We got snow! Before the snow, of course, we got cold. It was -11° on Wednesday morning as I drove in to work. That’s not an outrageous temperature for our area by any means, but we’ve been spoiled with unusually warm weather so far this winter. It was 55° one week and -11° a week later. That’s a big swing!

However, the colder temps meant an opportunity for some snow, which we’ve really been missing this winter! We didn’t get much over the weekend, just a few inches. But it’s beautiful! It’s snowing again today and I couldn’t be happier about it!

The colder temperatures meant it was time to haul in some more wood for our fireplace to bump up the cozy factor in the house. There is something satisfying about cutting and hauling wood for the house. On one hand, it’s funny that you do all of this work gathering wood and then you just burn it and it’s gone. On the other hand, it’s awesomely satisfying to get outside, get a good work-out, and feel a bit like you’re tapping in to your pioneer heritage. Okay, so if my husband reads this, he’ll roll his eyes, since he knows that it’s really quite rare that I help with the cutting and hauling of wood. Hey, somebody’s got to be in the house to do the cooking, cleaning, bathing of children, etc., right? Actually you’ll usually find me right outside too, but instead of hauling wood, I’ll be off taking photos or out on a nature walk - I’m easily distracted by the beauty and wonder of the snow-covered woods.

Some dreamy little part of me imagines us chopping wood with an axe rather than cutting it with a chainsaw… loading the wood on to a cart pulled by two hefty draft horses rather than piling it on the back of the Polaris Ranger… pulling it silently through the snow-covered woods with only the jingle of the horse’s harnesses breaking the silence, rather than the roar of the chainsaw and rumble of the Ranger’s engine. That’s the dreamy and imaginative part of me. Then, my very logical husband chimes in and reminds me that I would need to be out feeding and watering those draft horses morning and night, that I’d never get to go on a vacation because who would tend to the horses? Who would clean out the manure, build them a shelter, pay the Farrier bills, ensure they get exercise every day, fix the water tank heater when it breaks, etc.? Then, I am dragged back from my snow-covered dreamland to reality… My hubby thinks I live in La-la land. I prefer to consider myself a hopeless romantic, a dreamer, a believer, but not unrealistic.

I can sure appreciate the motor on the Ranger though when it's pulling us around the yard in the sled! That may be THE most red-neck thing I'll admit to doing for fun! and it IS fun!