Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
spring began, stuttered
winter rushed back, hanging on
dumped a cold white gift
my hat! it’s heavy
my neck bends low, ground view
where did the sun go?
we wait, hope for warmth
wrap our coat-leaves tight, shiver
dreaming of sunbeams
snow hats by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Tic-tac-toe in the garden! The wood chunk topped by an unfinished wood circle is complete and ready for play. The battle is on!
I came home one day to see that my honey had added a table top to the gorgeous log I’ve been hoarding. Yes, cool wood logs are hoard-worthy. 🙂 Thanks to some good friends who shared their haul, I’ve been hanging on to several for just the right project (besides being used as extra seats).
I showed my honey the size and placement of the tic-tac-toe board I was imagining, and off he went to wood burn the game board. Once the top was burned in, play immediately commenced, though the rocks wear not yet ready. My creative grands figured out a plan though, smooth stones versus pointy stones (river rocks and gravel). Perfect!
But Nana just had to have painted river rocks for playing pieces…
A pleasant side benefit is that the tic-tac-toe table also works as a garden table, just right for reading books and eating snacks.
I used mineral oil on top of the unfinished wood, to add just a bit of weather protection. I’m still not sure if I will add more, perhaps wood wax. But I love the mix of bark and unstained wood.
And surprise, as I was oiling the wood, I discovered a praying mantis egg mass on the bark! This table is all around good for the garden!
Ready for the next garden project. Any ideas? What’s in your garden?
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
People.
RV life in the winter, particularly in a four-season location (like the Pacific Northwest, east of the Cascades), is not a piece of cake. Nor is it for the faint of heart.
I should have opened with a question mark and let you guess first. How many fleece blankets do you think a person would need to adequately block window drafts against winter chills? In January. While living in an RV? And all-season RV. At least that’s what it says on the side.
Nine. We require an assortment of 9 lap throw-sized fleece blankets to tuck along the cracks of all window openings to block drafts. Is this a pain? Yes. Do I despair? Yes. Murmur? Unfortunately. Yes.
But we are warm! The draft-blockers do their job. So well, in fact, that on super chilly mornings, they block the heat to portions of the curtains and the curtains freeze to the windows. Don’t worry! It eventually melts and we wipe away the beaded rivers streaming down into the window tracks.
Extra tasks are required for RV life in the winter. There is a longer daily chore list. But we keep warm. Our tricks of the trade keep us nice and toasty, despite ice, fog, snow, sleet, wind, rain, and sub-freezing temps. How about you? Any winter RV tricks you’d like to share with a couple of RV popsicles?
A Haiku Moment for you:
fleeced
winter’s chills gobble
heat, invite mr. frost in
9-fleece kicks him out
fleeced by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley
Don’t you love new beginnings? Be renewed.
Sending prayers and wishes for a 2022 filled with love, joy, hope, and peace.
