Cold Days, a Warm Kitchen

It was so cold the first part of the week.  Just so cold that I dreaded each time I had to put boots on and feed animals or switch out the laundry in the well house or all those other things that needed doing beyond the confines of the house.  But put my boots on I did.  I even ventured out to play with my girl, knowing it might be a long while before I again had a chance to push her down the hill on a sled.

Sunday and Monday we divided our time between getting warm and dried out and playing outside.  I have to admit that I only was out for an hour twice on Sunday and and two on Monday.  Bella spent the 4 out on Sunday and still outlasted me again on Monday.  When we finally wore all the snow out on our own hill, we moved across the pasture to Rubilee's hill.  She seemed to get a kick out of Bell flying down her slope.  I know she watched for a long time from a perch in her warm kitchen.  She didn't seem sad that we wore out her snow too.


It was not all play though.  Poor Jack spent all day driving around in that mess.  I managed to get all of the research papers graded, but at least it was at the kitchen table with a cup of steaming tea in my hand.  Now I am at least caught up until the AP kids turn in their research papers this coming week.

That was a brief return to school on Tuesday, but Wednesday saw us in full swing in the kitchen.  Bell had crazy dance music going in the kitchen so Jack Dear had to put up with me dancing while I cooked.  He was my partner all afternoon.  We made from scratch green bean casserole - that means we start with fresh beans, boxes of mushrooms and cartons of cream and butter.  Nothing comes out of a can except the onion topping.  He made my mushroom soup - I got to show him how to do a roux.  Not often I know something he doesn't.  He then progressed to taking care of snacky foods for tomorrow night.  I was busy with fruit cake.  Oh yes.  It was fruitcake day.  Our kitchn reeks of molasses, brandy, and our own blend of spices that we made for the special tropical fruitcake; my hand has blisters from snipping all those dried fruits - I bet Jack's does too.  Between the two of us, we cut up 5 pounds of good died fruits, not the old nasty candied stuff.  Harold must have been counting on fruitcake this year because he bought the brandy before Jack had a chance to.  We will all have to wait a month for our reward.

What the week really reminded me of was how much I love being with my crazy husband and kid.  Bell and I really had fun together in the snow.  It made me think of all those snow days when my mom would come out and help us sled or try to make snowmen.  She wasn't ever the sort of mom to say, "go play while I  . . . ".    She always played out in the snow with us and then gave us hot cocoa and cookies when we came in.  I know I always loved the fact that mom enjoyed really doing things with us, not just being a parent from the living room couch.  All too often I don't seem to have enough time to really do the things I want to with Bell, so I did love that walk with her a week ago and I did love playing this week.  Those moments feel stolen, but a I am grateful for them.    And Jack?  We used to cook with each other all the time before Bella. It was our time to do something together, to talk through the events of the day, to share that book, to just be.  There is something very intimate about cooking together.  Perhaps it is the complicated dance of working together in a small kitchen or the holding out of a spoon full of cheesecake batter offering a taste of something sweet, waiting for the other person to trustingly take what you offer.  It could be foreplay, but it doesn't have to be.  It is more.  It is closeness and sharing of words and space, though the proximity of a kiss is nothing to pass up either.

Today we will be off to Loco for dinner with my family.  Since some of my siblings have to work Friday and Saturday, Rubilee graciously said she didn't mind if we had dinner with her on the weekend instead of on Thanksgiving day.   We missed Christmas dinner last year because of the snow storm so I am overdue for some Wilson holiday chaos.  It will also be the first holiday and family gathering since Tuck and Lex got married.  I am really excited to go  tomorrow.  I hope you are all
with the ones you love.  May our words be patient and gentle.  May we soak up life.  May we laugh and tell stories.  May we be a thankful.  May we love.