Cabin Fever

Yes, it is that time of year again....the winter doldrums and the cabin fever that ensues.  I didn't have much of a chance to experience it the last 2 years as we were packing, moving, and putting our house on the market one year.  Madly, remodeling and spending every evening trying to get our house to the point where we could refinance, the next year.  But, as soon as things "calmed down" enough for me to notice, the cabin fever is back.  It is brought about by dark winter months, end of the Holiday season blues, wet weather (and on the farm MUD), and feeling trapped inside....bored, missing sun and being outdoors. 


We had a brief little snow flurry (at best) that hit in the upper elevations of the Cascade Foothills.  Nothing on our end except for a few 5 minute snow flurries that didn't stick.




Winter months bring a lot of rain and any break in the clouds is a welcome sight.



I will admit that with my sleeping issues, I often get up past the sunrise.  I miss being up early to do devotions and watch the dawn of a new day.

Things are blooming!!!  First, was the clean up.  Second, was the planting of the garden bones in the form of trees and shrubs.  Third was the fine tuning of adding blooming things.  Fourth will be the fine fine tuning and I am looking forward to that this Spring.




And not so pretty is the mud.  With the addition of the donkeys, the barn has become an unbearable mud bog.  We are trying our best to combat it with bark chips and straw.  I am looking forward to dry weather.



January happenings:

Recorder lessons with "creatures".

Teenage boys with dyslexia who think bathroom humor is hysterical even when it is wrong...

Bedtime routine.  I will forever remember Brighton unwrapping his nerf gun Christmas present and shouting in pure delight, "I must have been a very good boy!!!"  Oh, my heart!

I have been reading.  I am trying to control myself and not read non stop until I finish a book.  I managed to stretch out 2 books but I did read 2 in less than 24 hours.

Playtime with friends

Poor Phil, his job is so hard!  Sometimes he just collapses in sheer exhaustion.  Luckily, I have these "speech" sticky notes to mark the occasion.

Runty duck still has a bumble foot.  She gets daily baths.  Vienna likes to watch.

My hair was a little too bright so Hairdresser Phil applied some dye to tone it down.

This dog's favorite place is right in front of the heater.

Winter sun after several weeks of drear...

The children are always begging me to take them to the Salem public library.  I don't like to go there.  It is downtown and I have to pay for parking and it is much more inconvenient than our local library.  But, cabin fever being what it is, I decided to take them there only to find out that they are doing seismic upgrades and most of their books are in storage.  We have a better selection at the small town library that we usually go to LOL.  Here the children are, wondering where all the books are.

They still found books.

My mom talked me into attending a fig tree pruning workshop.  Here I am wondering why my mom needs to take a class that she could teach.

And finally, wet and miserable weather did allow me some studio time.  I have 3 felted pieces ready for stitching.




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