January 2....Good morning...Its -4C, a lovely, soft morning with a fine sift of snow falling. Downstairs, in the warm darkness, I turn on the Christmas tree, to enjoy it's glow for a few more days before dismantling it and taking down all the other decorations for another year. Its always good to get things packed away and the decks cleared to get on with the new year and all the possibilities it holds.
The fire is next.
There is a good bed of coals that woof the fire back to vigorous life, once the draft is opened and a stick of good hardwood is laid in on them.
I've just been out to sweep the steps and clear the walkway to the door. Its early, just after 4AM, but that is normal, as my body ignores fall's time roll back on the clock.
The light, shining through the falling snow, glints off of the facets of each flake, creating a curtain of falling sparkles, a magical world. Even when we lived in town, on a morning like this, I'd be out clearing the drive, and watching the flakes fall through the halo of light below the streetlights. A quiet time before the dawn and before the world around us came to life. Up here, there are no other lights to break the darkness beyond our light halo, and silence surrounds us. Another layer of beautiful white stuff to pad the snowshoe trails, and reveal the overnight doin's of the critters.
These long dark mornings are good crafting time. Another pair of socks are growing on my needles.
On the trail cameras, the deer are definitely moving to their yard in the big cedar swamp to the south of us. There are grooves cut into the snow where they travel their ancient trails.
Following the deer, come the wolves.
Data is expensive up here. We are connected to the internet via 'line of sight' to the nearest cell tower. The 'techno wizard' I am married to, has the 'Bell Hub' limited so the data shuts down just before we hit the 15 GB mark causing what we call 'Bell's blue screen of death' to pop up on our computers. Data gets very expensive after 15GB, when Bell starts charging per MB. Extra data use leading up to Christmas shut us down on the 26th, and our data plan renews on the 4th of each month. I am looking forward to reading everyone's blogs and getting caught up on all your lives. Happy New Year to everyone!
I'm glad everything is ok, was wondering where you've been. So glad to have you back. A very happy and healthy New Year to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Martha. Best wishes to you and yours...its got to be a better year, at least it is looking more hopeful so far!!!
DeleteWhat a lovely word picture you have created here!!!!! Wonderful...
ReplyDeleteA lot of us, with constant Net access, can easily forget that some, still live, where it is not the same. Wise of you, to have it set, so you do not go over and add up wild bills!!!!!
And of course, I've been on the net long enough, to remember back, when I too, did not have the sooooo easy Net access I have today. -smile- Even though I have always lived 'in town.'
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Thank you for the kind words. I try to describe what I am seeing. Yes, we have to watch our usage...we don't do videos, control the automatic updates, and shrink our pictures down to use less data.
DeleteThank you for visiting my blog. I love your post. You set a very cozy scene. I just noticed we are "neighbours". Our home is also in the Valley!
ReplyDelete"Neighbours" and knitters, I think?
DeleteYou are a lovely wordsmith! To paint a picture as you do with your words . . . sigh.
ReplyDeleteWe see deer here on our property nearly every day. So thankful for the fences that keep them from lunching on our plantings and trees this time of year. We wouldn't stand a chance. Haven't seen a brush wolf or timber wolf lately, but know by their tracks in the snow that they are around. Our most active wild one lately has been our flying squirrel (no doubt more than one) that each night fills his/her little belly with sunflower seeds, large chunks from the suet balls and lots and lots of peanut butter from the hanging feeder. I just wish they wouldn't wake me during the night when they jump from tree branch to our roof sounding like a 2-ton elephant.
Thank you, Mama Pea. I love to write. Some days it flows easier than others! I have all my sapling plums and haskaps surrounded by hardware cloth to protect them. As far as the deer are concerned, summer doesn't seem to be an issue, but, fall and spring, they nibble as they come through, migrating from N and W of us, to and from a large deer yard to the south. We have a 'local herd', that seem to find enough food in the bush. First winter here, I left kale and broccoli in the garden. Learned my lesson and since them, make sure to have them cleared out so as not to create habitual visitors! Yes, those 'flyers' sure can make a big thump for the size of them! Love them and their BIG eyes though.
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