her here.

And still it's cold. After last week's calorie-packet but oh-so-yummy cassoulet, I was thinking of lighter fare this week - but all I want to eat is stew, stew, and more stew. Off I go to find something to meet both requirements.


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