Into the New Year

Already halfway through the first month of the new year, back to everyday routines after the Christmas break. Up at 6 a.m for the school bus, then a bit of quiet time with a book & coffee before tackling the day's chores. The moon is still visible when I get up & has been very bright this week.

With the full moon, nights have been brilliantly beautiful, a crystal clear sky full of stars and trees casting long black shadows on the snow. In the moonlight, the snow has been lovely, dusted with diamond dust sparkles.

As I look out the window now, more snow is falling, just a light sprinkling for the moment. Last week the kids had two storm days in a row, school (wisely) called off due to snowstorms or freezing rain, a mix of both some of the time. I've had a few stray cats hanging around off and on, and I feel terrible for them on cold nights. I put out food which they come around for now and then, but have to hide it a bit or the crows make off with it.

My son has been experimenting with the digital camera he got for Christmas, making slide shows of trees, snow shadows, the cat, all kinds of things. Some wonderful photos. I'm hoping he may help me post a few to share.

Over the holidays, I picked up all the Christmas-themed books I could find that were on the lighter side. Several authors do a mystery or romance every year - Anne Perry, Mary Higgins Clark - fun to read if not memorable. There's an old Agatha Christie anthology of stories that is one I'd love to own, called Star of Bethlehem. The stories are thoughtful, combine faith, a bit of magic & just good storytelling.

The best non-holiday book I've read recently has to be Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, a story about the sister of Anne Boleyn (who also had an affair with Henry VIII). It's one of several novels about the Tudors by Gregory. They look daunting, big books, but once you start reading they are so absorbing you get through them pretty quickly. (possibly neglecting the dishes, etc. while totally transported to Tudor England). For anyone who likes a historical novel that is both entertaining and accurate, the series is a find. The Constant Princess is about his first wife Catherine of Aragon, another of the series is about Anne Boleyn.

With the cold weather and no gardening to do (except the dream variety), this is the time of year to curl up with a good book.

As we only have two TV channels just now since MPBN went digital, I often read in the evening too. I think I will buy a digital-to-analog converter eventually so I can get MPBN back. I gave up on cable ages ago, can't stand reality shows. Since we use indoor antenna, options are limited, but cable users in our area just found out they're losing PBS access too, because Rogers Cable just dropped MPBN from their local lineup. It's the PBS carrier here, from just across the border in Maine. My mother is furious since it's her favourite channel. So it goes. Rural areas are not generally well served by the companies controlling internet, TV etc. services, not here at least. Is it the same in western & central rural Canada too, I wonder?

Thanks to Becky for the birthday greetings, & Happy New Year to all! It looks like a challenging one according to all the economic pundits, but I think we' ll get along.

Into the New Year

Here we are, almost two weeks into the new year. Finally have the Christmas decorations packed away and the house reorganized (more or less) back to the usual everyday routine. Since the holidays we've had all kinds of weather extremes, heavy snow, cold, then a move to milder days and drenching rain and winds. My mailbox was a casualty of the heavy snow or the plow, not sure which, but one morning the poor thing was desperately lopsided. Have it sort of anchored now, but really hope we don't get any wild winds or it may go over completely.

Chickadees, a nuthatch, and a red squirrel are all enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds I've been filling the feeder with, and a pileated woodpecker has been hanging around too. Coming home late the other night, a damp and foggy evening, and the headlights picked up a young white-tailed deer standing very still just off the road by the woods. He turned and ran when we slowed down, appeared to be a young buck with antler buds just starting to show.

Our local power company is celebrating the new year by hiking the energy rate, bills out for year's end are horrendously high. I know people all over are getting hit with increases and it's hard when you're just making ends meet. Makes one thankful for the mild break we're getting in the temperatures. Today alone we've had a bit of freezing rain, pouring rain, and a little hail early in the day, weird weather, and the mercury is hovering around or above zero.

Noted the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary yesterday, an impressive gentleman. I admire people who use their fame and accomplishments to to do some good in this world. Such a lot of history goes with them as they pass on.