Monday

The question is this: would you go out and do your standard cross country ski run when the high temperature for the day is slated to be a whopping 7F (-14C)? You would? Fine, you are a better human being than either of us.

In the meantime, it takes me half an hour to motivate myself to go out and take care of the animals. After all, in the morning, we haven't even reached 7F yet.

Still, the sun is coming out, the snow is fresh, sparkling in the way it does when the slant of the sun's rays hits it just so, and the air is sharp and invigorating. You don't want to stand still for long outside! 

We had covered the coop with a quilt and tonight we'll put the little heater right by it and some warm air will trickle in that way, but honestly, this weather is not for the birds! And just to remind you, chickens are birds.

Ed sleeps in. 

When it gets ridiculously late, I finally call him down. Breakfast is ready!

Oatmeal time.

And then guess what -- I do my garden planning work! Less ambitious than the years before, since I will have a new knee to work with so I can't expect the same bounce in my step. Well, at least not in the first weeks of the planting season! Two weeks to recover seems reasonable, don't you think? 

But all that garden planning work completely deflates my ambition to go out and keep moving this year. It's too cold! -- Ed says. I so agree!

We exhale, pleasurably, with some degree of joy. And in that, I join the league of those described in an article I read today titled "Are French People Just Lazy?" Because honestly, if you are old and you do not absolutely have to labor away at stuff, then why are you doing it? Sure, exercise work is good for you, but everyone needs a break and today we take ours. Maybe tomorrow it will be pleasurable to go out again.

In the afternoon I pick up Snowdrop. As usual, on the drive to the farmhouse, she prefers total peace. Gaga, I'm daydreaming. Please don't disturb me. But once we're home, she is explosive!

Her greetings with Ed are protracted and very original.

Eventually, we settle down to read. For a very long time. And when I say enough of that, she wanders over to bug Ed. (Actually, they play some light computer game..)

Only when it's nearly time to go home, do I remember to ask her -- do you have any homework? She does. A lot. She promises to do it the minute she gets home. And you know what? The girl keeps her word.

Dinnertime. I reheat yesterday's stir-fry, Ed toasts some tortillas and warms up some beans and boom! We have ourselves a meal.

with love...