Friday

Since my expected Chicago trip got wiped right off the calendar for today (hoping for tomorrow!!), I found myself with an unusual morning of unbooked hours. They happened to land on possibly the coldest day of the year, so nothing tempted us outside. Not even the sunshine.

Breakfast: oatmeal and roses and Ed. And honey.

I half contemplated baking something (a hot oven, the smell of a cake inside, mmmm), but the couch won. I read and researched all morning long.

Since I was suddenly free in the afternoon as well, I offered to pick up Snowdrop at school once again. And this is when I am reminded that kids are totally unpredictable and you better not try to second guess what they want because surely you'll fail.

Barely out of the school driveway and she says -- they wouldn't still have the gingerbread house at Clasen's Bakery, would they?

They would not.

But they'd surely have something for Valentine's Day, wouldn't they?

Surely they would.

And we could go there and check it out, right?

We could.

I'm sure they would also have slices of cake, too, wouldn't they? And I could maybe have that?

That is one heck of a lot of sugar!

Please! I'd let you take as many photos as you want!

All day?

All day.

And you'd let me brush your hair at home?

Yes!

What a deal.

At the farmhouse, she wants to read only new books. Who is this person??

And toward the end, she goes back to playing with her set up. Playing! In the play room! Like old times.

And so ends another week.

It's the last really really really cold spell for a while. Last night, Ed and I listened to a hooting owl outside. It seemed fitting. I imagined a snowy owl against the Snow Moon (well, two days shy of the Snow Moon), staking out her territory. Will the owl be there tonight?

In the end, I confer with the Chicago bunch and we decide that it's wise to stay home this weekend. Plans do get derailed when viruses muck around and do their nasty work, so I'll  try to be patient and happy that at least everyone is on the mend. Sigh... Just me and Ed and the owl tonight. Well, and the cats. And chickens.

with love...