New Year Day action

"And now let us welcome the New Year
Full of things that have never been." -Rainier Maria Rilke

"January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be, too. Draw hearthside. This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within." - Sarah Ban Breathnach, from Simple Abundance.

While the rest of the farm family risked life and limb sledding on the "mother hill" at the park in our village, the cabin maintained serene composure. Snow was flying, the tweeties were provoked that the seeds were late arriving in feeders this morning, the woodstove crackled and cackled with warmth and insatiable appetite to hold at bay the sub-zero temps outside.
There is a certain self-indulgent satisfaction in staying in jammies until noon, putzing around, feeding the pets, drinking hot mugs of tea, visiting with long-distance friends and family by phone to welcome the new year - and working on that dratted puzzle.

The action of the day consisted mainly of snores from Nigel napping (all day); Jetta doing one "wild cat antic" of wall climbing to justify sleeping in various baskets and chairs throughout the rest of the day; and me - well, I raided the bookshelves for old favorites to while away some hours of planning and reminiscing.

"Get that thing out of my face...you KNOW I don't like the whirring/clicking noise..."

"LOOK, I don't wanna be RUDE, but you're campin' my style...you actually woke me up for THIS?? Where's my treat?"

"Mooommmmm! She's doing it again! Oh - yeah, right, she isn't actually TOUCHING me - but she MIGHT....whose chair is this, anyway?? Oh - YOURS? Yeah. Right. I knew that."

Winter project. Jigsaw puzzles. Someday, I'll have a table to use again...

Christmas decor comes down the day after Christmas - it went up the day after Thanksgiving, remember, so it had a good long while to add cheer and charm to the cabin. Now it's the SNOWMEN! At least these guys have the good manners to NOT melt all over the place, like their frosty brothers outside.

This chubby little guy is one of my favorite table centerpieces. I can relate to him, after a long cold winter...

And just to keep things jolly, there is even a Snowman TEAPOT (thanks, Kathy - good memories!) , to brew some yummy tea mixes like Swiss White Chocolate roiboos from La Tea Da

and Mint Chocolate tea and Lemon delight and ...well, I've got a LOT of teas (thanks, Anne - more good memories!).

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." - Zora Neale Hurston

2008 had plenty of both. The questions came from my heart, and Heavenly Father provided loving answers - and a few trips! We'll see what 2009 has to offer...

"God give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed;

Courage to change the things that should be changed;

And the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." - Reinhold Niebuhr

HAPPY NEW YEAR, loved ones!