Why I Don't Mind Extreme Cold and Other Thoughts

How are you...snowed in or sweltering in the summer heat?  The new year has started with wild and horrible weather around the globe. Heartbreaking to see devastation on such a scale in California. It makes us appreciate what is a normal winter so far here in the Ottawa valley. Wind chills of over -20 many days but you can have all the gear to layer up and keep warm on walks while out and about. I notice some folks have very fashionable, and what I would call, even beautiful winter outer wear. Mine tends to be more utilitarian and I'm still enjoying the cozy hand and neck warmers generous Jean at All Points of the Compass kindly sent me a few years back. 

 I personally find it invigorating and enjoyable to walk in colder temperatures. I really don't know if it boosts my mental sharpness as it is supposed to and I could certainly use more of that, but it certainly revs up the blood. And there is no better feeling than coming inside to the warmth and comfort of our home. That bit always makes me feel grateful. Another thing I like about days with extreme cold, and this would be reaching for the silver lining, is the roads are all clear- no snow, freezing rain or slush or ice. The roads are perfect for driving which is much appreciated by someone like me who isn't a confident driver. If it has to stay very cold during our winter months to achieve that, then I'm fine with it.

Meanwhile, inside where it definitely is warm and toasty, I did make a small start on an EPP project- one that's been in my file for a long time. I'll share that next time. I'm using scraps and including some of my thrifted fabric. I had two men's shirts that I'd bought at Value Village and cut them apart. At that outing, I'd been on the hunt for unusual solid colours but found these two below and couldn't resist them. Neat to see the colours and prints that men are wearing these days and I know I'm old fashioned to even notice it. These are pretty coral kind of pinks. I buy only 100% cotton shirts to reuse in quilts and it is surprising how many are just that. 

I came across a really neat pattern, Candy Cane Lane, one of those that presents a complicated look but is so easy when decoded and as in this case, just two easy blocks. Here it is in two colours for Christmas. Found in Karen's Laugh Yourself Into Stitches Freebie section which is well worth checking out. 

My slow stitching reveals a tiny town on the Redwork Noel project. So cute. But I don't like how the red is showing with a slight orange tinge in photos. Absolutely no orange in DMC 321 and I'm on my 7th skein for this project, all from stash. At some point, I must have been expecting lots of Christmas stitching and stocked up.

We'd been given a Quebec sugar cured ham for Christmas. I cooked it with cheesy scalloped potatoes and oven baked parsnips and carrots. Those are beets there...is that something you would like?

 It was the best ham I've ever eaten. We enjoyed it in sandwiches and the last was used to make a slow cooker pea soup, which would come as no surprise to you. It added such beautiful flavour and was the perfect wintry meal. 

It's making my mouth water just looking at that picture. Yes, I love my food!

I haven't shared a book in a while. I reread two of Margaret Laurence's recently....Jest of God ( I totally identified with the awkward young teacher protagonist, Rachel) and The Diviners. Then I started this one by Margaret Atwood. I like everything both the Margarets have written. 

I've watched several YouTube videos of Margaret Atwood on the set of The Handmaid's Tale and with Elizabeth Moss. Amazing how that all came together. BTW, quilts were a central theme in her book, Alias Grace. Quilting Daily published this neat little article The Quilts of Alias Grace which is worth a look. 

Did you choose a word of the year?  A couple folks I follow have chosen Simplify. I'm not choosing a word, but I am going to work hard at keeping deep, dark thoughts at bay. Maybe I should have a phrase... Lighten Up would cover it. What about you? Do you think you need to lighten up?