Cozy Up

It’s actually raining here right now, with the possibility of snow later today. My heart goes out for the people of the Midwest. After living in the Tahoe area for 25 years, I’ve been through many tough storms. Since we hardly ever get real storms here, I’m liking it. I’ve had my tea and there is a pot of multigrain oatmeal bubbling on the stove. I’m anticipating a quiet day, where I can get a lot of catch-up done this morning and head to the library and bank later in the afternoon (or not).

What I’m feeling right now is the desire to make my life as cozy as possible. Most of the Christmas decorations are gone and there are empty places to fill. There’s a warm throw on my favorite chair, some pillows on the couch, but I’d like to get more. Candles are spread throughout the house and I’m trying to remember to light them more often. I’m going to pile on another duvet to the end of the bed for pulling up on cold nights.

This pinecone centerpiece works just right for the coffee table. The base came from the basket of goodies that we got as a Christmas present. It's about 20 inches by 30 inches, and it will be a good planter in the spring, but for now it’s going to sit right here. Our Christmas tree branches line the bottom. The red berry and pinecone ropes have been around for a long time. Finding pinecones for decorations is never a problem for me, they're everywhere. I also have little pinecone shaped Christmas lights, which would look fantastic in there, but I don’t have any way of plugging them in. I wonder if there’s some sort of battery pack I could tuck in the bottom. Does anyone know about something like this?

This is your chance to take it real slow: Go to bed early. Make some soup. Try a new tea. Read something meaty. Be creative. Write in your journal or send a real letter to someone important. Bake something delicious. Make time to invite friends over for a casual dinner. Savor.