Musings from Marilyn

Posts Tagged ‘winter’

I’ll admit that I become somewhat of a hermit in wintertime.  I really believe in responding to seasonal changes, and just going with the gentle flow of what Mother Nature is presenting at any given time.  I’m learning to give up complaining about the weather; if there is one thing that you can’t do anything about, it’s the weather!  Kvetching and complaining really adds to the misery.  That being said, the weather is usually quite gray and dank in Seattle, so it’s best to just give in.

I love staying in during the winter.  I wrap myself up in assorted layers of cashmere, wool, cotton and mohair (OK, and in my leopard Snuggie ).  There is just something so comforting and cocoon-like to just be.  Not running around wildly here and there.

Recently we had a rare Seattle snowstorm that lasted a week.  It just kept snowing and snowing, with some frozen rain thrown in for good measure.  If there is any time to stay home, it is during Seattle snow.  Driving conditions are extremely hazardous with all of our  inexperienced drivers, steep hills, unplowed roads (snowplows are extremely rare), and icy streets.  So it is best to stay put.  Needless to say I was happy as a clam bundled up in the house for a week; very zen!

Of course, there is no outdoor clothesline drying for me in winter, just too cold and damp.  I have my laundry racks set up indoors and they’re consistently full of drying clothes.  As seen by the picture, my laundry got a nice view of the winter wonderland as it was drying!  With the heat on indoors, the wet laundry dries relatively fast.

Now we are back to the standard clouds and rain, but my indoor laundry racks are still getting a heavy workout.  Maybe just not as nice of a view. 

“Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.” ~ Author Unknown

~Marilyn Huttunen

Here it is, once again, that annual event that we all go through together whether we like it or not: the turning of the clock into the new year.  I’ve always liked the feeling of ending the old, and starting anew with a fresh clean slate.  Even though we carry our bag of emotions, concerns and worries with us into the new year, there is that magical moment when the clock strikes midnight when all things seem possible, albeit fleetingly.

I am spending New Years Eve home alone, and feeling very okay with it.  Almost giddy!   I guess I’ve reached a point in my life where reveling with mostly strangers at parties, and driving in the dead of night trying to avoid drunk drivers doesn’t have the appeal it once did.  In fact, I was just thinking about all the New Year’s Eve parties that I’ve attended over the years that never quite lived up to the “expectation” of having a blissfully ecstatic time.  Didn’t really matter if I was single, dating, married, engaged, or divorcing at the time… it all felt the same.

So I’ve learned to just approach New Year’s Eve from a neutral standpoint.  Read a good book, listen to music, make Hoppin’ John and cornbread, watch the ball drop from the Space Needle, sip some champagne, watch the Marx Brothers movie marathon… and make NO resolutions! 

“Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up on New Year’s Eve.  Middle age is when you’re forced to.”  ~Bill Vaughn

Happy 2012!

~Marilyn Huttunen

As much as I like to grumble about winter’s cold, snow, ice, sleet and rain, I secretly kind of like it.   Well, I don’t actually like the drastic weather conditions.  More so I like the changes it can evoke in me mentally, spiritually and emotionally.  I’ve learned, over time, to accept and even enjoy the experiences than only wintertime can bring.

It used to be that I really dreaded wintertime; the short daylight hours, the long, dark, cold nights.  I used to get a form of the winter blues, where it just all seemed so eternally gray and muted.  I would inwardly feel a bit sad.  And I would get in the habit of thinking negatively about everything winter-related.  Kind of a self-perpetuating numbness.

Over time, I guess I’ve gotten a lot more accepting of things, especially those things over which I have no control.  And I think we can all agree that weather conditions are one thing that we can definitely not control.  I started looking at winter with a new perspective, and how it could be used as a time of reflection and replenishment.  Since nature is slowing down and resting at this time, I took my cue from it and decided to do that for myself.

I find that it is a great time for looking inward; meditating, praying, reading.  There are fewer distractions, everything being colder, darker and slower-paced.  I take this time to recharge my batteries, so to speak.  I have learned to not to be afraid of my feelings, to not suppress them.  If I’m sad, I feel sad; mad, angry, frustrated – same thing.  I let it come out and really really feel it.  And then I usually go out for a brisk walk (in wintertime that is the only type of walk you can take!)  Usually this brings me back to a state of  positively balanced calmness.

I find myself cooking a lot more in winter- and really enjoying it.  I usually can be found brewing up pots of bean soup or roasting root vegetables; something that I would never do in summer.  It is so satisfying to make and then savor, some wholesome home cooking.

It’s also a great time to read that stack of books that I’ve put off all summer.  Wintertime really lends itself to reading.  Curling up in a warm blanket with a hot cup of tea, reading, is one of the great pleasures of life.  There are fewer distractions, less activity, less guilt about slowing down.

I guess I have taken Wayne Dyer’s words of advice to heart:  “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”  I have changed how I look at winter; and it has in turn changed!

~Marilyn Huttunen

Being a bit of a laundry renegade, I am ever on the search for laundry procedures that will not only save me money, but preserve the environment AND get clothes just as clean!  As you probably could guess by now, I am an avid clothesline user.  I air-dry 100% of the time, using a clothesline outside in nice weather and drying racks inside during inclement weather.

As far as my washing procedures go, I use my trusty 20 year old washing machine.  It is nothing fancy, but definitely gets the job done well.  I’ve always washed darks and wools in cold water, but stuck to the age-old tradition of washing colors in warm and whites in hot.  I guess this is just how  it has always been done.  Not wanting to mess with housewifery  tradition,  I didn’t want to change the routine lest some evil descend upon me!

One day, in a flash of determination, I decided to wash everything in cold water.  Yes, even whites.  Even towels.  Even sheets. Even underwear.  I know…GASP!  Eighty to ninety percent of the energy used to wash clothes heats the water.  And unless you are washing something that is really muddy or oily, it’s completely unnecessary with the modern machines and detergents we have now.

I have not noticed any difference in the cleaning results using cold water.  Things get just as clean, in fact to my eye they almost seem cleaner.  I may not feel the warmth from the dryer or hot water washes anymore, but that’s okay with me.  Laundry renegades will do most anything to be cool.

~Marilyn

Now that the cold, damp and clammy weather has settled in the Pacific Northwest, my feet have been letting me know for quite a while now that it’s time to get out the warm socks.  I have cold feet.  VERY cold feet.  Almost all the time except for summer.  Oh blessed summer when I can wear sandals to my heart’s content; no stocking comes near me then!

Fall, winter, and spring are a completely different story.  My feet turn into icicles and I have to make valiant attempts to keep them warm at all costs.  You see,  for a couple winters in a row now, I have developed the very old-fashioned sounding condition of chilblains.  Chilblains are caused by exposure to cold and humidity in susceptible people.  The coldness damages capillary beds on the toes and causes swelling and redness.  For a long time I never knew what the condition was, but a Google search on my symptoms turned up the correct chilblain result.

What’s reassuring is the “cure” for chilblains.  No drugs, treatments, or doctor visits required.  Just the simple solution of keeping your feet and hands warm during the winter!  For me, this has been investing in a variety of warm socks.   Wool socks in different weights, microfiber, cotton, angora, and cashmere socks.  Also nylon and microfiber tights.  I have fuzzy woolly slippers too.  My feet are always sufficiently clad at all times during winter.

I know now that I cannot go out and shovel snow in my rubber Wellies without several layers of thick wool socks!   I made that mistake last winter during a particularly severe snow/cold snap.  I was shoveling snow for days on end without enough protection for my feet, and they paid the price.

So I continue to keep adding to my sock collection.  Luckily there are so many fun, cute, and stylish socks out there.  My feet thank me that they are being kept warm.  Warm feet are happy feet…and happy feet make a happier me!

Marilyn