Things can feel pretty sparse just after the holidays, even if decorations are still up. Cold, leafless limbs, a bit of icing over an outdoor receptacle here and there- and lack of snow makes it feel even wintrier. It’s down-time. But the thing is about January- within the stretch of blank calendar squares marching into the unknown to come are the rare empty days of the year just made for creating, days I’ve always appreciated for their sense of newness and possibility. It’s true that the first week’s pretty much always lost in transitioning from the end-of-autumn commotion into true empty winter, but on a bright morning the sun pours through the new windows and skylights that make of the kitchen a bubble, a buoyant yacht’s galley from the light streaming from above. Is it a morning for a fire? Yes- though it’s much warmer and brighter since the renovation, the floor’s still cold, and we don’t want cold feet! Busy busy!- things to do- wild bird feeding stations to set up with indoor viewing in mind, plants living inside now and threatening kitchen crowding to be arranged around our tiny nascent orangery. Orchids must be near warmth and a water source positioned so it will not also rust, mold or rot things. Since it’s Full Moon again- I said I’d keep referring to that- a little candle making is in order. Chicken stew to last a few days- necessary for unbroken concentrating. Time for another log in the stove!

Now to set up space for the ongoing projects, journal entrying, bird work. Above you see a sample of that. I want to be more faithful about a bird log- it’s been pretty haphazard so far because most of my endeavour’s gone into the big folio, but now I want a proper one, and with sketches. This, obviously, is a sketch- I love to notate, and I love the idea of notating with sketching. It’s the great time for home wild birding. A whole lot of robins are on the koi pond- so glad we can provide that for them. A lot of blue jay work needs to be done now, because of the painting for January I started last year. Yes, I’ll be continuing the calendar- but it may take up some of this precious time to figure out the best way. Printed? Online? Special order? Idk, as on social media we say….

Then of course there’s the classic reorganising and throwing out, the preparation of tax info for the accountant, always a struggle, phone housekeeping to deal with, doctors to be visited again. But- that all is going to wait- this is Saturday afternoon. That means in addition to afternoons free for working towards goals both domestic and professional, the opera’s on. When I was in high school, Saturdays were painting days while listening to the Met. Full fifty years later I’m found doing same listening to same on the same weekday. That’s a nice thread to have meandering through fifty years of life events.

The house is going to have to become kind of a loft, or barn space. It’s fortunate indeed I have a large, project-accomodating country kitchen.