Enjoying Nature and Tea Amidst Winter Challenges

Debi and I have a tradition of getting outside during the winter to make tea, preferably alongside a river. When I lived in Tecumseh (Michigan) we made tea along the River Raisin. Now that I moved to Dexter we find a spot along the Huron River. I used to say there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. Now that I'm older I don't say it as much, especially during a polar vortex. We waited for a slight warm up. Today it was supposed to get up to 32 degrees F so we scheduled some time and packed the gear. The gear isn't fancy. At least it's not as fancy as when I used to backpack the Appalachian Trail in my younger years. All you need is a heat source and something to boil water in. We use a small propane burner and Jet Boil. Other than warm clothes we think a nice insulated cushion to sit on is high on the priority list. Nobody wants to have a cold soggy bottom in the winter.

We have a favorite spot to drink tea along the Huron River but today it was out of reach. The recent extreme cold clogged the river with snow and ice which created some minor flooding. We opted to sit under a shelter where we were high and dry. Debi packed some ceramic mugs, the same ones we use every day that we made or our friends made. As the water heated up we listened to the sound of running water along the edges of the ice flow. A handful of Mallards entertained us; mostly males with shiny emerald heads. They chased each other along the river and occasionally waddled across the snow covered ice. Waddling ducks can brighten up anyones day. The only other birds we saw were a handful of robins. One flew down in front of us and picked up an insect along the bank. I imagined it was a black stonefly. The sun was setting on the other side of the river. A cold breeze made the propane stove flame flutter in the wind. I made a makeshift wind screen with our backpack. We both opted for Chai Masala and sat in silence for a little while taking in the sights and sounds. I didn't want to talk about politics, it would have ruined the whole experience. We did acknowledge the stress of it all. I changed the topic to the book I've been reading. It's Stephen King's, On Writing. All our conversations lead to art at some point. I mentioned how his advice applies to different art mediums, not just writing. Eventually, we circled back to day dreaming, watched and wondered how the Mallards would get through the many obstacles of current, ice shelves and snow. I thought how similar they are to us and all creatures navigating the many challenges in life. For example, we recently deleted our Facebook accounts. Facebook is ingrained deeply in today's society and it feels like we lost a tool, which is exactly what happened. We find ourselves wondering how we did things before Facebook. We'll manage for sure because it's not really a crisis. The biggest challenge recently was just to survive the recent polar vortex. We live in an old farmhouse built in the 1880's and try to keep our water lines and our chicken coop water from freezing. Thankfully, we can enjoy a respite from the extreme cold now that the temps are back to normal. I chuckle every time the temperature rises from zero to 32 degrees and it feels like a heat wave.

Our ceramics studio is still shut down for the winter. Debi is taking classes at Yourist Studio in Ann Arbor. I have been taking a break from ceramic projects. I'm using the cold winter days to read and write more. Today we are attending an art reception at Matthaei Botanical Gardens from 2-4pm. I have a linocut on display in a their community exhibition titled, "Wonders of Water"

 https://mbgna.umich.edu/event/wonders-water-community-art-exhibit

Debi is making bowls for an event at the Found Gallery in Ann Arbor. Stay tuned for more information about that.

https://foundgallery.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorKbmP6mSon8fJ2xYtliekLXl_HwNPa-RZa8e9i3x9T-XfTtzoW