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What a week of busyness. A drive to town for holiday groceries was cut short as the Internet installer was coming earlier than expected. But, hey, INTERNET!! So glad to be reconnected to the web. It’s like the Harn is a whole new place. Can’t explain this amazing difference. I feel way more connected but am wary to not spend too much time online. I still want this space to be a place of relative getting-away-from-it-all. And the first few days have been good. I spent time cooking a pie, making dips and dinners, and enjoying conversation. Also got some more reading and card-writing done. And now I can post blogs without having to drive 10 miles to get WiFi!
It was really nice to have Mom, Tom and Dan arrive Friday evening for a tasty Harn-cooked
meal of pork roast, potatoes, and carrots. Of course the real visit was to assure Lucky was being well treated and he got the first lovin’. I did manage to get a hug sometime after Mom had assured her little man was in good shape. She expressed worry about how inactive he was but I explained he had ALL the pork blood from the roast that morning so he was a fat and happy cat. [And here I was worried about how to dispose of raw meat juices at the Harn… Not a problem!] Mom was so tired after a relaxing evening of story-telling that she was ready to head to the Hostel early and I didn’t realize until they’d been gone for almost a half hour that we’d forgotten to eat the pie I made for dessert! Ah, well, I had a small bite of it before an early bedtime and then Dan and I had pie for breakfast. Delish!
Christmas Eve was some tightening up of the pump room and fixing of loose wires in an outlet and installing a new timer on the pump room heat lamps. We heated the place up for Lucky and headed to the Hostel for presents and ham supper with Mom and Tom.
Tom’s chili was yummy for a little bite of late lunch and then we chatted and cooked. I haven’t made caramel corn for probably 15 years but this little batch turned out ok. I had popped some corn earlier in the week but it wasn’t as good as usual and adding some caramel made it yummier! Mom and I took a walk down to Lake Itasca for the sunset where Dan was taking photos. It was gorgeous and full of color, getting better as it went. We were able to enjoy it for quite some time.
My first Christmas Day at the Harn has been largely uneventful. Christmas songs on the radio but family was all gone by 9 AM so it was a day for me and Lucky to lounge. He enjoyed a long fire in Clay and stretched out on the blanket-covered cob for his long winter’s nap. I was able to Skype with Tom and Celia and it was a real joy watching them open presents with the grandparents joining in on Google Handouts – my new favorite place! Here’s Celia trying on the beard hat! It’s a little bit big!! She’s adorable… even with a big beard!
With all the worries of weather, it’s not looking too bad. Had some sleet on and off late Christmas afternoon and evening but the morning light showed that we had no ice damage as expected but simply a fresh coat of snow falling. I swept the porch pallets and there was a bit of a thickness to the snow at the bottom but it swept off pretty clean; just a light iciness on the 
wood slats. The snow continues to fall so perhaps we will get a bit of a blizzard. The driveway was a bit deep – maybe 6-7” – making for a trudge out to the mailbox. Tomorrow the post lady will gather my holiday letters and take them on their way to friends and family. I will take the last few out later this afternoon and see how deep our snow has gotten. But I will mostly stay bundled inside, warm and busy with unpacking and organizing, and letting my mind think on what comes its way. I was able to get the suet up for the birdies so I hope they eat well in this little blizzard! Mom sent this up from Alex and it smells peanut buttery delicious. Thanks, Mom!!
me, “it’s a dry cold!” This was the coldest weekend of the year and, indeed, it was dry. But that does not help but when it’s so bitter… -25°F. You just do NOT want to stay outside for long. It’s just f-ing cold! I got a lovely heated bird bath from Fran and Ed last week and just getting it plugged in was enough to teach me about wet cold. Snow melts when it touches your fingers and, once wet, the fingers are fair game for the death the cold air can bring. No worries, my digits are fine. But even without wetness, I have learned that I need to wear gloves when I go out and it’s below zero. I can no longer live the lackadaisical way I did in Indiana, shunning a coat until well into January or February. Minnesota North Woods, I’m learning, can deliver a deadly cold. My comprehension of cold has been a bit of a shock. But I now always assure I have boots, hat, coat, and gloves on or in the car. I’m considering adding the snow pants to that inventory! I did find snow pants as we unpacked and they are so toasty!
We did entertain our first guests for a meal – Char and Wyatt! Made a chicken and red lentil soup and some cornbread. It was a simple meal but good to see them both. They have been a huge blessing to me and Dan. For me, it’s great to connect with Char for so many reasons. She’s a knitter and has a yarn store – so it’s nice to have a crafty gal close by – and she raises her own food and I hope to learn much from her in the coming years. Plus she’s just adorably funny and the sweetest gal you can know. I think Dan and Wyatt are hitting it off too. Wyatt did our concrete work in the garage and Dan reciprocated in part by helping Wyatt with his electrical work at their place. And they are finding more in common as we go – turns out they are both album fans. Yes, vinyl! They both have turntables and record collections, and, though Dan’s is much smaller than Wyatt’s, I believe Dan will be expanding his collection. They’re both good and handy guys so Char and I feel pretty lucky in our picks!
