let the storm winds howl...

We are currently reading aloud The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book in the Little House series is not particularly adventurous or entertaining, it is composed of many long chapters describing the endless blizzards of the winter of 1880-1881. The daily struggle of life with no contact with others, little food, no coal or wood for heat, and little entertainment was daunting to even this family used to many hardships. I reminded the children that the Ingalls family was luckier than most in that they were well educated and could entertain themselves with reading, reciting, and singing. Pa's fiddle music brought them much comfort when the howling winds threatened to drive them all mad.

I certainly can't compare living in DC in 2009 to surviving a 7 month winter with few supplies, but we have our own hardships to deal with. Tim must spend 2+ hours on the bus getting to and from work each day because he hasn't yet been issued a parking permit at his new command. This means that he leaves before we wake up and doesn't get home until 6pm, leaving enough time to eat, bathe the children, and read a story or two before it is time for prayers and bed. He is exhausted each day and the burden of all the household chores, errands, and activities on me leads to a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. The blessing we experienced last year of Gwen coming over every afternoon so I could go running has not been repeated this year. One babysitter calls regularly to say she is already late, cancelling for the day, or reducing her hours. Luckily the other girl (a homeschooler) is reliable, but only comes 2 hours on Fridays. Getting anywhere in DC means listening to the traffic report and groaning when the main road is blocked by an accident or finding out that a side road is blocked by storm damage. City living is not a good fit for our family and we long for the day when we move up to Maine for good and settle into a rural, more relaxed life.

However, the children have enjoyed riding the METRO. Yesterday Will drew a very elaborate train and road system on a roll of paper and all of them were playing happily (for the most part) for over an hour.

Hopefully, the years we will spend on our homestead will be filled with laughter, music, stories of our adventures in the big city, and an attitude that can triumph over the nastiest winter storm.