Christmas came early for my cabin this year and instead of a jolly fellow, this little beast showed up.
It all started with a long overdue snowfall that brought a few good inches of winter my way. I wanted to run the snow machine, as I hadn't been able to for a few weeks now. This truly does seem to be the most tame winter so far… given the fact it just began yesterday. Well, I was right behind my cabin on a hill, when this waddling creature made his way right in front of me. Mostly covered in snow at the moment and headed away from me, I really wasn't sure what to make of it at first and whether or not to run or chase had my mind pin balling the ideas while still trying to figure out what it was. Well it didn't take that long before I realized it wasn't a wolverine or a beaver but instead it was just a large, the largest I've ever seen, porcupine.
I wanted quills but not bad enough to crawl under the cabin and do what all the dogs and foxes and other curious animals do, get poked. I left him alone after a few pictures and he wandered off to do what porcupines do.
My fox friends are here, a big one and small one. I believe they know each other well enough to be courteous but not enough to share. One day, I was looking after the only one around at the time, the larger one when in suddenly took off. A few minutes later it returned with the small one and they both have taken turns guarding my front door ever since. I can't hardly go outside without one of them there, and if no one is on guard, I try to walk quietly to get water or to the freezer without having the hungry mouths come begging. I enjoy their company, watching them bicker and play around and how alert they are to the things I couldn't even begin to imagine hearing. I think that if a mouse sneezed across the river, they would stare for an hour trying to determine where their hunt would later take place. Speaking of doomed mice, I am a trophy hunter for them now, with numbers climbing towards thirty. Another successful night of trapping had a nice, well fed mouse laying appropriately still on the little black plastic death pad that I call a great invention. Whether feeding the fox, a crow or magpie, a trout or whatever gets to the mice after I'm done doing the deed, I'm just very satisfied to have them out of the cabin and able to sleep quietly through the night.
I've made it past the shortest day of the year, the darkest but certainly not coldest. Yesterday it was in the low forty's and rather wet with rain and scattered sleet showers. The snow that was here, albeit not enough to bury my foot in, is now not enough to make a snowball. Christmas is in a few days and it was a nice treat to fatten myself up a little with some holiday cooking. I made cookies, just over four dozen for the month of december and within a week they were gone. The first few days I kept saying I'll freeze the rest as I nabbed one here and there, snacking away without a care. The last few days of my reckless, lack of self control gluttony were without a doubt the best. The cookies had a chance to absorb some moisture and become that prime, highly sought after, perfect cookie. There isn't any looking back and I'm not ashamed to have eaten all that butter and flour, because I just made another holiday snack and this time I went big.
Apple pie. Apple half pies. Although the pie wasn't anything to get excited about, it is safe to say I have a clean pie dish waiting for another baking inspiration to occur.
And finally another baking day happened with some delicious bread. I had wanted to make stuffing for thanksgiving but didn't have bread and decided not to hassle with it. After making this with the intention of stuffing, I ate a piece and then another and finally a third. I don't know which will happen, either stuffing or just eating sliced, buttered and salted, warm bread. Feeling guilty about all this indulgence won't really happen, but I do need to consider pacing myself. As you can see in the photos, these friends of mine are all to eager for sampling and they are not one to complain about anything that comes their way. Taking the pictures needed to be faster than their ability to dine and dash. Let the record state: They are quick.
Barely an example of not sharing well, the open mouths, one in the top left corner
Merry Christmas to everyone from the not so frozen and not so alone north -
No comments:
Post a Comment