Thursday, January 31, 2013

Random Thoughts on a Cold Winter Day










One of the first questions in my head this morning was how on earth was I going to get my eggs from the neighbor across the river when there was a windchill of  - 25?  I called her yesterday and told her I'd be by to get them. Well, I got my answer a couple of hours later when she called, said she and her hubby were going out and would drop them by my place on their way. Hooray! That meant, of course, I would need to get out of my robe and into some clothes, quickly, and meet them at their vehicle so they wouldn't have to walk up to the house. As they left a few minutes later, I almost danced my way into the kitchen. One and a half dozen eggs all snug in their cardboard carton! Amazing, how happy farm fresh eggs can make me, especially today, in the middle of a very cold winter. Life feels pretty darn good. But, there's good news and bad news. I plan to make chocolate chip cookies with two of them.

In other news, my son, Coleman, rolled his vehicle a few days ago. He hit a patch of black ice and over the bank it went, rolling about five times. He said it all happened quickly, yet in slow motion, just like they say, and each time he was upright he said to himself, "I'm still alive, I'm still alive." That was not easy for me to hear and even harder was seeing the vehicle, knowing he'd been inside that thing. The vehicle was demolished, but he walked away unscathed. He managed to push the passenger door open and an ambulance was called, but all tests and x-rays showed everything was fine. He's always been a cautious driver and worn his seat belt religiously, but weird things can happen. Again, life feels pretty darn good.

I still have eight squash in storage from my garden, which feels like buried treasure. I plan to bake one for supper tonight. I'm starting to dream of gardening, a good sign.




Buddy's doing fine, maybe a touch of cabin fever as walks are tough if not impossible in this cold wind. Throw the Ball Down the Hall is fun for a while, but soon we both settle back in - he naps while I write.

Twitter was over-capacity for about an hour this morning, so I actually had a life for a while and wrote this instead. A word of caution: if you don't tweet, don't start. It's highly addictive.

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print.

Here's some Bruce Cockburn to help us get through another winter evening. YouTube wouldn't let me embed it, so please click the link.  "Coldest Night of the Year," is a great song. It always makes me want to get up and dance, which is exactly what I aim to do. I hope you will, too.

http://youtu.be/krKPQ0v4B08





42 comments:

  1. Farm fresh eggs sound so good...don't think I've ever had them.
    SO glad your son is ok! That is so very scary, but makes one very grateful.
    Lovely video and I like the song. It is supposed to get down to 5 degrees here tonight. That is after being in the 60's and thunderstorming 2 days ago.

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    1. Oh, you must! The difference is night and day! Truly. The weather is capricious and the winter long...

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  2. I have kept butternut squash up to Feb. , but all of a sudden they wilted.I have heard of bathing them in a bleach solution.

    I have thought well of what I can assume on this cold winter day,and saw thoughts and thoughtlessness.

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    1. Yes, I tried the bleach last year, but this year left them alone and in a cool corner of my basement are doing just fine. I had one for supper and it was delicious!

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  3. When I was a small boy, I liked to hide out in the chicken nests on my Grandfather's farm in southeastern Oklahoma. As a consequence, one of my uncles gave me a sack of chicken mash as a Christmas present.

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    1. I Love your comment. It's so full of life in the country!

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  4. I'm happy your son was not injured.
    Have a good weekend.

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  5. He rolled 5 times? It's incredible that he wasn't injured. Thank goodness he was wearing his set belt! My son is very cautious as well and it's very reassuring to know that, isn't it?

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    1. It is Very reassuring. The doctor in the ER stated twice how great it was that he was wearing his seat belt. He's seen instances when that was not the case... :(

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  6. Life is splendid -- a safe son, fresh eggs delivered, garden squash in the pantry -- wonderful day for you. -- barbara

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  7. So glad your son was ok...very scary! Fresh eggs...haven't had any for about a year now. Ooh how do I spell j e a l o u s...hahaha

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    1. I cannot go back to store bought even when stated organic. They are not even close.

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    2. Sounds like goo news all around.

      And it won't be long until cabin fever is just a memory.

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    3. I'm looking forward to that day. I miss being able to be outside, walking barefoot on the grass....

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  8. I'm glad you son has the wisdom to use his seatbelt! Once again it has proved its worth!

    Nearly every day I walk past a house in which a widow lives. Three years ago I responded to an accident scene and had the unpleasant task of carrying her husband to the coroner's van. He had not used his seatbelt and died when his truck rolled several times. I inspected the truck where it came to rest and could clearly see that the accident should have been survivable.

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    1. Oh, Terry, how very sad. Lessons abound in life if we would only heed them.

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  9. What a fright that must have been to hear and see. I'm so glad your son is safe. Now, enjoy those eggs and squash (ever do scrambled eggs and squash?) and your quiet time with Buddy. Gratitude comes in so many ways, doesn't it, Teresa?

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    1. I have not had that combo, but gave it some thought yesterday... baked, or?

      Gratitude is essential and I try to live it every day, all day. Practice makes perfect, or close enough. :)

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    2. Scrambled. Sautee the squash a bit, then add to eggs as scrambling. Peppers are also good.

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  10. You have much to be appreciative for. Especially with the good news that your son was not harmed in his car accident. Squash as buried gold? Ya gotta love that! I have a twitter account but generally I don't like tweets. Sound bites with no real explanation or reasoning. Exactly what's wrong with the electronic culture. Soon all of our machines will think (and write) for us. We have out dated ourselves. OK, I'm a little old fashioned.

    I love going out in the cold. It is the contrast that makes me warm in my soul.

    Love your posts!

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    1. I may have to give some squash away, which I won't mind a bit. Freezing some, too, now that it's getting late...

      Tweeting does not offer what my writing does. I cannot imagine having to comply with the restrictions of 140 characters on an endless basis. :) I hope it never comes to that... a little old-fashioned is very good.

      Thanks, Bill! I hope all is well on the eastern front!

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  11. So pleased that your son is OK, but sorry he had to go through that. I once took a wild upside-down ride in a car. It's an experience I wouldn't want to repeat.

    Very glad that you can still get farm-fresh eggs this time of year. :)

    I was just reading about how it was late winter and early spring that were historically the "starving times" for people. By then the stored root crops had begun rotting and it was still too soon for even the earliest spring crops. That all changed with the invention of canning (Napoleon gets the credit) but as I look at the potatoes in our basement starting to sprout and wither I wonder how terrifying a sight like that must have been to our ancestors.

    Our farm is on twitter, but we use it rarely and I hardly ever look at it. Blogging and facebook are addictive enough for me. :)

    peace

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    1. Thank you, Bill. I was surprised and very glad when she had some, and very fresh. I had no idea Napoleon had a hand in the advent of canning. How interesting... Your comment about potatoes is striking. Yes, it must have been a very difficult sight for them.

      I left FB and took up tweeting, but I'm not as addicted as others.... :)

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  12. Dear Teresa, not only have you introduced me to many modern poets and their work, you have also shared with me modern music. I really know nothing about music since the early 1970s. That's when I sort of stopped listening to radio except for "All Things Considered."

    So thank you for both music and poetry. And thank you, also, for sharing the weather in Minnesota. Here the wind chill was -15 yesterday, which is quite surprising and unseasonable in Missouri. I woke to a -1 air temperature and that, too, is not seasonable here. Normally, the temperature at this time of year is 38!

    I still miss the Minnesota winters . . . and spring and falls and summers! But I've decided that staying here will be for the best. I hope that sometime in the future when I come to Minnesota to visit friends we might have lunch together. That's a dream of mine! Peace.

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    1. My Dear Dee, How nice to hear from you and with such lovely words of encouragement to me. I was wondering if you would be returning to Stillwater. It's such a beautiful town, there on the St. Croix. I loved the time I lived there, even though it was winter and a little lonely. It was - 26 this morning. :(

      I would so enjoy having lunch with you when you return for a visit. Keep that dream alive !

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  13. Thank You Coleman for wearing your seatbelt. Glad all is well too. Cold, you say? Just don't lick the pump handle. You only do that ONCE. I licked a paddle lock when I was 7. I remember it like it was yesterday.
    Nothing better than farm-fresh eggs. My dad owned a small town grocery store. A farm lady would bring 12 dozen eggs to the store every week and my dad would give her "store credit." I think she sold the eggs for 12 cents/ dozen.

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    1. Thank you so much, Steven. :) I licked the metal water pipe that led to the watering tank for the cows lo those many years ago. No, it's something you don't forget or want to repeat.

      I would love to hear more about your dad's grocery store.... there is little better in life than farm fresh eggs. Well, there is, but not a lot of things... :)

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  14. It is nice to stay cosily in one's robe a few hours on cold mornings isn't it?! Sounds like you have good neighbors.
    I'm so glad your son was ok. "Over the bank" sounds like a horrible accident. Angels watching over him though maybe. My daughter commutes from Queens to the other side of NY every day, I don't allow myself to dwell on it.
    Are the yolks a deep color? Before organic eggs came along the ones I used to get from the grocery store had become a very pale yellow, got worse over the years I think, like tomatoes.

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    1. I don't even want to admit how long I do some days... :) We cannot dwell on these things our children do every day. It would overwhelm us.

      Yes, they are orange. They taste entirely different than the awful bland things one buys in stores. The difference between tomatoes is very similar. So many things really, different when raised on our own.

      Thanks so much, Jill!

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  15. That was a scary close call for your son. I'm so glad he's OK.
    Fresh eggs... none better. You wouldn't have to walk through the snow for our eggs... just up a very steep hill. But, it's always worth it. Enjoy the cookies.

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    1. Yes, you do know whereof I speak.

      Cookies? Unfortunately, I am... :)

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  16. I Notice That You Tube is more+more disinclined to let us embed video directly on blog.SHAME! I hope Coleman is more unshook now.I have only ever been in a crash once.....but I remember the slow-motion thing.Not Good.
    Have A Great Weekend.t.

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    1. Pretty soon we'll have to pay. It's the way of the world. Coleman gets unshook pretty easily. Better than mom in this case... :)

      Thanks, Tony. And a good weekend to you.

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  17. So glad your son escaped unscathed. This time of year is my least favorite because of the cold. Living in Virginia has added the fear of black ice to my dislike. Stay warm and be safe.

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    1. Thanks, Cherie. It's been a cold snowy winter, but spring will arrive before we know it. Hope all is well with all your new "kids" on the farm. Give that sweet little brown faced one a hug for me.

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  18. Hi Teresa,

    I'm glad to hear that your son didn't get hurt. With that many tumbles it's amazing that it turned out that way -- even with a fastened seat belt. Winter driving. Always dangerous. I wish we could avoid it, especially when my daughter is behind the wheel.

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    1. Ray, Thank you very much. He still recoils, he said, at the thought of what happened but he's fine otherwise. Winter driving is something I avoid as much as possible. Yes, having children who drive can be worrisome.

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