Mood Boosting Things During LockDown

The high Arctic Polar Vortex chummy touched down here on its way through most of North America.  Instant frostier than usual temperatures. When it is -20 C straight temperature it doesn't take much of a breeze to have frigid wind chills.  But not alone with this as so many of you have emailed about your equally frigid temperatures much further south of us.

Low Winter Sun

On a bright note, the folks at the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre have noted the male American Goldfinches are already sporting brighter plumage. Though it may not feel like it just now, spring is inching closer!

A little closeup of overwintering garden remnants.

How it remains though freezing over and over.

Closer still with cropping and now looking like a painting, one I would call Coneflower in Winter.

My present book, The Overstory, offered up this advice in my reading yesterday. 

Do you know the best place to go if one has to sleep rough as in your car?  A warehouse store parking lot. They are always plowed, have lots of lights and security cameras that work. So pull into such a well lit corner, you can pop in and out for the bathroom and snacks; it is busy enough that no one will notice you. If anyone notices your car at night, they will assume it is night staff doing the shelf restocking.  Isn't that the best thing about reading; among other things, you can join someone on their journey as they leave their old life and take on a new name, a new life. And pick up tips if the need ever arises for you to do this, LOL.

 The talented Ann Wood at her blog, Ann Wood Handmade, published this post.  These ideas are so creative, just like Miss Wood herself, of course. See those tiny hexies in the right upper corner...they make me want to make them.  And the owl of course and the cute fish too. Always fun to see what artists are making and sharing.

March is not my favourite month but I enjoyed working on the March block of A Year at  Hawk Run Hollow.  I wasn't sure about that lion but liked it more as it emerged.  Cross stitching is soothing to me  just as I know some of you enjoy sewing on your machines.

I do have an issue with the pattern should you decide to get it; the colours in the photos are not the same as the ones listed for embroidering. In the photo, they are much brighter, not as muddy kind of as the suggested colours which are what I'm using. . 

I enjoy checking out stitch alongs. The Facebook group, Cackling Stitches and Friends, is sponsoring another quilty stitchalong. Patterns will be free for a month. This one is called Hagatha's House, set to begin March 1.

On YouTube I've been watching several vlogs that are quiet, peaceful and thought provoking. 

These have been beneficial to my mental health, certainly better than the news outlets! Here are two you might enjoy checking out. 

The first is Fairyland Cottage-this particular episode is Things I Stopped Buying.

And this one that is a real gem, Green Resistance...every episode features different people around the globe asking and answering important questions.  I love them!

Thanks for visiting with me today. I love your comments as that is how I know who is reading and how it is with you today and during these times; that is always so interesting to me.

Update: It's Thursday, so please think of checking out all the interesting links at Not Afraid of Color and It's a Small Town Life.

Also linking this post with Kathy's Quilts and In the Jesh Studio.