"The sunrise painted the southern horizon with ribbons of fuchsia and pale gold. I could hear the chatter of the ducks and chickens in the coop as they anticipated enjoying the warmer weather after a stretch of icy cold. Like toddlers, the remind us to greet each day with curiosity."

It warmed up enough that Duncan opened the ice on the small pond yesterday. We're seeing ice thickness of around six inches already, which bodes well for ice fishing season this year. The last couple of winters have been so mild that the lakes were accessible for a shorter stretch of time, which hurt local businesses that rely on winter sportsmen.

I was watching a short documentary this week where they were talking to some Inuit people who were noting how the positions of the sun and winds have shifted. I've noticed it here, too. Though the sun is always low on the horizon in winter compared to summer, I don't recall seeing the sunset colors typically spanning the entire southern horizon. I have sunrise photos from our early years here, and the lighting was quite different.

The winds have changed, too, and not just from the windbreak (though I have to say that it is pretty flipping amazing how much of a change it has made).

Officially, nothing has changed, but there are reddit threads with folks noticing similar things. It's not my area of expertise, but I do know that each year we need to adjust our gardens to the growing conditions, whatever they may be. Have you noticed any differences where you're located? I know we're in a solar maximum right now, but that shouldn't have that sort of impact.

This week's Rule of Ikigai (picking up where we left off)

This is a good one to keep in mind as we wrap up one year and head into the next. We never know how much time we have, so it's important to make the best of it.

Helping you create resilience and abundance,

Laurie (and August IV, August V, and Duncan)

This week's featured articles...

Last Wednesday, Duncan went into town for an afternoon appointment, which ran late. By the time he went to head home, a storm had rolled in, and he was driving in black ice. There were police officers out, detouring him from his regular route, as vehicles were sliding back down the onramp to the highway.

Traffic was creeping along and he wasn't sure which alternate route to take, so he was smart and pulled in at a business to get his bearings. He called home and let us know where he was and that he was okay. Then we talked over alternate routes and figured out a couple of different options for him.

Thankfully he made it home safely, though the trip took about double the amount of time that it normally did. It was a good reminder for all of us to keep an eye on the weather. It's been a pretty mild start to the season, albeit a cold one this past week. August went through all the vehicle emergency kits this weekend and made sure everything was in good condition (and I washed all the gear). Since we were checking things, I updated the related articles on the site.

There's the Winter Car Kit Checklist and the Winter Vehicle Preparation Checklist...

And I also updated the Winter Preparedness Checklist for Your Home and You.

It's baking season, and the chocolate coffee cookies are popular again this year. My aim was to make them look like giant chocolate dipped coffee beans, but people have also said that they look like reindeer footprints.

Side note - this is a good time of year to shop baking supplies, as you can often catch holiday sales.

See:

​How to Store Flour Long Term​

​How to Store Sugar Long Term​

​How to Store Honey Long Term​

Nutrimill is also offering a holiday sale on their mixers, with $50 off the Bosch Universal Plus (the one we have) and the Artiste. The Artiste also has bundles available, like a Sourdough Bundle, for even bigger savings.