Cold, dreary and dark... and so goes our 21 days without the sun. Start off the day with a late breakfast that turns into an early lunch, and dinner is served at 4:30 pm. Haul some wood and fill the water barrels and let the craziness of last summer's midnight sun melt away into the darkness.
Spend alot of time admiring the quiet and stillness of winter's season. Let the cabin be dark to accentuate the beauty of moonlight on the snowy peaks. Make frequent scantily clothed trips outdoors to invite the Northern Lights to dance. Rest.
Harvest is complete. We're stocked up and unwound. Dogs and goats and chickens are snug in their houses. The bears are sleeping, and this year anyway, the moose haven't had it too bad. Yet. As the snowpack deepens and temperatures drop, tracks of furbearers begin to dot the landscape.
Soon, Ben will leave us to go trapping. Today he put the skiis on his airplane and I made him a big pot of moose stew for the trail. Maybe he'll take off tomorrow. We'll just have to see what the weather decides to do. In his absence, we'll keep our schedule the same... haul wood and water, keep everyone warm and fed, early to bed and late to rise. And lots of rest.
Oh, there are alot of fun and wonderful things about this time of year... snowmen and ski trips and dog sledding are only a few. But what I like best is the calm and silence. If you ever need to let the world fade away, this is the place to do it.