Welcome January

DH and I both grew up with deep snowy winters, 

ice skating and ice fishing, sledding

building snowmen, and lots of bulky winter clothes.

The utility mats for this month feature the end cuts

and other leftover segments from Woolgathering,

which will be quilted and finished soon.

Snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes . . . 

Silver white winters that melt into spring . . . 

In the dining room we have 

four sweater-clad gnomes to watch over us.

This is the White Flower Farm amaryllis.

There will be four blooms in all.

When the light hits the petals just right

they sparkle - and the deep ruby throat 

doesn't show much in this photo but it is

rich and wonderful in person.

(yes, the plant has been moved to my computer table)

This planter of three bulbs continues to amaze me.

There will be eleven blooms in all 

with a twelfth bud blooming in water.

(it broke off when we moved the Christmas tree)

* * *

If you look at the scene outside the window,

you can see that winter here is VERY different

than what we had growing up

and why we call this "khaki" season.

(but January still counts as a good time

to enjoy a mug of tea or hot chocolate)

Quiltdivajulie

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“Our time here is magic! It’s the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is great, whatever is potential, whatever is rare, whatever is unique.”

Ben Okri