fun is a dish best served cold

[chelidon]

Goin' hikin' today, goin' hikin', woo hoo, goin' hikin'! I may sing a different tune after several hours out in the woods out back, but hey, it's 16 degrees, almost balmy. Tonight it gets coooold, tho', wind chills of 12 to 25 below zero, burrrr, very good time to stay in around a fire and do round-robin tarot readings or soak in the hot tub and look through the greenhouse windows and watch the snow drift down. The heart of Winter is officially here, Brother North Wind has arrived, *finally*, no more of this 50 degree highs in the middle of January garbage... Now all we need is some real snow, like a foot or two, so I can go skiing and snowshoeing properly.

Yesterday on the most amazingly beautiful land in Vermont (Farm & Wilderness) I got to go sledding down a steep hill at quite interesting speeds through an orchard (oop, watch those trees!), over a road, down another hill and then over a lip of snow (wheeee!) and across a frozen lake (once you hit the lake, you could slide a loooooong way). I do love winter. I broke my housemate's plastic sled, though, will have to replace it (*oops, sorry!*). What I really want to do, perhaps for next winter, is build for myself and my son old-style wooden sleds. That would give me a good excuse to set up a small forge out in the barn next year and get a bigger anvil, etc. It's been years since I did any serious forging, but I used to enjoy it, and it's a very useful skill to have. And it would honor my dear friend and smith Kirby, who died a few years back, one of the most talented and creative knifemakers and smithys you could ever meet. Kirby's former partner is planning to move up here sometime in the next six months, and I think she'd probably enjoy coming on out and working on a forge, too. Brigid and Govannon are beloved to me, forge work is sacred as well as hugely practical (and therapeutic ;>)

Now out to the snow!

-------
The cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty. It fell and fell,
lacing day and night together in a milky haze, making everything
quieter as it fell, so that winter seemed to partake of religion in a
way no other season did, hushed, solemn.
--Patricia Hampl

Comments

[draiguisge.livejournal.com]

Happy hiking!

I have not-so-fond memories of those old-style sleds with the metal runners. It was one of those that broke my jaw in the sixth grade.

But hooray for a forge! I've still got my Gofannon doll simmering in the back of my mind - it got shoved aside because of a commission and then other projects followed and got in the way. But soon I must get back to him. Good thing he's patient. ;)

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

ooh, ouch! I cringe just at the thought. I sincerely hope we've already had our sledding accident for a while (Claudia broke her arm just below the wrist last year)

I'd love to see the doll as it progresses. Kirby would have been the best person I know to talk to you about Govannon/Gofannon/Goibniu, but if'n you ever need my input, I'll be happy to give it. Smiths do tend to be patient and steady, unless you get their dander up ;>

[draiguisge.livejournal.com]

Yeah I remember visiting just after Claudia got the cast off last year. Didn't sound like fun at ALL. My own sledding accident was pretty bizarre, but it was long enough ago now that most of the details have faded, thankfully. :)

As for the Gofannon doll, it's weird but I think there must be some curse surrounding you because every time I consult you about a piece of art, it gets waylaid, lol. I've STILL never finished the King of Cups, nor did I even start on Kelly as The Star. And just before I was going to start on Gofannon I asked you about it and you sent me a nice long email with lots of info. And then I got sidetracked by other projects again. I must make a sincere effort to return to Gofannon soon.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, shoot, I try to inspire people to *do* art, not to *delay* art ;> But perhaps it all just needs time to percolate....

I was going to ask you about the King of Cups, how that had gone. Whenever you do finish it, I'd love to have the opportunity to buy it from you, if you do sell it. Call it vanity, as the erstwhile model, but that's always been one of my key cards, for sure.

Yours in the curse of creativity,

--Chelidon

[draiguisge.livejournal.com]

The King was going great! And then I got distracted for some reason I can't even remember now. And the poor fellow is still sitting propped up against the wall in my studio, half-finshed. :(

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

Kirby's brother Doug's a delight.

This is Kathy, just saying Hello! :)

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Hey there, great to see you here! How's life, how's Paul?

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

Good and good! :>

And it sounds like Vermont suits you guys! Yay!

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

We do really love it here-- so much of the Wild around us. I took some more winter pics today, here (http://www.casachaos.net/Casa_Chaos2005/). We're actually in New Hampshire, but about 20 min from the Vermont border. Vermont is a bit crunchier, New Hampshire has no state income tax or state sales tax. Guess which won? ;> Actually, most of New England is absolutely lovely, we just happened to find our little slice of the Wild on this side of the border.

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

Wow, F is getting so big! Hermione time spinners, eh? cute.

These are my favorites of the outdoor pics - http://www.casachaos.net/Casa_Chaos2005/pages/page_26.html
http://www.casachaos.net/Casa_Chaos2005/pages/page_54.html
Its breathtaking out there.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

He is a big 'un -- he's the youngest kid in his class, and the biggest. His pediatrician says he may get as tall as 6'5" or 6'6". Yikes. Hoooomeric ;> But two words shine hopefully forth... Basketball. Scholarship.

Glad you liked the pics! There were a lot of reasons we turned our lives upside down to come out here, but being totally surrounded by the wild and natural beauty was waaaay up there on the list. It's hard to take a bad picture of that (unless you turn the camera around and point it at the photographer ;>)