Ode à l'hiver

I'm in love with pepitas lately. I've been adding them to everything: my salad, my oatmeal, my yogurt with apples. I had a dream about knitting. I was in a place that had to be evacuated (the children were already being sent out). We were only allowed to take our bedding and pillow with us. I went back in for those, and for my knitting. I was trying to gather up as much of my knitting as I could (my needle case, my first sock-in-progress, etc.) and I got into a fight with this lady over it. I woke up soon thereafter.

The first snowfall is always so magical. It reminds me of when I was little and of Christmas. I've always felt excited the first morning I wake up when snow has fallen overnight. There are so many thing to love about winter; many of them are reminiscent of and tied into my childhood.

Ice skating on the canal; playing with children in the snow; tobagganing; cross-country skiing deep in the woods, gliding almost effortlessly between snow-laden boughs; the scorched, damp smell of woolen mittens and stockings drying on a wood stove après-ski; hot chocolate, chai lattes, hot apple cider, or a big pot full of herbal tea; making Christmas gifts; receiving holiday cards in the mail; stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree (maybe hanging them from the trees outside for the benefit of our feathered friends!); holiday baking (shortbread! gingerbread!); the excitement of children on Christmas Eve; brunch on Christmas morning; New Year's Eve; leg warmers; being bundled up in woolens and layers and down; snuggling up with a furred friend under a down duvet and sleeping in during the holidays; holiday movies; holiday cheer and the Christmas spirit; cozying up with your knitting while it's blustering outside and the wind is whistling through the eaves; adding another log to the fireplace; feeding black-capped chickadees sunflower seeds and having them land on your hand; calm, solitary winter walks when all is calm and the stars are out; walks around the neighbourhood to look at the Christmas lights; just watching the snow fall in big, lazy flakes from somewhere warm; standing outside in the snow with your mouth open and letting snowflakes melt on your tongue; peering at individual snowflakes to admire and wonder at their intricate designs; home-made soup simmering on the back burner of the stove; baked beans made from scratch; homemade applesauce; baked cinnamon squash...