I love winter. Simply LOVE it. Which is strange since both my sisters and mother despise northern winters and you'd think, being a Hawai'ian child, I'd hate it too. Seems like I managed to have more of my father's blood in me when it comes to which seasons I enjoy. The snow and the cold nights! Hot drinks and warm hearty meals that really make this house a home. Having to cuddle up with Grendal to keep warm while we sleep. Even Yuko, our odd mix of a pup, loves the snow! Being a short haired breed who came up from Alabama we thought she'd hate the snow. Nope. Whenever a fresh bunch fell she begged to go out and play. Running, digging, eating, and rolling in the snow until it just got too cold. Yuko is a dog after our own hearts.
That and being with my modern day viking of a man, Grendal. I don't like summer that much anymore and it's because of the heat. When it gets to be anything above 80 I tend to melt and not want to do much unless there is a breeze, I'm near water, or in the middle of the woods.
The birds around here have told us that winter is now a memory and Spring is in full swing. While the actual transition is still a few days away, you can't really deny nature and animals. Grendal pointed that out yesterday while we listened to a Robin sing. My little Goldfinches, Chickadees, Mourning Doves, and Cardinals have all strayed from the feeders to find their own food. Kinda sad but I bet they're happy to be out and about.
Its early to mid march up here and it's bordering on 80 degrees. D: Way too early for this heat and the upper part of the house(the part we rent) doesn't vent heat, it holds it in. So we bake, our electronics bake, the animals don't wanna be up here, etc. Despite that I've started walking home from work to take in the sun and see if I can gain some color without actually burning for once(doubt it). Gotta take out the bikes and check the tires so I can ride to and from work.
Grendal and I have started to save up money for our wedding. Its a little over a year away and I'm already paranoid on what to do. I mean what the hell do I do for a wedding? We're having it in the yard and the person doing the ceremony is going to be a family friend. All of it's going to start in the afternoon and give way to a bonfire. We don't even know how many people to invite. :I His family is HUGE compared to mine, even if my mother's side was able to fly out and join us. The only thing we know for sure is where we're getting our wedding jewelery(to pendants from a local RenFair), what I want to do for a dress(still gotta get the pattern and double check that Grendal's mother is willing to help), have my mother make my headdress, and, above all else, brew our Mead! That is the part I'm looking forward to. Our first batch turned out wonderful so we're going to ahead and make about 15 gallons worth for the wedding.
So, since winter is over and spring is in full swing I can no longer hibernate. Time to open the windows, spruce up my altar, and begin life anew! No more winter woes that seem to creep in no matter how much I love the season. While my little corner of the world may not be as I imagined, it's my freakin' corner.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
It's the most Wonderful Time of the Year
It's already September, which means it's close to my birthday and closer to my favorite season: autumn! I never really experienced the color extravaganza that come with season when I lived in California and Georgia. Sure trees changed but it's nothing like what I've seen here in northern Illinois. The first time I saw such a lovely display was actually in the backyard of my grandparents' house(my father now owns it). I'm not too sure what type of tree it is but every autumn, for a few days, the leaves are a beautiful crimson. After a point, though, they turn brown and fall. :P
One of my favorite places is a stretch of road not too far from a community college. Trees create this nice tunnel effect as they loom over the street, and once autumn hits the place looks similar to this, but with more reds:
When the sun begins to set the whole place seems to glow! It always takes my breath away. I love the place so much that it inspired an area in my novel-in-progress. The forest always has autumn colors, which just makes it a dream place in my head.
Grendal's father had gone around the yard last month looking at the oak trees in the yard and decided to figure out what kind we have. From what I've been told we have three different kinds, which makes the whole lot of us happy. I've also taken notice that they're producing a nice amount of acorns and have decided that I'm going to try and harvest some! While it seems too early for me to start feasting on nuts, I can't help but want to harvest them. Acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds, all in their shells, was something my mother bought me every winter when I was kid. We had a nutcracker that I was able to use to crack 'em open, though I stopped using the poor guy when I noticed his jaw was loose(I also liked watched The Nutcracker, so I I thought mine came to life at night and wouldn't appreciate a wiggly jaw). When we moved up here to Illinois my little winter tradition stopped mainly because I couldn't find that array of nuts together and for a reasonable price. So I'll be keeping an eye out for the right harvesting time and the grocery store whenever they get their own nut harvest.
On the mead front, its drinkable and yummy!! Grendal and I are happy that our first batch came out so well and we plan on not only making another small batch but saving up money so it can be our drink of choice at our joining/handfasting/wedding thing. I think we had agreed on two 15 gallon jugs. The big thing is figuring out flavor. We've thought about spiced mead and even a berry kind but nothing is set in stone yet. I think I'll nab a book on mead making before all of that gets underway.
Other than that not much has happened in my corner of the world. I'm trying desperately to save money but it seems to be harder than I thought, mainly because I've had to empty my account twice to help pay the electric bill. This coming Friday, though, I will be getting that money back since the electric bill isn't really what was agreed upon when it came to me paying for stuff. It also helps that Grendal's father has gotten a job, so there will be a little more money coming into the house! Grendal is still trying to focus on the home business but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, which frustrates everyone. Grendal has mentioned that there needs to advertisement and his mother shunted that responsibility to him, which probably wasn't the best of things. He's at a loss on what to do and that seems something like his mother would be a bit better at accomplishing.....to some degree. All that really needs to be done is create a flyer with the phone number and the etsy site url, along with a brief description of what they do! Put it up around town and business bulletin boards and there you go. Online advertising, though, might be a little harder.
That's it for now. I'll be back whenever something exciting happens! ;)
One of my favorite places is a stretch of road not too far from a community college. Trees create this nice tunnel effect as they loom over the street, and once autumn hits the place looks similar to this, but with more reds:
Grendal's father had gone around the yard last month looking at the oak trees in the yard and decided to figure out what kind we have. From what I've been told we have three different kinds, which makes the whole lot of us happy. I've also taken notice that they're producing a nice amount of acorns and have decided that I'm going to try and harvest some! While it seems too early for me to start feasting on nuts, I can't help but want to harvest them. Acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, and almonds, all in their shells, was something my mother bought me every winter when I was kid. We had a nutcracker that I was able to use to crack 'em open, though I stopped using the poor guy when I noticed his jaw was loose(I also liked watched The Nutcracker, so I I thought mine came to life at night and wouldn't appreciate a wiggly jaw). When we moved up here to Illinois my little winter tradition stopped mainly because I couldn't find that array of nuts together and for a reasonable price. So I'll be keeping an eye out for the right harvesting time and the grocery store whenever they get their own nut harvest.
On the mead front, its drinkable and yummy!! Grendal and I are happy that our first batch came out so well and we plan on not only making another small batch but saving up money so it can be our drink of choice at our joining/handfasting/wedding thing. I think we had agreed on two 15 gallon jugs. The big thing is figuring out flavor. We've thought about spiced mead and even a berry kind but nothing is set in stone yet. I think I'll nab a book on mead making before all of that gets underway.
Other than that not much has happened in my corner of the world. I'm trying desperately to save money but it seems to be harder than I thought, mainly because I've had to empty my account twice to help pay the electric bill. This coming Friday, though, I will be getting that money back since the electric bill isn't really what was agreed upon when it came to me paying for stuff. It also helps that Grendal's father has gotten a job, so there will be a little more money coming into the house! Grendal is still trying to focus on the home business but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, which frustrates everyone. Grendal has mentioned that there needs to advertisement and his mother shunted that responsibility to him, which probably wasn't the best of things. He's at a loss on what to do and that seems something like his mother would be a bit better at accomplishing.....to some degree. All that really needs to be done is create a flyer with the phone number and the etsy site url, along with a brief description of what they do! Put it up around town and business bulletin boards and there you go. Online advertising, though, might be a little harder.
That's it for now. I'll be back whenever something exciting happens! ;)
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