january grey

January is such a sweet relief, a quick shift to grey and the desire to rid my life of the "stuff". I finally got all the Christmas things packed into the basement this afternoon, and I'm eyeing boxes and piles with fresh eyes. What can go? What don't we need, and what don't we love? I'm feeling unsentimental in my quest to stop being a slave to the things we own. It is crazy that I can't mop under my bed because there are a thousand pounds of comic books under there. How much fabric is enough? I've been cleaning deep in the kitchen drawers and cabinets. I have white paint for the utility room and the downstairs bath. I'm almost ready to start painting the kitchen white. Yes, the red wall stays.

The polar vortex was an experiment here in the 128 year old house. The upstairs cold water pipes froze for a few hours, but I think we were saved by the morning sun. My biggest fear was the chickens, but apparently they are resilient creatures. I did add extra bedding and wrapped the coop with a tarp. We pushed a few trees through the stove and made it through the coldest days without losing power.

I'm thinking about seeds, compost, and bonfires.