Actually, I was thinking of going out to the quilt shop this afternoon. I told my husband I'd wait for him to get home since we are running our wood furnace vigorously these days just to keep the house warm. I wouldn't want to leave it unattended. He suggested I might just need to get out since I hadn't left the house all week. That's not entirely accurate. I won't say I haven't left our house but I can say I haven't left our property in 9 days. And I don't feel bad about that at all. Just think of all the money I've saved on gas and groceries. I've been happily cooking from the pantry and freezer. I'm only interested in the quilt store because of some fabric I need to get. I really am a home body. I love keeping the house warm and cozy and having a delicious hot meal ready when Kent and Steph get home from work and school.
I also look after the animals. While that necessarily means the laying flock and beef cows, it also means I can't let those wild birds sit outside my windows huddled against the 6 degrees and not give them some extra fuel to burn.
It's a popular gathering place. I've counted as many as 9 different types of birds at once but generally they seem to gather in groups of select varieties at various different times. This was a colorful get-together full of Mr. and Mrs. Cardinals and Blue Jays with at least one woodpecker thrown in. This is the view out a kitchen window, it's quite distracting when I'm cooking. And I do keep a bird identification book on the shelf with the cookbooks.
And then there are the indoor animals. I promised my brother I'd post a picture of my adorable cockerspaniel, Caleb, in the sock monkey sweater my sister gave him. He wears it pretty much all the time and seems to enjoy putting it on when it gets really cold. Though he also has a winter coat that my daughter got him for when he goes outdoors. It really does help - me at least. His fur is so like a human's and gets soaking wet when he gets in the snow.
And when I'm inside I don't have time to get bored or have cabin fever. I'm practicing my quilting and working on projects. Here's one in progress and nearing completion. It's a growth chart for my niece. I was "trying on" the patchwork binding I made to see what I think of the look. And now that I think about it, I'd rather be quilting!
I hope you are staying warm and finding something creative to do during these long short winter days. Would you take time to comment and tell me - "What do you like to do when you are home keeping warm?" "How long can you stay home before you get antsy and need to get out?" You'll help me get that much needed personal interaction so I don't go stir crazy.
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