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Friday Favorite: Beautiful Days

January 18th, 2013

Yesterday was a lovely morning. We happened to wake up before the sunrise and enjoyed our coffee while we watched the sun come up over the horizon. Wednesday, a winter storm rolled through and a fresh dusting of snow blanketed the ground. After putting in a few hours of office work, we headed out for some late morning chores, Mr Chiots plowed the drive and I tended to all the animals and worked on cleaning the garage.
Fun in the Snow 4
Fun in the Snow 5
Next up came the roasting of the coffee for the next couple weeks, meanwhile the ducks played in the snow. These guys are too funny, they definitely make us laugh. They’re just starting to get their wings and they love to run around on their tip-toes flapping them. A couple days ago one of the females made a short flight from the garage down to the house. Our duckies are growing up.
Fun in the Snow 6
Fun in the Snow 7
While we stood by the garage eyeing the fresh snow, thoughts of childhood sledding filled our minds. We grabbed a sled from the garage and took a few quick runs down the hill. Notice the ducks watching us, I was waiting for them to grab the sled and ride on down. They seem to enjoy days like today as much as we do.
Fun in the Snow 1
Fun in the Snow 9
Fun in the Snow 8
Fun in the Snow 2
Fun in the Snow 3
I don’t think either of us have been sledding since college, you certainly notice how hard the bumps are (of course there wasn’t quit enough snow on the ground). On days like yesterday we’ll spend every moment we can outside enjoying the day!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy a beautiful January day?

17 Comments to “Friday Favorite: Beautiful Days”
  1. kathi Cook on January 18, 2013 at 6:56 am

    A long hike in the woods,especially after a fresh snow!

    Reply to kathi Cook's comment

  2. Adelina Anderson on January 18, 2013 at 7:20 am

    We took our kids sledding and since it looked like fun (big hill with lots of bumps in the ctr of town) I decided to try it. My only regret was that we didn’t have enough sleds for both me and the kids. I hate taking turns.

    Reply to Adelina Anderson's comment

  3. daisy on January 18, 2013 at 7:26 am

    That looks like a blast! We love spending more time outside in the cooler months. Everything just feels so crisp and motivating.

    It’s funny that y’all have the Muscovy ducks. Here they are considered a nuisance because they are so overpopulated. I’m glad they are entertained by your fun!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  4. Robin on January 18, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Ice fishing! I’m hoping to get out tomorrow while it’s reasonably warm.

    Reply to Robin's comment

  5. Jennifer Fisk on January 18, 2013 at 9:53 am

    A walk in my woods is such a treat.
    I see you have Stabilicers installed on your boots. They are such a staple of life in winter in Maine anywhere east of I95.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

    • Susy on January 18, 2013 at 9:55 am

      And they’re made in Maine!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  6. misti on January 18, 2013 at 10:38 am

    That looks like fun! I think the last time I went sledding was in 1992 in Utah!

    My January days….well, mostly in an office but on weekends outside doing something for sure…yard work, hiking, at a nursery….

    Reply to misti's comment

  7. SusieB on January 18, 2013 at 11:17 am

    Sledding looks so fun! I’m not sure how it is that I’ve never done it, but I have gone ice-blocking in SoCal. I love playing in the snow in the winter and going on day trips to small towns on nice days. Those ducks are so adorable, love hearing updates on how they’re doing.

    Reply to SusieB's comment

  8. Donna B. on January 18, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Your ducklings are BEAUTIFUL! I love the mottled look! [in that first photo – those eyes! :O]
    And you two are so adorable! Hehehehhee… I wouldn’t have been able to resist sledding either!

    Reply to Donna B.'s comment

  9. Melanie J. on January 18, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    Thanks for this one, I needed it this morning. Ironically, not for remembering how to take time out for play, but for recognizing how I need to better schedule my time. I’m between jobs and freelancing, and after years in an office, finding it difficult to stay focused. Today i’m giving myself the goal of getting half my work done, before I let myself wander to other tasks for a bit. Been letting myself get scatter-brained. Thanks again!

    Reply to Melanie J.'s comment

  10. amy on January 18, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    I love to take a walk in it….but I’m weird in that it is really hard for me to take that first step….I don’t like to mar the pristiness of it…lol…Lucky for me(heavy sarcasm….I love snow) it hardly snows enough here in Kentucky to worry about such things anymore:(

    Reply to amy's comment

  11. Chris on January 18, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    Watching the birds on our deck, taking a walk with my dog (it is so quiet and peaceful in the winter), snowmobiling and watching the snow fall in northern Wisconsin.

    Reply to Chris's comment

  12. KimH on January 18, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    Inside my nice warm house snuggled up, reading a book.. however Im in the middle of rearranging/cleaning/organizing my basement this week so no snuggly for me..

    I enjoy cross country skiing when I get the chance but its been quite a few years since I’ve been out… That’d be nice to do one of these days.

    Enjoy that snow!

    Reply to KimH's comment

  13. Rebecca on January 18, 2013 at 5:01 pm

    I’m always a fan of sledding!! If there’s anything that topped it tho, it was harvesting ice at the local living history farm museum a few years ago. Standing in the middle of a pond with a giant saw, I kept seeing, quite vividly, the images on my first grade ice safety ditto that pictured what was a safe load for how many inches of ice.

    Reply to Rebecca's comment

  14. Tanya on January 18, 2013 at 6:53 pm

    I haven’t been sledding in years! I can’t wait till my son is a little older and we can take him up to the mountain. It looks like you had fun.

    Reply to Tanya's comment

  15. anno on January 18, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    Getting outdoors any way I can …. a beautiful day in January is too rare to waste!

    About your ducks, I am curious: do you have a pond on your property? How do you keep your ducks happily dabbling throughout the below-freezing temperatures of a Maine winter?

    Reply to anno's comment

  16. Wendy on January 19, 2013 at 12:02 am

    The last serious sledding I did was in college, too. Now I go with my kids, and between the bumps and the high rate of speed, I only do a few runs usually. I agree with the commenter above–I don’t like sharing the sleds. :)

    Reply to Wendy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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