Like much of the United States, Ohio is currently being visited by a pretty extreme weather system. We have been under a winter storm warning and wind chill warning since early Friday morning. As I write this at 6:43 am on Saturday morning, the temperature is negative 2 degrees Fahrenheit, with high winds making it feel like negative 24 degrees Fahrenheit. We have been hunkering down here, venturing outside briefly only to shovel the small amount of snow in the driveway (Chris) or refill the bird feeder (me).
Have you ever wondered how birds stay warm in frigid temperatures? I found this article fascinating, but if you don’t want to click on the link the photos here will show you the main way they stay warm: by fluffing up their feathers. They trap pockets of air around their bodies this way – their very own “down jacket”, literally.
The birds were at the feeder all day long yesterday. I added some handfuls of high energy feed (a mixture with raisins and peanuts) to a couple of flat surfaces on our patio. On a normal day I notice a lot of feeding activity in the morning and then not again until later in the afternoon. Yesterday was constant.
Today is Christmas Eve. We have a very quiet evening planned: Sam and Pokey will sleep over and we will eat cheese fondue (with this homemade bread) and watch Paddington. Tomorrow morning we will have a breakfast of various homemade baked goods (almond croissants, ham and cheese croissants, sausage rolls) and, a blast from my childhood and a necessary fixture at all celebratory mornings, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Sam will meet up with his dad later on Christmas morning and Chris and I will have a quiet Christmas meal of New York strip steaks, mushroom sauce, and homemade oven-baked, parmesan-coated French fries.
To be honest I have not been in a very Christmas-y mood this year. Possibly because I contracted Covid from my workplace a couple of weeks ago. Ten other colleagues in our rather small workplace also came down with it within the space of one week, and the entire office was subsequently told to work from home until after Christmas. I was lucky in that I had nearly no symptoms, but the process of isolating myself in the house (thankfully Chris did not get it) and suspending my walking practice out of an abundance of caution sort of threw me for a loop.
One thing I have been doing is thinking about what my one-word theme for 2023 will be. I love the process of deciding what my theme will be – it makes me really consider these types of questions: What do I need? What needs to go? What needs to be done in me and through me?
That last question sounds a bit religious, and I’m not a religious person. But I do believe in positive energy (which makes me sound New-Age-y, which I’m not, either). I think that energy is highly contagious, whether it be positive or negative. Think of how you feel after a wonderful visit with a friend, versus how you feel after listening to a coworker’s gossip or rant. Or, heaven forbid, Fox News or MSNBC. I do want to, in some way, contribute to the positive side of things, and that’s what I will be contemplating over the next week.
I will share my 2023 theme, as well as my “23 for 2023” list next weekend. Until then, stay warm. Merry Christmas to those who observe/celebrate the holiday!
Love,
Michelle xoxo
