My Favorite Things About Winter

Now that the cold weather has arrived, it's time to cozy up to winter.  While I love summer, there is much to embrace about winter, the crispness in the air, the clear skies perfect for star gazing and the glistening snow that comes with the cold.



Here are some of my favorite winter things.

Snow Skiing
Skiing is one of the best sports.  The feeling you get coming off a day's skiing, well there's nothing quite like it.  It beats a good run!  We are headed out for our first ski trip in about two weeks and we have a big trip planned in late February.  It is low impact, the scenary is breathtaking and being outdoors all day in winter, well, there's just no substitute.

The Playoffs

While the Super Bowl is generally a letdown, the very best NFL football is generally in the playoffs which start this weekend!  Something else to look forward to in winter.  Go Steelers!

(AP photo)

March Madness

The end of winter bring March Madness.  Can you tell I grew up in ACC territory?  I cannot wait for it start this year.  Bring it on!



Making Great Soup

I love to make soup in winter.  Some of my favorites come out of my restaurant cookbooks (Inn at Little Washington and Tupelo Honey).  There is nothing better than a great soup, a light salad and a glass of wine for dinner in winter by candlelight.

A Cat in Your Lap

There is nothing cozier than sitting in a plush chair with a cat curled up in your lap on a cold winter day. Truman loves to do this!  He'll be sitting with me this weekend when I watch the playoffs.  He also loves March Madness.

Time to Needlepoint

In the spring and summer there is too much farm work to do, so I don't have time to stitch.  My backlog of projects has gotten HUGE and I am trying to finish up a rug I have been working on for almost three years. It will be done soon.  I want to stitch a nativity scene for the holidays and this one is on sale at needlepoint.com but I have promised myself not to get into any more projects until I finish some of my outstanding ones.  Maybe for 2013!



A New Beginning for the Horses

The horse show year starts December 1st, so with the new year comes new challenges for the horses.  I set goals to achieve each year (have found that if I don't do this then I don't make much progress). Sega will horse show in late January, her 2012 debut.  Have set goals for her for 2012.  Let's see how we do!

(David Bell photo)

Spring

And spring is just around the corner!  I planted a lot of tulips this fall. I hope they look like this!