Winter

Winter has officially arrived with highs in the 20's and snow on the ground. As I type, I look out the window and notice it looks like it has started snowing again. There are major differences between winter here and winter in Philly. First, is the water factor. It's quite dry here so the cold doesn't sink into your bones the way it does back east. Also, there are a myriad of winter sports to enjoy from your front doorstep, no need to drive at least an hour outside the city to enjoy. I picked up a snowboard from the annual ski swap for $20! I'm psyched to try it out though we'll need a little more snow for that. Another difference is the lack of noise. A Philly snowstorm means plows, snow shovel scraping, and cars sliding down the road sometimes crashing. Here it is simply quiet. It's as if the snow absorbs the sound out of the air. It is one of my favorite things about winter here so far. At times, if you are still enough, you can even hear your heart beating. If you have trouble hearing your heart, you can always chop some wood and get the heart pumping faster.

We may have seen the ground for the last time until spring. Same for the road. Though it is plowed and sanded, they save the salt and de-icer for more frequently travelled and dangerous areas, like some of the curves on Twisp River Road that, if missed, will easily lead you into the ditch or field below. There is one curve that reminds me of the recurring dreams I used to have of driving off a cliff and flying towards the ground below. I slow down plenty for that one!

Winter also means layers of clothes, preferably wool. My long johns were still in my storage bin this morning so I grabbed a pair of my cotton yoga pants to wear under my 'outer' wool pants...the ones that are ok to get all goat-ified (billy goats have a distinct aroma). Though I was warm enough not to be running back inside, the cotton yoga wear isn't as warm as a pair of long johns. So, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks or one super thick pair, and then at least 3 shirts under the coat. Today it was a tank top, a wool long-sleeved T-shirt, a wool zip-up, and then my coat. I could have used one more layer. My skin will be lily-white before spring, giving it time to repair from the sun damage of the last few years.

Rest assured, I am staying warm. All the wood collecting of the previous weeks has paid off. It's fun to learn to regulate each stove for it's size and 'draw.' (Draw is the amount of oxygen it will pull through the dampers and up the chimney.) In our little cabin, we can rock the temperature up to 90 degrees with little effort. It will get hot enough in there that the windows beg to be opened or you feel compelled to run outside in your underwear or just a pair of boots. Super fun. With the shared bathroom, there hasn't been a need to heat up water on the stove and bathe outside, but...you may think i'm crazy...i'm looking forward to it. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day with highs of 11-17 degrees.

For now, back to slicing apples for the dehydrator. We just filled a 5-gallon bucket and are working on a second. Tonight we may also fire up the sweat lodge. Ah, life is good. And it's definitely snowing again. 

P.S.  i wrote this entry a couple of days ago.  Since then the high's have been in the teens, dipping easily into single digits and below zero at night.  Enough to make the water pipes freeze!  oh, and some more snow!