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Winter Pastimes
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Winter is the time of renewal, when we spend our time resting from the years work. Ha! Most of us work a 9 to 5 job, and it is the same for the winter as the rest of the year. But we tend to spend most of our evenings and weekends home, as the weather usually not something we want to be frolicking about in. So, again, what to do with all this time on our hands? I actually like winter. Cold? Put on more clothes. Bundle up. I'm living in a country-like area now, and I have the opportunity to wander thru the woods on the weekends. Quite a change for me from the city life! I look forward to wandering the woods, seeing actual animal trails, crunching snow under my boots. Light the fireplace up, spend the evening on the couch with some friends or a loved one. Yes, thats winter. But other things occupy my time also. I am a quilter. Quilts? Why Quilts? Well, actually, its very simple. Quilts are patterns, simply put together and stitched up. A sewing machine is not really necessary, but helpful, as it can make quick work of small projects. And you need not be skilled. A simple machine, or a straight stitch will give you all you need. But the real reason is the patterns. There are hundreds of patterns, and variation on them. Each project I do is different, even if I use the same pattern. The fabric is different, so the project is different each time. Most of my fabric is from old clothes, or remnants I find in the cheap section of my favorite store. I like the recycled idea. Fills a need in my chosen Path, of conserving natures resources and not cluttering up the environment with junk. I also find it a challenge to try to make gifts to fit someone I know. A small wall hanging, in a pattern that describes someone's profession (i.e. carpenters wheel) or some fabric to fit the design (florals in a pattern called Grandma's Garden for that special Crone). And its a great way to make Yule gifts that are affordable. Then, of course, there is that major project, the bed quilt, that can take a solitary quilter a few years to create, but the feeling of personal accomplishment and the warmth a bed quilt brings, there is no other feeling of satisfaction like it! OK, so you are not creatively inclined in that manner. Do you paint? I mean, other than walls, though you can get really creative with walls and paint. Do you have a hobby? Baseball cards? Yes, pagans pursue sports just as anyone else does. We are just like everyone else. We can follow the local hockey teams. Play touch football. Winter is a time when we can go out on the good weekends and exercise. Will probably be necessary for most of us, as the other Pagan passion is Food, and we do love to prepare it as much as we love to eat it! Then there is always reading, writing, spending time with the family. Like to work in the kitchen? How about trying out that recipe for cookies? Or how about those herbs you brought in and dried. Make something with them. Which brings us to another winter pastime. Did you have a garden this year? Did you get anything out of it? We gave the new garden a try, breaking ground this year. What do you think we got??? Well, the pumpkins flowered, but no fruits. Someone told us we got nothing but male flowers. I will have to look into that. And my tomatoes, we started them too late, and all we got were two small fruits. Oh well, next year we start sooner.... You don't need a great big yard to be able to plant stuff. A sunny window is just as good. There are herbs that can be grown indoors as well. Check out seed supply stores on line. Get out a piece of paper and a pencil and work out next years garden/window. Read up on the various plants, herbs, flowers. See what you can do to bring a bit of Mom Nature to your home. Did you have problems growing some varieties of tomatoes or lettuce last year? Check out new varieties, plan out your garden, maximize your resources. Order catalogues from magazines (most are free) and sit down and go over what you would like in your yard, or in your window. Winter can be just as productive as the rest of the year, if you take the time to think it out. And it can be more relaxing than you can imagine. Give it some thought. Share some ideas. Its that time, you know, and you shouldn't wait too long to decide. After all, Spring is just around the corner! (hehehe) |
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