Coping with winter

We are in deep winter around here though we haven't yet had a real heavy snow.  

We've had snow but not so much that we need to dig ourselves out of it.  Still, -11 degrees Celsius (12 degrees Farhenheit) is winter enough for me!  At night I've taken to making up a hot water bottle and putting it at the foot of our beds.  

Someone asked why we don't have heat on at night and the main reason is that we heat our rooms with small kerosene heaters that we watch closely even when we are awake (turning them off if we leave the room for any length of time) and we certainly wouldn't want them to be burning while we are asleep...  There is always the fear of earthquakes where we have to jump to turn the stoves off.  We do have air-conditioners (heaters) but besides the fact that we don't like the heat blowing on us, electricity costs are exhorbitant and so we use that as little as possible...  Maybe a half an hour before going to bed I'll turn it on to heat the room and then turn it off as soon as I get into bed.

The cold weather is conducive to something sweet and warm to eat and so this week we enjoyed a mid-morning snack of omochi and sweet bean "soup".  Oshiruko.  We still have a lot of omochi left over from New Year's that I froze and so with packaged oshiruko that comes in heatable pouches, I served this easy snack.  This is a favorite of Tetsu's.  

On another day our comfort food was straight from Betty Crocker's recipe book and I made Apple crisp.  

And because the oven was heating up anyway, I also baked up some sweet potatoes that M-san had given me.  Both eastern and western sweets were thoroughly enjoyed.

For the past couple of days, Tetsu has been staying at the crosswalk for the whole hour that I'm there.  The snow had been enough that he spent the first couple days spreading sand for me and sweeping a path to the school ground.  

He loves this twig broom that he uses and he goes through many of them during the year...  They are inexpensive and sturdy and he will use them for leaves and snow and even to clean out road gutters.  Today, though the snow was gone, he was sweeping a far off sidewalk for the children who come from outer areas of the district.  Tetsu is always working!

I'm still quilting daily on my Plaidish quilt.  I've decided to stitch-in-the-ditch so this is a project that will continue awhile.  I wondered why Tetsu took this photo but look closely and you will find an interloper...

Chip has found a nice, warm hiding place.  I didn't want to disturb her so I let her have my quilt and I did some more drawing.

A farmhouse along the road.

Marlene and I were comparing our recent doctor's visits and bemoaning the fact that we have reached the age when there is something that needs fixing or medication.  I found this cute poem online and have recorded it in my bullet journal for posterity.

And finally...  Do you remember from a couple of weeks ago the photo I'd taken of the vest that my friend Mrs. I had made from left over yarn I'd given her?  Well, the vest fit our mutual friend better than it fit me but two weeks later Mrs. I has made another vest JUST FOR ME!!!  She is amazing!  Mrs. I put in all the work and my friend and I reaped the blessings!