Friday, January 19, 2018

Thankful List January 2018

           
                        Thankful List

~ A new Singer sewing machine. Sewing has renewed charm for now. Maybe just until I get a few comforter tops sewed up.
~ I get to go to St. Croix with Elv for his work week. Next week we get the cabin that is right on the job again. It is nicely remodeled and equipped with all the modern conveniences. But no internet access. We notice, but we seem to get along just fine without it. 
~ I am especially glad for warm living rooms and hearths where we may toast our toes on these cold winter evenings. 
~ For snowplows and road salt.  
~ For a bucket of daffodils in the restroom of the little cafe we've been frequenting in St Croix Falls. Spring WILL come. At Wayne's Cafe, teal, formica covered tables have old-fashioned, red-padded, chrome chairs around them. It is a nice little place where they don't blow us out with "music" and they serve us ordinary food. And some not-so-ordinary food like liver and onions which Elv enjoyed.
~ For lovely quiet days in the woods cabin where Kristine and I had time to play with the baby, take walks, sew, and read while our men worked nearby. We had two-way radios to communicate. I love this way of logging. Yesterday Elv drove his machine right up to our door and invited me to ride along for awhile. The woods and snow and sunshine are the perfect healing for my SAD. 




Tuesday, January 9, 2018

2018 Opens


 We never know what is in the new year and 2018 is no exception. With the inescapable, relentless sub-zero weather and the away-from-home logging job, besides our babies and men getting sick with the current flu, the idea of resolutions seems unimportant. Instead we wear layers of clothing to keep warm and work to keep incomes steady and routines in place.
  Kristine and I enjoyed the views from the cabin window where we stayed on the job where our loggers are logging. It feels like a waiting game till this job is over. Theoretically in a couple of weeks they'll be working close enough to home to be home every evening. No more packing food and clothes and staying in rented quarters weekly. For my part, I was not expecting to be able to go to St Croix with Elv and determined to not mind the long evenings and nights without him. Then last minute I was going. I am more used to this shifting of plans and place than is Kristine. ( I have experience to my advantage, the children supporting our adventures amazingly over the years with packing and unpacking faithfully.They got good at it and we managed to get some quality family time in on the way. )

 In the meantime, the book I ordered came in. Your recommendation is appreciated, Lori.
The physical book is rather nice in the first place as books go being small, thick, with a white dust jacket and good binding. I have my favorite things about books just as I do about quality chocolate or coffee. This book feels really nice in my hands.
The contents are rather nice as well, all about what I will call Old World simple living.
The author tells about her experience of living in the home of quality folks who lived very simply yet elegantly.
How about owning only ten pieces of clothing? Or using your best dishes every day and not having many others at all? How long has it been that you felt so organized that you had nothing extra you weren't using sitting in the back of your closet?
Anyway, I recommend this book to all my daughters. It's a good read, too. I'll lend it to you.
We are actually having a real winter with snow and plenty of bitter cold. It was so cold that Lisl, of all people, brought the dog into the house until they got a doghouse built for him. And so cold that my kitchen faucets keep freezing up, which actually is a mystery to Elv who has been getting the basement insulated, "Why are those pipes freezing?"
The word basement reminds me of a discovery I made yesterday while I was looking at a blog. I should stop referring to our lower level as a basement since most of that level is finished now. It's just words, I know, but 'basement' still gives one the idea of dark, dank, cobwebs, and dampness that are hopefully no long part of our lower level.

We printed up 231 pictures of Brad's hiking adventure in the Grand Canyon. He helped me to organize them chronologically. We had a nice evening of reliving the event with him. I think it was a little too hairy and they were all a little too green for what they tackled but I also know that they were being prayed for and they learned a lot through the experience. I am glad for the pictures they took, from the beautiful river scenes and play to the hard parts of heat exhaustion and resting on the trail and the decision to night hike to avoid the heat. The pictures definitely show some of the  hard parts of the trail. God took care of them and they came back all in a piece.

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