Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Long Winter, Non-Pioneer Style

First, some pictures:



Baby-in-a-johnny




Keeping the girl happy while we waited and waited...




Static guard NOT included.



Princess Kate, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everyone singing to her.




Princess Joan's M&M bliss.





So, with the girls' birthday done and over with, the winter stretches out forever. (They had a princess/super-hero party, which was espeically a hit with all the little princesses they invited. GAG! Can you believe I had a princess party for my kids? Once again: Standards Revised For the Sake of the Children.) But back to the Long Winter...

Laura Ingalls Wilder comes to mind, over and over. Could it be because the girls received season 1 and 2 of Little House on the Prairie for their birthday? Or is it Swistle's mention of wanting a rope connecting the house and barn?


As the temps continue to dip and DIP, and schools are called off because it's too COLD (and this is MN people- WE LOVE US SOME WINDCHILL, so you know if they are canceling school it has to be C-O-L-D), I can't help but think about the Ingalls'- without food, the train bearing their survival necessities stuck in snow for the winter, poor blind Mary stumbling around half frozen. And then that porcupine Almonzo- hiding grain is the wall of his house and forcing Pa to go over and kick some future-son-in-law ARSE. (WHAT? YOU don't have both the Laura books and the TV show completely memorized? That is your homework. Now, go!)


As I dress myself and the kids in alternating layers of polar fleece and, well, more polar fleece, I can't help but thinking the Man Upstairs knew what he was doing when he planted me on earth after the invention of CENTRAL HEATING and treadmills and coffee-mate (specifically, toffee delight) and water heaters.


So while the wind howls and causes an alarming weird wind-caused sound to echo occasionally throughout our house, I'll sit back with some hot soup and maybe play Oregon Trail on Facebook. I may even look back on pictures of myself, at an age too embarrasing to mention, dressed in my prairie dress, with my hair in two braids, AT THE MALL, and THANK GOD that my one childhood wish- that I could be Laura- was not answered.


12 comments:

Tess said...

This post makes me feel like crying, but that is TOTALLY NOT YOUR FAULT. Oh, Minnesota! You are not for the pansy, are you?

The Long Winter is my favorite LHOTP book. For sure.

Also, I think a princess party sounds FUN and SO, SO CUTE.

artemisia said...

Winter instills a love/hate relationship, doesn't it? I thought Wyoming winters were harsh, but I think Minnesota would reduce me to tears.

Anonymous said...

Your girls are so adorable! I particularly love the hospital pics.

Can you see Kate's name in that picture of her?

Marie Green said...

Shelly, Yeah, I saw that when I posted the picture, but I'm not SUPER worried about people knowing her name, so I figured- Meh, no biggie.

It's -4 here right now- and its almost 3 in the afternoon! THIS IS WHY Minnesotans talk about weather so much- we is sure proud of ours extremes. =)

Swistle said...

OH ME TOO. What a relief.

Farmer Boy was my favorite. A total surprise, since I put off reading it for a long time, thinking I wouldn't be interested in a book about a BOY.

clueless but hopeful mama said...

I was a LHOTP fanatic (and have the Halloween pictures to prove it). I was OBSESSED with The Long Winter; finally she was a teenager and dealing with teenage issues. I can't wait to introduce these books to Zoe. If they held my attention in 1980's New Jersey, 2010 Southern California should be no problem, right?

Erin said...

Those photos are so adorable. Your girls are perfect. That baby looks like she's straight out of a catalog for toy wagons. Or assless baby hospital gowns. But definitely catalog material.

The wind was howling something fierce down here last night, and I felt so safe and cozy in my house. It was a really nice feeling to check on the boys before bed. They were warm, in their footie (polar fleece) pjs, sleeping soundly while nature behaved all wicked and cruel outside.

d e v a n said...

Aw, cute pics. Love the wagon one. :)

Lora said...

When I found out I was having a boy, I cried for days because he wouldn't care about Little House

Kate said...

Your girls are so adorable!

Reading this makes me want to go dig out the 'ol Little House books and spend the weekend reading.

Black Sheeped said...

I read all of the books, over and over and over and over. I will never, ever forget the description of a hog slaughtering, and that they blew up a piece of...stomach? intestine? SOME SORT OF INTERNAL ORGAN, tied it off, and played with it like a balloon.

The Iowa winter is kicking me harder than the Wyoming winter did. Wyoming was usually colder, and windier, but here? Here there is humidity. And when it is zero, and when there is 90 percent humidity...it feels really, really tiring. Minnesota frightens me a bit, too, but also, I kind of think I would like it.

Also: I also put off reading Farmer Boy, like Swistle, but oh, hello! Descriptions of food! Descriptions of elaborate meals, on nearly every page! That was a good one.

Germany Mom said...

Ugg, you're not making it much easier for me to look forward to my move to MN. Plus I know it's always colder in Duluth where I'll be!! I may need some of your help when I get there - you're always able to put a positive spin on any situation.