Daily Notes- January Eleven

Photo from a Paris apartment.  A hot water radiator with a "warming shelf" and a baguette on top to warm through as well.   My new radiators look like this but no door.  And the ones we had in our house in Germany were like this but no door.  Kept us so nice and warm.  Instead of a baguette--we usually had a cat napping on top of ours. Right now I have a container with cloth and crushed walnut shells--I add water and keep hoping for some "marks" on the cloth as the radiator heats the water and cloth for hours and hours.  Nothing yet.

Life slows down about now.  So cold outside and strong Wind overnight.  But the sun shining on the frozen snow hurts the eyes.  But I am thankful for Sun.  Gives the "impression" of warmth.

We made it through another 24 hours without watching anything to do with politics.  I can't understand how an entire country can be held hostage by a stupid man.  I'm sure the people in Venezuela are wondering the same thing.  Anywhere a cruel dictator is in power.

I was up in the Attics yesterday.  Found buttons, scissors, cloth and tiny metal cans with lids--from a long ago purchase.  I had intended to sort tiny buttons/beads into them.  I had so many intentions.  I brought down the remainder of the bolt of white cotton.  I use it for steaming leaves and cloth and soon it will be used up.  Once it seemed like "so much" and now it hurts me to think soon it will be gone.  I wish it might be "never-ending".  But I know I can buy more. It won't be the same, though.

I haven't been cooking this week.  We have been eating what's here but now.....I think everything has been eaten--well, everything that might be warm to eat.  We still have fruit and bread.  So today...I will cook.  Get myself out of this MidWinter slump.

The reference librarian who asked me to give another winter gardening lecture has reserved books for me.  She gives me a topic and then I read and learn and then I talk.  I do have a beginners knowledge of Permaculture but this would be a talk on using the principles without a large property.  I use some concepts in my own yard.  I jokingly mentioned "weeds" growing on the soil surface of my potted fig tree and the Librarian suggested clover to add nitrogen.  See?  It is all a matter of making different choices.  Beneficial Choices.   Perhaps that is what we will call the lecture.

So--cooking today and a trip to the library to pick up my reference books.  And lets hope the "trip" does not include another "fall".  G has two now and I am still at one.