Here in Wisconsin it is the coldest week of the year so far. When we woke this morning it was well below zero and the windows were coated with ice throughout the house. (On the inside that is.) The weekend promises more of the same. Lupine, however, is staying toasty warm in her woolies, including a fresh and fuzzy cashmere undershirt that I'll share photos of next week. Cozy I tell you. We all deserve some cashmere unders.
Despite the chill, we have our skis and snowshoes in the truck and we're heading off for a long weekend in the woods with plenty of quick forays into the crisp winter air. We live here after all. Might as well get out there and enjoy it.
I stumbled upon these photographs from years ago that I thought you would enjoy. (Sage, then 3 1/2 and now 8 1/2, has always been my winter child. He kicks off his slippers, his covers, and any suggestion to bundle up. Just another lesson from my children of the richness of their differences.) These photos predate Lupine and our life in Viroqua and Pete and I working at home together and our commitment to homeschooling. It is almost as though they are from a different lifetime. The memories rush in as I flip through the photographs.
I vividly recall this day, a New Years weekend that we spent with friends on the North Shore of Lake Superior. As I flip through these photos I remember so richly this snapshot of time. I remember this boy who we called "Baby Sage" well beyond his babyhood. I remember him at three and the nuances of him, the fears I carried with me, the clarity of the magic within that young boy. I remember that we were eight months in to our journey of wishing for pregnancy and just before these photos were taken discovering – once again – that I was not expecting. I remember wondering if we would forever be three or if the daughter I had dreamt of since childhood would someday join us. (Just a few weeks later we were pregnant.) And the memories keep rushing in…
Keep warm, friends. Wishing you a memorable weekend, whererever you may be.
Love,
Rachel
P.S. When I lived on the North Shore a friend taught me that "There is no bad weather – just bad clothing." We'll be testing that theory all weekend long.
Timely post. We live in Maine where it is nearly as cold. It was a balmy 15 degree day here today and we shoveled the 2 feet of snow off our rink out back. I agree, we live here, we might as well get out and enjoy it! Tomorrow will be in the single digits. After all that work you can bet my kids will be skating…for 10 minutes at least!
yes, wisconsin winters are something…one of our pipes froze this weekend. but, as you said, we live here, so we may as well enjoy it: and today, wasn’t it so nice and sunny?
Meg,
The wee bursts of ourside play are the way of the coldest days. But we need that smack of fresh cold air on our cheeks to help us be alive! ~ Rachel
May,
So nice and sunny these past few days. Just today I was shocked to see 24 on the thermometer. I thought that I was missing something – either a negative or a decimal point.
~ Rachel