What this New Englander does…

…when it’s colder outside than a witches behind after flying over Antarctica on Halloween.

 I saw something like that on someone else’s blog and it just cracked me up – forgive  the plagiarism 🙂

 I love the beauty of snow in winter, the soft muffled silence in the outdoors,  the crystal icicles hanging from rooftops   (did you know… if you see a lot of icicles hanging from a house, it means there is poor insulation and heat that was paid for with hard earned money is escaping via the roof?  You learn something new every day! ) .

  I’m happy to report there are no icicles hanging from this old house. The bad news in that little bit of information is… the house was rebuilt so tight,  we just discovered that when you attempt to start a fire in a second fire place and the first is already lit, the house fills with smoke and the alarms go off and the fire company and alarm company both call you immediately to ask what’s going on and do you need assistance and you tell them no please don’t come it’s just smoke and everything is OK we’re cracking windows and they ask what is the password please ma’am and you… had better…. remember it.

 I didn’t.

I knew it was a pets name so I rattled off every pet I have ever owned in the past 45 years.  That’s more than a few and I’m sure there was more than an eye roll on the other side of the phone.

 What I don’t love about winter is the freak’n cold. As I get older it seeps deeper into my bones and I find just a little less joy in the season of chill.   So right about this time of year I turn to these things for comfort and dream a little dream of Spring.

 Fingerless mitts – whoever invented these – I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I used to think they were a little silly –
until I wore a pair and my silly self was much less chilly.

 Must have reading material on night stand at all times  –

Especially this kind –

 I’m planting blueberry bushes this year – might order a half dozen from this catalog

Root beer floats hit the spot and stave off boredom – this is why I shouldn’t  make resolutions.
  I don’t keep them very well.

And lest we want to tick off the alarm Co. one more time…
I now know the code and I’m seriously considering tattooing it to the inside of my wrist. 

22 thoughts on “What this New Englander does…”

  1. Okay,,,, I forgive you the plagiarism, but only because it's you. hee hee

    Oh gosh. Used to smoke up our house bad when we lived in Maryland, one reason I no longer love a wood burning fireplace. I don't think we EVER got rid of the smell of smoke in the house after that. BUT, it was Hubby who did it and not me, and yes… I love pointing my finger at him.

    Di

  2. I went to a Christmas party one year at a friend-of-a-friend's house with my parents, at a house built in the 1790's. Every fireplace in the house was blazing. My dad, naively, asked the owner if he had any trouble getting that many fireplaces (seven, I think) to draft at the same time. The owner said, "When you live in a house this old, draft is never a problem."

  3. Karen, that is funny. When we built our house we built if really tight, too. We put that expanding foam in every nook and cranny and when my husband's brother came over he said if anybody farts it won't be able to escape!!

  4. Happy Sunday, stay warm. My first visit. I am in St.George,(SpruceHead) Maine and yesterday it was 10 degrees in the morning. We had a farm and big house built 1836. It was redone, but there was
    always a problem. We sold it and built a new house all one level and never been happier, Drop over some time and visit.
    yvonne

  5. Karen – yikes. We had a fireplace in our house we moved from last year… after having an actual fire in the house I couldn't bring myself to use the fireplace as the flames made me agitated.
    In our townhouse we have gas fireplace and I'm using it all the time on these frigid winter mornings and glad to have it.

  6. Oh…you are too funny, Karen! Sorry about all the smoke and the password, but I had to laugh.

    I hope you stay warm today {I love those mittens…have a few pair myself}. It is 12 degrees here. Brrrrr.

    XO,
    Jane

  7. The icicles are beautiful aren't they! We're in Maine for the weekend and I just said to my hubby, there's a lot of melting going on out there! It's all of 26 degrees outside, better than yesterday when it was -3! LOL! Our fireplace smokes and it's not because the room's tight … I think it's just a lousy built fireplace! I can't wait to get out and about with my camera today! Go Patriots!

  8. When you go for the wrist tatoo, let me know, mabye we can get a 2 for 1 deal. I want to have a spool of thread and a needle put on my wrist. Much against my daughter's thoughts.
    Is your timber frame enclosed with stress skin panels? Ours is, so it's pretty darn air tight!!! They tell us it's like living inside a styrofoam cooler. In fact they wanted us to put in a fresh air exchanger but we didn't. Us country people can just open an window. LOL
    Happy Sunday.

  9. I keep seeing winter pictures on the blogs and I think they are so pretty…then I walk outside into our Illinois winter and remember that I really don't like it. As you said, the older I get, the less I tolerate cold or heat. I need to live someplace where it is fall all year long!

  10. Karen- Yep- We are built tight too…Too tight in this climate. No icicles here! We ended up putting an invisible vent in one of the roof lines and that cured the venting problem.

    I have never tried those fingerless gloves..I'm with you and always thought they looked a bit goofy…now that I have it on good advice I might try them…..maybe…lol

    Hope your Sunday is wonderful in that old house! Hugs- Diana

  11. Great photos, Karen! Be sure to protect those future blueberries from all the woodland critters. They loved Karl's last year!

  12. Your winter photo is beautiful and the fireplace makes it seems cozy. I suppose, if the fire dept isn't there too. Funny story! 🙂

  13. I couldn't sleep, it was summertime and I decided to step out onto the deck for some fresh air…the alarm went off, so loud it made my husband fall out of bed unable to understand where I was he was frantic trying to find me in the dark, I was fumbling with the keypad trying to remember the right numbers…why didn't we turn on lights? I don't know, but I wish we had a film of it!

  14. we had a tight house once, too….and always had smoke when we had a fire in the fireplace. we lived there 3 years, and i'm sure it was fixed, but i don't remember that at all.

    your fingerless gloves are yummmy !!!

  15. I have been browsing all the spring catalogs too!
    *sigh*
    Where did you get your fingerless gloves, karen? I always cut the fingers off mine, to be able to stay warm in the barn, but have use of my COLD hands!
    Smooches to Opie 🙂
    xo, misha

  16. forgive me, please, but I'm chuckling just a tad here. love the old house photo…beautiful! I use fingerless gloves all the time and have knitted several pairs to keep around the house, so useful.

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