Pie

Happy Thanksgiving! It is snowing buckets here. So, we're supposed to have a nasty winter this year. And in my never-ending obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder, I've been thinking of the book "The Long Winter". Remember how they had to huddle around their stove for weeks on end in a scary winter doldrum, sparingly burning clumps of straw? And remember how the town was starting to grow hungry so Pa burst into Almanzo's bachelor pad and insisted he share some of his wheat grain stash?

So, this week we have seen the beginning of our long winter, perhaps you've heard. This is the first winter in our house and we are discovering the MANY drafty spots. Tis an old house. Lots of towels against doors, lots of frosty windows. And, indeed, like the Ingalls family, we stay near the stove.

We are also seeing the beginning of Mr. Buckaroo crawling everywhere. You realize real quick how dirty your floor is. Drats. And we've got the space heaters and the gas stove blazing so I'm constantly running interference against him. Its hard to get anything done!

Yesterday was my 37th birthday. Tho, I told the boys at the bakery that it was my 19th birthday. And I found out that the village patriarch shares my birthday - he turned 95!! Happy birthday Len.

My parents and one of my brothers (Tom) and one of my sisters (Emma) came up to spend the afternoon with me and Buck. They brought delightful presents and we had take-out thai. I had a birthday apple pie, homemade, which was almost unspeakably delicious. We sipped tea and sat around the stove and stared at the baby. He's silly.

I sort of didn't want this birthday. Mom always says that you don't know how you're gonna feel til you get there. I was feeling sort of blue about this birthday, but seeing my family during the day was a pick-me-up. I think (I know) that I'd feel more positively if I weren't so flippin' tired all the time. I have felt the same trepidation about the holidays. They just seem like hard work. Pre-parenthood, the holidays meant fun, busy-ness, joy, stress AND rest. Now it seems that our days might have fun, but there's no rest. Just more exhaustion. More effort. As you can see, I'm still adjusting to this persistent parenthood thing.

But someday, its inevitable, Buckaroo will sleep more consistently. And I will get sleep. It will happen.

I suppose I should mention that we've all got colds. And its made us (me) grumpier than normal. Nevertheless, my husband got me the most thoughtful present (gift certificate, photo frame, baskets), put up with my blues, and hugged me tight.

And I had pie right before I got in bed, and I had pie first thing this morning. Glorious!