FOX 9 morning news on Monday shows temps and windchills predicted for Monday evening in the Twin Cities.
I’M ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES. I don’t have to venture outside, into the frigid cold which is gripping Minnesota and many other parts of the country.
Rather, I can hunker down inside, working from my home office.
When I arose Monday morning and switched on the radio, the temperature registered at a negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit with a windchill of 47 degrees below zero. That’s cold, people, darned cold.
Starting a cold winter morning off with a bowl of banana-laced oatmeal.
The television weatherman reported the same brutal temps before I turned off the TV and enjoyed my usual morning bowl of oatmeal.
I have an abundance of fleece and wool throws at the ready.
On mornings like this, the house feels colder than normal. So I’ll notch up the thermostat a degree, to 68, and grab a fleece throw from the couch to toss across my lap while I write.
A cup of instant cappuccino to kickstart me on an exceptionally cold winter morning.
And although I’m not a big coffee drinker, I typically have a single mug of instant French vanilla cappuccino each morning. I can almost hear all of you serious coffee drinkers out there cringing at the idea of me drinking instant coffee.
Every January the regional library system implements its reading incentive, appropriately named “Hot Reads for Cold Nights.” My mom gave me this mug, which she got from her library system. That’s my stash of books and magazines from the library.
Saturday I stopped at the local library to stock up on books and magazines, but didn’t read much until Monday evening as I attended a wedding on Saturday and then Sunday evening was riveted to the two-hour premiere of Downton Abbey. Much to my husband’s dismay, I recently discovered this Public Broadcasting Service Masterpiece Theatre show.
Ice rings created by my husband and now in the backyard.
My spouse entertained himself on Sunday by watching the chilly football game in Green Bay and later making ice candle holders. He froze water in ice cream buckets on our patio. I darted outside Monday morning to view and photograph his ice art.
The furnace vents through a pipe into my backyard.
And then I photographed the exhaust venting from the furnace, enveloping the lawn chairs in a visual contrast of seasons.
A reminder that, yes, spring will come and this fern will once again grace my backyard.
Back indoors, I aimed my camera lens at a fern (temporarily displaced by the Christmas tree) and at a pineapple on my kitchen counter.
The closest I am to anything tropical.
If you live in Minnesota, you understand why I photographed both. Right?
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Good Morning Audrey,
I am sitting here contemplating another day indoors. I have not been out since Saturday morning and am rather enjoying it. I have my coffee, the real stuff and another whole day to myself since school was cancelled. It is different as the last time it occurred, my children were all in school and the effect on my household was very different. I could get used to this. Quilting is the only thing on the agenda, well maybe a few breaks to read and get more coffee.
I also love Downton Abbey and was so excited for Sunday evening and it did not disappoint. My husband just does not understand either. lol I happened to catch it the first season and was hooked. The time period, the setting and the costumes all appeal to me and now to watch women coming into their own!
I just wanted to share my observation of the cold snap and knew you would appreciate it because of your love of words. “Hunker down”, I have heard this old-fashioned phrase more times this weekend than I have in the rest of my life and it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. Just wanted to share.
Stay warm
Deb, I agree that it’s very different without kids around when school is cancelled, although my son is currently home on his college break. I hope the weather situation straightens out by next week so that his flight back to Boston is not delayed. Oh, how I will miss him after having him home for four weeks.
I can’t think of a more appropriate word than “hunker down” for staying indoors during this cold snap. On Saturday lots of folks were running around; the gas station was crazy busy.
As for Downton Abbey, I love the show for the same reasons you cite. Randy doesn’t understand. But he has his Sunday afternoon football, thus I can have my Sunday evening drama.
Enjoy your day of quilting in the warmth of your home.
I live in Minnesota and do not understand why you photographed both. I will patiently await other comments to see if the mystery is reveled. It looks like the ice candle holders turned out great. Are you just getting winter-fancy in the backyard or are they for an event?
Oh, Dan, if you don’t understand why I photographed the fern and pineapple…
No events planned to use the ice candle holders. Just something the husband apparently wanted to try and I’ve always been interested in trying, too. But we need to build up the inventory. Two won’t make an impression.
I totally understand those last two pictures. It is a bit warmer this morning but believe me—it is still plenty cold outside. I went out yesterday to shovel a tiny path for the mail lady to deliver our held mail and while I was out there she came so I abandoned it and took the mail into the garage door. Later I managed a tiny path for the UPS man but my legs took awhile to warm up. Brrrr.
So glad you have joined the Downton Abbey ranks. I love that show and am one of the masses also!
Your cappuccino makes me smile because we always shared a cup of that with Chris’s grandma—that was “our” thing. I would never turn up my nose at a cup of that. 🙂
Off to make some oatmeal of my own.
I think the mail carrier stopped his delivery before reaching our house as I saw him at the neighbor’s place and we’re typically next on the route. But he turned back toward downtown and I did not notice him in the neighborhood later. A day without mail is indeed an oddity and I found none in the mailbox when I checked this a.m.
Question about Downtown Abbey: Are the shows always two hours long? I really enjoy the show, but two hours is a long time for me to watch TV.
Nope–usually only an hour but this was the first of the season so it was longer. Have you watched all the other seasons???
I watched several episodes last year; had never heard of the show prior to that. Yeah, I know. I’m not much of a TV watcher and we get only a few basic TV channels via our roof antenna. Good to hear the show is only an hour long.
I also like Call the Midwife on PBS—I do like to watch tv—I admit it!
And I know you are likely selective in your viewing. Plus you balance TV with reading and writing.
Loved reading your post Audrey, it seems you were enjoying your morning despite the cold. I often make myself the “international” brand french vanilla cappuccino at home, I’m not a fan of black coffee unless of course I’m eating something sweet with it 🙂 Even when I go to Caribou coffee I usually purchase what they call a “foo foo” drink, with flavor shots and steamed milk. I like Randy’s
ice rings, I would definitely put a big old candle in there and light it on my front step!
I think I’ll make a few of those ice rings today, although I don’t exactly know how the process works. I wasn’t watching. Randy did say it took only a few hours, though, to freeze the rings. maybe I’ll fill buckets @ 3 p.m. Then by the time he arrives home from work and cleans up, he can remove the ice from the buckets.
My brand choice with French vanilla cappuccino is the one Aldi sells.
I started and got half way through Minnesota writer David Housewright’s mystery, The Taking of Libbie, SD, last evening. I love a good mystery.
Loving your captures – loving the little bit of tropical too:) All I have to say is Brrr!!! Stay Inside and Stay Warm!
The weather is a wee bit warmer today. I thought you’d appreciate the tropical, being a native Minnesotan and all, although no longer living here.
Glad to hear it is a wee bit warmer today. I do not miss the frozen tundra cold of the Midwest!
I make those ice rings too, from half frozen water buckets! I line them up outside the barn but they don’t look pretty, with bits of hay and straw and so forth in them. Sometimes I make them for the verandah and fill them with beer in bottles or champagne and ice.. if I have guests, which I won’t as we are still snowed in. Horrible that the big chill is coming to you, it was not nice. We are up to NINE today and it feels so much better.. weird! Loved the shots of the inside and oh i LONG for the fern days again! c
At least I don’t need to battle the elements like you to tend animals. It does feel much warmer out today than yesterday and Sunday, when this historic arctic blast settled in.
I set two buckets of water out today to make more ice rings. Perhaps tomorrow evening I’ll place candles inside. I like your idea of using them for chilling beverages, although sometimes we simply stick bottles into snow to chill them.
I too “hunkered down” Audrey. I have always said that when I “hibernate” from the cold or a snowstorm. Maybe its the area where we were raised. I was raised
6 miles No. of Echo, so I was not too far from you.
I am working on a counted cross stitch afghan that I am trying to get finished. It
is very detailed and I made up my mind to finish it this winter.
Every once in awhile I too, get a cup of coffee and read my book. I am into
reading William Kent Kruger’s books. I really like his books. Tomorrow i will go
to the library in Redwood Falls and get some more.
I so enjoy your blog and I know why you took a picture of the fern and pineapple.
So we can dream for a few seconds that we are in a warm place, maybe on a beach!!!
DeLores
Yes, I think you and I share many similarities growing up so near each other.
I am a HUGE fan of William Kent Krueger, whom I met when he was in Faribault a few years ago. I would highly recommend his book, Ordinary Grace, to you, which is not part of his Cork O’Connor mystery series. I know you will enjoy it. How is the Little Free Library going in Belview? I often wonder that. The one in Vesta has really taken off with books also now filling shelves inside the Vesta Cafe.
Thank you for being such a faithful reader of Minnesota Prairie Roots, DeLores.
Stay warm and safe out there on my native prairie.
Audrey,
I just finished “Ordinary Grace”. It was good. I missed him when he was in
Redwood Falls Library this fall. It was so foggy out I didn’t dare risk driving.
I hope he will come back again sometime.
When you write about working in the barn it brings me back to those times too.
I wish I was a writer like you. My kids want me to write a book on my childhood but
I am intimidated by it!! Got lots of stories though.
DeLores
If your kids say write down your stories, do. They won’t care about the quality of your writing, but rather about the stories you compiled. And my guess is that you are a much better writer than you credit yourself for.
I’m glad you enjoyed Ordinary Grace, but sorry you missed seeing William Kent Krueger. I certainly understand, though, why you didn’t drive to Redwood.
Yep! I understand!
Oh, and I began watching Downton Abbey just over a year ago when I got the first two seasons from Netflix and then watched season 3 last January. I was able to see hour one of the premier on December 13th here in Wgtn when Pioneer Public held a special viewing here at the college. But, of course, I had to watch on Sunday to see the second half. 🙂
A special viewing at the college? There must be some devoted fans down there in Worthington. Was there anything besides the viewing, like people dressing in period costume and such?
It came about because someone who works at the college is on the Pioneer Public TV board and she lobbied for us to be one of the two locations! (They were only allowed two.) She dressed up in her high school madrigal dress, and someone else wore a velvet dress, but other than that, no. The Friends of the Library (of which I’m chair) helped by ushering. It was quite fun!
It sounds like fun.