Monday, January 17, 2011

January Blue

January is a blue month. The woolen skies of November and December lift to reveal a high, ice-blue dome.  Our shadows--elongated giants with enormous hands and pin heads--stretch blue across the snow in the low afternoon sun. The blue jays visit the feeder, their usual raucous cries subdued by the cold.


This weekend I finally cleared away the dregs of red-and-green, filed away the Christmas cards, swept up the last of the fir needles to make way for January.  In the kitchen I lined up blue glass on the window sill,






spread a blue cloth and made a snowflake bowl (copied from Shivaya Naturals). The silver snowflake candlesticks came from Goodwill (on sale before Christmas).


More blue and white in livingroom, and a new book of fairy tales from the cold north.

(The snowflake bowls drive M crazy, because what do you do with them?)

In the window I hung more snow flakes (how-to at linaloo),


And on the so-called mantle I placed my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright-style candleholders, which have a snowflakey design, and I cut some red dogwood branches to put in the big, scary rock vase (I have to keep it there, out of reach, for fear that it will fall on someone and brain them).


January is for sledding and snow ice cream.  For skating (after tomorrow's sleet) and snow plowing.  It is a month for popcorn and cocoa and hot melted cheese.  It is for walking on the ice along the river, avoiding the spots where the water defies the thermometer and runs black and frigid.  January is long underwear and wool sweaters, down coats and knit hats, warm socks and mittens.  January says, "Go outside and play; it's a beautiful day," when the sun streams down through the single-digit atmosphere. And January says, "Sit by the fire.  Knit.  Read a book. Watch a movie in the afternoon when you've had your fill of cold and ice.


January is a month to embrace winter.

5 comments:

  1. So beautiful.

    Our family tradition says that the Christmas decorations go down after Epiphany, but the reality is ..we haven't gotten to it yet.

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  2. Good for you! It has been a bit tough for me to embrace the cold this winter.

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  3. Yes, of course you are right. Some days it's harder than others to embrace, though.

    Love those blue bottles on your window sill.

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  4. It surely is a month to embrace winter! Since moving to Montreal from England four years ago, I've learned that embracing it is much easier than fighting it!

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  5. Thank you so much for that Shivaya Naturals link! I was searching for it the other day- I have a bunch of crocheted circles I want to make into bowls too! Love the blues. xo m.

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