A cold winter’s day

I am writing this from the comfort of my favorite seat in the house on a cold winter morning as ice falls outside. The schools have all been closed, which means I don’t have to work. The weather will clear up soon and the roads will be fine but for now, I feel snug and warm.

Hot coffee and cold winter mornings are two of the best soul mates who ever did find each other. 

~Terri Guillemets

The frost on the storm windows, taken yesterday morning when the sun rose. I couldn't have gotten the same photo this morning, as there was no sun.

The frost is there, however.

I am blessed to be one of those people who loves wintertime. I’m sure that as I age, I may come to loathe it but I love days like this, for without winter and without longing, the spring would be so much less sweet. At least, that’s how I feel anyway.

I’m taking George to the vet this afternoon. The wee bump that I mentioned the other day has turned into a much larger lump on the side of his face, the white side. It’s probably an abscess but my husband is rather obsessing over it so I’m taking him to the vet today. Not my husband, mind you. The dog.

Downton Abbey last night. Oh, my Lord. I will not say anything more because I won’t spoil it for anyone. But I sat here and bawled.

I went to my niece’s baby shower over the weekend and took lots of photos. At first, I was so dismayed with them. The home where it was held is in Federal Hill, a beautiful and historic section of Baltimore, but the houses are long and narrow. This means that the light comes only from the front and the back of the house and the living room is in the middle. So I had to use the in-camera flash. I really need a better one, but I’m pleased with how the photos are after some edits.





My beautiful niece, Kim. I have many nieces ~ they are all beautiful ~ but this is the first one who is going to have a baby. And I’m so glad. Especially after all that has been so sad.

We had an event at our school yesterday which required most of the faculty and staff to be present, so today is rather a gift. I plan on getting some things done around the house, editing the remainder of the baby shower photos, doing a little grocery shopping once the roads get better, and of course – taking George to the vet.

I spent the morning reading and have finished my book.





I loved this one. I love literature, and gothic tales of mystery, and this story-within-a-story was magically written. I will not do a book review here but the following is from the cover:

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness – featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

It is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a bit dark, and the perfect book to read on a cold winter’s day (or night). But it’s time to come to the light ~

So with that, I will bid you adieu. And hope your day goes well.