In the meantime, my days are filled with other distractions. After a very hectic fall of settling into our house and preparing for Christmas, I envisioned lazy weekends of reading, looking through my husband's old collection of Century Home magazine and resting up before spring arrived. It hasn't gone exactly according to plan.
I have read a few books and glanced through a few magazines. I even finished John Grogan's 'The Long Road Home' in a single day, but I owe that to the fact that I had pulled a tendon in my wrist and found myself useless when it came to completing any chores around the house. I have ordered my seeds for this year's garden, full of as many heirloom varieties as we could find. However, becoming a country girl, has given me a new perspective on both the outdoors and time management.
My husband opened me up to a new world of outdoor activities to which I will always be in his debt. Never having been a fan of outdoor activities as a child, I could never understand why anyone would want to play in the COLD! Now I understand those who pray for snow; the winter is much more enjoyable when you get outside and become a participant of winter. It had been years since I skated but he took me to outdoor rinks and now we enjoy our natural rink in the backyard. He also introduced me to cross country skiing; this year we have our own track around the pond, making excellent exercise until I can get out running again. Our children received their own skis for Christmas this year and appear to be natural born skiers. We've walked around our property, scouting locations for a tree house and gardens. I've stood out in the vacant corn field, listening to the stillness around me, hoping to glimpse a deer or two but thus far only catching the strains of an errant and seemingly out of place wind chime.
Making quick time around the pond.
Knowing my days of spring and summer will be filled with welcome outdoor chores, I've also realized that it's prudent to make the most of my 'inside' time. This is the time to begin planning next year's Christmas baskets we make for our families. I'm also planning our home made gifts for birthdays throughout the coming year. In addition, my daughter has even encouraged me to start knitting again, asking for pink legwarmers for ballet class. My son has joined me; he's knitting again after two years and is working on his 'blanket' while my daughter, never one to be left behind, is trying her hand at latch-hook rug making, crocheting and knitting. The original inhabitants of this old abode would surely put us to shame, but perhaps they're content that the newest caretakers are respectfully attempting to not only restore their home but their past times as well.
Crochet lesson.
I've also perused books on small barns and outbuildings, learned about the old east coast tradition of rug hooking, read up on how to build a tree house, peered over the artwork of the Amish at work through the seasons, and eagerly started a blog depicting my new life in the country and the trials and tribulations of renovating a century home. As winter marches on, I wonder what the pioneers did to fill their time during the winter months. Something tells me, they would put me to shame.
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