HUNKERING DOWN

With temps down in the 20s all week, we decided to make it a "Hygge" kind of week. As I'm sure you've read by now -- it coming in second for "word of the year", beat out only by Brexit -- Hygge is the Scandinavian word for well-being, and also for the practice of creating a mood of coziness and conviviality, in order to survive their long, dark, frigid winters.

A Hearty Pot of Boeuf Bourguignon

So far we've had a couple of days that we declared to be "Jammie" days, where we lit a fire and stayed in our PJs all day long. We've cooked some delicious, stick-to-your-ribs food, started watching some fun new series on Netflix and Acorn, and we've read lots of good books.

I even gave myself permission to leave my little tree up a bit longer than usual, as it really added to the warm, cozy atmosphere.

I especially enjoyed it first thing in the morning, sitting in an otherwise dark room, sipping my first cup of hot tea.

Pretty much the only "work" I did, other than cooking, was to finish up a few art projects. Now, I just need to get my art table cleared off so I can start the year with a clean slate, so to speak, before jumping into my next project.

Just about the only thing that was worth leaving the house for was this little dude.

Now we know where his phone habit came from. Apparently Papa John even let him send his first text, and take his first selfie!

Most exciting event of the week occurred yesterday morning, when I finally headed into town. I stopped at the bottom of the driveway to set the trash out for pick-up, and spotted something white out of the corner of my eye. My first frost flower!

Then I saw another.

And another! They were everywhere, under every clump of trees, and all along the fence rows.

 

Now that was definitely worth leaving the house for!