hello january

here we are. a whole new decade. very exciting. i am thrilled about this. lots to look forward to. new directions, all that. 

meanwhile, this winter photograph was taken as i was looking out my window this afternoon around 3. and, while looking out at the frozen, unforgiving, granite hills of connecticut, i suddenly realized, it is really cold out there. as in COLD with capital letters. brrr. we all have our coping mechanisms for these minor hardships like winter.

my first year back here in real winter, (after 9 worry-free years of winterless california weather) i kept ordering warmer and warmer clothing from the likes of online shops like patagonia and ugg. effective, but expensive. r recalls new boxes arrived weekly. (because, of course, we could never be warm enough). the next winter, i desperately planned elaborate vacations to sunny beachy places like the caribbean. idyllic, white sand beaches, lavish, forget all your troubles resorts, but we got food poisoning, bad food poisoning. and we aren't super beachy anyway. also outrageously expensive. new boots, sweaters and outerwear are far more frugal it turns out. last year we suffered, but survived. this year is different. i am accepting. i have a "system" in place. here is my system: 1. have air-o-swiss humidifiers going all over the place. literally. everywhere. must keep it moist inside. moisture is the key to life after all. i cannot keep it as moist in here as i would like, say as moist as the rainforest exhibit at the central park zoo,  or the tropical greenhouses at kew, but it is suitable. 2. exercise like it is going out of style: yoga, weights, running, skiing, etc. 3. eat lots and lots of hearty, soothing, fresh, vibrant, delicious, foods. 4. have lots of exciting projects to work on indoors. 5. go shopping and to museums, look for visual inspiration everywhere, buy lots of shelter magazines, etc. maybe one day per week devoted to this 6. when all else fails and you want to climb the walls from being inside so much, clean and organize. 7. also, permission to nap if you want to, winters were made for napping.

meanwhile, here we are and i've actually been following this plan and cooking and drawing up a storm. so many great things to show you. here we are january 4: 74 days until spring. lots to do lots o do. a whole winter to enjoy. winter dread, on the other hand, banished.