Late Lies the Winter Sun
Climate, whether it be horridly hot or freezing cold, can confine a family to the house, which brings on an interesting set of problems. Keeping everyone happy and content, and maintaining your personal enjoyment of life, is something I hope to address here.
It was common in my childhood to be snowed-in. That meant that the snow was too deep for the car or truck to drive out the homestead road, and we prepared ourselves for staying in the house. Sensing that such weather was coming, we usually made a trip to town for fuel supplies and food, and also ordered from the catalogs, some things we would need in order to sit out the winters.
Mother ordered cases of preserved foods, which we used only when the fresher foods were gone, and also included craft and hobby kits for herself and each of the children: knitting books with the appropriate amount of yarn for a project, jewelry kits, art kits with instructions on how to paint with oils, model trains, planes, cars, and even miniature house-building kits. We had also stacks of books which showed how to make speeches, write letters and cook. Fabric for sewing, and many other things were available through catalogs, and homesteaders usually had some of these handicrafts in their homes during winter.
Fishing Boats in Winter Sunlight
There were those who got something known as cabin fever, who, growing tired of the confinement, would take it into their heads that they could walk a mile outside in the snow and freezing temperatures, inadequately dressed, with no transportation, hoping to get somewhere else and escape the confines of the cabin. This was a very serious malady, which none of us ever suffered, thanks to the creativity and contentment instilled in us.
A new snowfall, just beginning, seen from my front porch.
The materials you provide for your cabin confinement might include things you like to do and things you might like to do. If you have always wondered what it would be like to learn cake decorating or water-color painting, this is a perfect time to gather up your supplies. Find whatever free broadcasts with instructions on the subject are available on the web, and download them for future use. When you are purchasing your food supplies from shops in town, look also for books which might help pass the time at home in a pleasant way.
Cabin Contentment can be increased by making plans for the coming spring. I showed in earlier posts how to plan your sewing wardrobe or your household sewing by sketching pictures and matching up swatches of fabrics. This would be a good time to cut out any summer clothes, aprons and accessories you need for the home. When that first blast of snow comes, shut the door and turn on the sewing machine. If you have a treadle machine, it is even better in inclement weather when the power may go down. Armchair gardening can begin with garden planning on paper, and ordering your plants and seeds.
A setting I created just after the previous snow, for those enjoying the snow too much to come in for refreshments. Scone recipe is one that I use from the Anne of Green Gables cookbook.
Winter has its own type of blessings, because it forces you to cease your running about, causing you to stay in one place and do things you never seem to have the time for otherwise. You might try to:
-Create beautiful stationery with paper and stickers or your own drawings on the borders, and catch up on your correspondence.
- Do your mending and sew on buttons while listening to a story, either read to you by someone else, or using Cd's of recorded stories, which are available commercially.
-Organize one drawer or kitchen shelf.
-Do some spring cleaning each day, even if just a small area. When the weather lets up, you'll be free of some of the major house keeping and be able to enjoy life in other ways.
-Clean out one room or closet that you never seem to get time for.
-Start a household book where you list all the things you own and where they can be found. This is a daunting job that I have never attempted, but an energetic mind might enjoy doing this.
-If for some reason you are not able to purchase things, look at the boxes and containers that are usually thrown out in your kitchen, as art supplies. Use your creativity and figure out different uses for them in a beautiful way, embellishing them with things you already have. Altered boxes, bags and containers are a widely used art form these days.
Indoor days provide an opportunity to get more rest, so use it to your advantage. If keeping warm is a problem to you, bring blankets to your couch and cover yourself while you make lists and plans, or organize a box full of mis-matched things.
The Woods in Silver and Gold
I believe that the art of pretending is very valuable in times like this. I am sure by now that my friends know of my love of sailing ships and boats, (my father was a Captain for many years and still maintains a keen interest in boats) and understand why I imagine my house is a great ship and that we are all confined to it until the weather clears up and we can disembark. The first thing I do in the morning is open the ship's galley and start cooking something that will draw wakeful passengers out of their beds. Later on we have rail-side walks, which are much like Jane Austen's reference to "taking a turn" in a room by walking around the inside of the house, as if going for a real walk. Children love this because they have permission not to sit still. Think of Noah on the ark for many days with his family and all the animals. They must have had a special nobililty of character that enabled them to withstand the confinement within the ark, as they looked for better days and prepared for hardships.
East India Men in a Gale
by Charles Brooking, English 1723-50
We keep our white string of lights on all winter, and line the tops of shelves or other surfaces with them, to provide some brightness indoors. When winter darkness descends, the curtains are closed, so that we do not have to view the blackness through the window.
Anders Anderson-Lunby
In some times of dreary weather when I have been unable to leave my house, I have arranged for my family (or friends, if they can manage to come out in the weather) to have some of the following activities:
- book reports
- speeches on things you know, things you learned or something you have done.
- show-and-tell parties
- plays (drama) either written by family members or from books
- live music by those who can play an instrument
- acapella singing and the learning and practice of four-part harmony
-name that tune and the composer, using classical music c.d's.
-dressing up for a formal dinner and having an after dinner speech
-house tours, where I present the family home as history and culture
-and fashion shows featuring costumes or sewing projects
-indoor garage sales and swaps
-art gallery shows where family members display their art, vote and receive prizes and home made ribbons.
-set up a dining area with small tables in the living room, to provide a refreshing change.
These activities create a rich culture for your home, adds to your personal family history, and enriches your life. Memories which cannot be erased, will be created, even if all you do is sit in a comfortable place and catch up on your reading, or allow your children to have some quiet time where they are not required to do anything but enjoy the voyage.
I like to read stories of the sea, and one common thread in both historical and fiction stories is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
To prepare for the worst, I would recommend purchasing emergency candles like these, from the camping section of your nearby store:
These are called "emergency candles.' Even in town, the electric sometimes goes out, and these types of candles I have found provide a brighter light than votive and decorative candles. An alternative is the plain white tea lights which are in a little metal container, and do not leave a mess. I have used them, and they do not give off a scent or have any unpleasant effects that I noticed. The emergency candles you see above have a little metal cap on the end to stand them in, but will have to be placed inside a jar or bottle, in order to hold them upright. In such good candlelight, I have been able to write letters or read, when the electric is out. Add to this emergency collection a few battery operated heaters, and you could be prepared to make things comfortable for awhile.
Some old books describe people of the past attending a lot of social events, even in country places that seem so bleak today. There was a round of dinners and get-togethers that kept people's spirits high. Some types of work ceased until the spring, so the winters were used for company or visiting. Indoors, people prepared for the season's usual celebrations, which did not
end with Christmas. Winter was a celebration by itself, with its own customs and memories.
The smell of food, and the presentation of meals will go a long way to building a sense of well-being in yourself and others in the home. A slow-cooker is a way of having a meal in progress without always standing over a stove, and gives people a feeling of reassurance on dark days. I have one, and though it takes valuable space in my kitchen, it pays its rent by never being idle. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts can be prepared in the slow-cookers. Dinners can be arranged with the meat in the middle and the vegetables on each side, while they cook. The inside of the pot can be removed to the table and used as a serving dish. Winter is the best time for this kind of food, as it cooks slowly, filling the house with wonderful, soothing aromas.
Winter Sunrise by Carl Valente from Allposters
These days, there is not much to complain about in winter. We have access to communication and need not feel completely cut off from life. We have materials and things to keep us busy. We have beauty all around us, for winter has its own glory.
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