Not only is it colder up north here, but it is colder than normal. And except for a few warmer days, it jus never seems to stop snowing.
I'm adjusting and I am warm enough but my time is filled with being warm enough at the moment. And maneuvering the road in and out which really needs work. I am going to have to get a different kind of vehicle to live here. My silly Kia doesn't cut it.
Just to say, I am very behind on answering comments and emails. I should get to most of the emails from the last week soon enough, so hang in there.
I have found most everything except the power cord for my computer so I suppose it might be lost and I will have to order another one. This will delay the video part of my presence in the Forever Zone a bit, so I will talk more for awhile.
I did roast the chestnuts though...




Oh I wish we had snow like that! What a stunning place you are at there.
I still lose stuff and haven’t moved in 29 years, so you are doing great
Sow is amazing in the forest, I just took a walk and could not reach the end of the property because my nose was too cold.
I am so unorganized, it’s just great!
Your surroundings look so beautiful in this winter landscape. Like a fairy tale, but very cold, a cold I cannot but imagine. As I’m living in a country with a moderate climate. This morning I woke to a very thin layer of snow, like icing sugar. And probably that’s all we’ll get, I wonder if there will be more snow this year, as it’s been a long time since we had a real winter with ice skating on the lakes. Things are changing.
For you I hope spring will come soon. Sending you warmth form the other side of the old sea.
I always think of colder when I think of where you are. I think this is the coldest winter in a while here. In general the climate has warmed here over the years.
Oh (((Jude))) the photo of your trees in the snow reminds me of my grandmother’s house in Quebec and how very cold it can get up that way!
It’s so cold but so beautiful.
During my moves I always had a box that held all the last minute stuff, including important power cords, remote controls, etc. also my last coffee cup from the cabinet. It was a jumble of things that I was sure I would need and remember to get out. But a lowly (sometimes unmarked box) never caught my attention, until in desperation it was opened and ta-da! It Christmas all over again.
Ha! Exactly…the random shit box I called it.
So eloquently put! 😆
😂
Been reading your posts but just now getting to comment. Your new place looks beautiful and I hope you are warm, safe and peaceful so you can enjoy each day. God bless you!
Yeah, I’m in the same boat, been floating and I’m finally com8ng down to earth..
sit, close your eyes and SEE….. the truck and the cord. Let your brain figure it out.
Such good solid exercise
Hi Jude,
I’d like to recommend a Honda CRV. I had a 1998 for 20 years trouble free except for the obvious like tires, brakes ,tune ups. Replaced it with a 2006 18 months ago. The all wheel drive goes up hill in 6-8” of snow. They have been cars I’ve always felt safe in, if one had an issue, ok but it didn’t break down on the road. Good quality in a car in areas of cold and snow.
Mine have been automatic, but they do make standard, but that’s so much more work. Of course you could always get a VW Beetle and put chains on all 4 wheels. That’s what I did in the 100” snow belt in Vermont long long ago in the 60’s and 70’s.
All the best in your new home, moving in snow country is brave.
Kathryn
Thank you for your advice, we’ll see. I love being here and solving new problems as they arise. And the air is so clean!
I’m a huge Honda fan for the simple fact that they’re low maintenance … we have a CRV because Don is 6’2″ but if it were just me I’d go for an HRV …
My dad always had a Honda. But then he got a Kia, and I still have it.
Oh, yes…I am laughing also at the moving adventures. Put the batteries in a “good” place and couldn’t find them when my wireless keyboard needed them. I am really enjoying my new view and a Christmas with my son and new family was priceless. To new ventures in 2025!
Ha! Hey ho!
I understand that staying warm is taking up your time. We mostly heat with wood. It is hard to work with cold fingers.
Ha, yes, I have moved my sewing chair closer to the fire.
The phot of the snow scene is gorgeous
It’s beautiful here.
That picture looks like a winter wonderland to me. Havent seen that much snow for years.
Sending love from a cold but sunny NL…………….
Me either…much more coming!
Such beautiful scenery outside your windows,,,so very much like mine here in Michigan. Very peaceful. A wonderful place to be with your muse, and just be your true self. Winter is a good time to keep the pantry well stocked. And yes, winter roads,( I drive an outback.) I envy your hearth, nothing better than heat from a fire. I wish you all the best as you acquaint yourself to your new life. The coming spring will be full of delight. Many hugs, Anita.
Yes an outback…perfect.
Winter is helping me really, a deepening.
Cold and snowy here, too. I lost a few things when I moved as well, I suppose that’s how it goes. My Honda CR-V all wheel drive has been great for snowy, icy roads. Or, before I had all wheel drive, I had studded snow tires, I like the all wheel drive better, because I don’t have to pay to have my tires changed every change fall and spring.
Looking for a used subaru.
The snow pic is stunning. We haven’t had much of the white stuff but that is supposed to change in the next few days -Yay! Stay warm Jude. I’ve never had a chestnut.🌰
Gosh, I’ve had about enough snow already, ha! More tonight. More tomorrow. I never had chestnuts until my 30s. Couldn’t afford them 😂
That picture of the woods and trees is gorgeous. It is like a sketch.
Yes, reminds me of some of my dad’s drawings.
Definitely cocooning weather. And now we have these Arctic weather systems coming next week that will reach us down here in East Tennessee. I have unroasted chestnuts in my refrigerator and that picture has inspired me to get them out and get roasting!
Yeah, big cold coming to a big portion of the country.
Get roasting, yes!
Wow, that top picture! Weather really does impact how we live, what we can do… The chestnuts look yummy. 🙂
Yeah, weather is our world. The chestnuts were perfect, sometimes they are so dried out after the holiday…not fresh.
Sending you warmth and L0ve from sunny southern California ..
Even when it rains or blows the weather here can be considered mild. Yes, wimpy weather here abounds and I’ve never had a roasted chestnut !
Dhyana
Sounds good right now. Chestnuts are very special, hard to describe.
Dear Jude,
I laughed when I read about your unpacking adventures because I am experiencing the same thing exactly, part Christmas, part treasure hunt. Ridiculous in a space as small as the one I just moved into, but that’s my present reality.
I’m thinking about how 2025 is a jubilee year, and hoping that people take the opportunity to reflect, be and do good.
Best Jubilee wishes to you from here.
Fumiko
Ps. What color dye do chestnut hulls produce?
It’s comforting to hear Im not the only one who is having this problem. Lol
Ha, right?
I’ve never tried to dye with chestnuts, but probably tan or brown.
I just unearthed some treasures that I packed into a vintage recipe box when we moved five years ago …
The computer power cord is the big mystery here, cuz I know I saw it when we were unloading the truck.
The clue may be in the word “we.” Could someone have plugged it in a socket where they thought you’d use it? Or stuck it in a pocket to keep it safe and then forgotten about it? It seems it might actually be there. Treasure hunt might keep you warm—especially if you find the lost lifeline! Cheering you on!
Nope and it is big and very odd looking. All my important files, not backed up, are not accessible. Stupid me.
Hibernation time. Stay warm, eat, pet the cat.
Yeah, ha.
Maybe… this is a time of burrowing and rest & that is what is needed.
A time of hibernation, perhaps.
☺️
I am re-setting by organizing & cleaning this week…next week, we will get that southernmost edges of that polar vortex ( boo hiss!) and I will use that time for my own rest and hibernation, ha.
I feel kinda curled up.
What a quiet picture of your Woods!!! Almost like an ink drawing … Weird when Life imitates Art…
🤍🤍🤍
Yes, very sketchy
And patience. 🍀 Racing with yourself.