Hibernating

I feel like Henry and I have been hibernating. Its suddenly turned cold here in Wisconsin, and there is a light coating of snow on the roofs and streets this morning. Twinkling in the sunlight - oh Mr. Sun, its been so long! - it is quite lovely outdoors in our new neighborhood.

I'm in full soup mode now that the chilly weather is here to stay.
Here's the list for the season thus far:
*Chili (though I cheated with a box mix for a starter)
*Potato vegetable (with German dumplings...my mother's family recipe)
*Cheesy Broccoli Potato (made with bleu cheese - Henry loved it!)
*Winter soup (Mmmm, my favorite. Made with leeks and a home grown zucchini)
*Tortellini soup (Erica Smith's recipe - it makes an annual appearance)

Overall, we're doing well as we continue to settle into our new house. I wrote in an earlier post that it was strange, yet pleasant to be unpacking permanently. That's not entirely true 100% of the time.

Let's see, for eight years I've been picking up and moving at least every two years, if not more frequently. Yes. That's eight years, and seven states...from Iowa to Minnesota, then Wisconsin (ok, just for summer camp, but still...), California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Michigan, and now Wisconsin. Again. During that time it was imperative that I save cardboard boxes. I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to the boxes. There, I said it. I suppose that if my life was somewhat transient for so long, naturally, I'd feel a little uneasy about shifting gears and staying in one place for a while. After all, it is still early in the adjustment period, so I'm trying to be patient with myself. Rather, I should say George is trying to be patient with me while I drag my feet to get everything pulled out from every box and placed where it belongs (if only I knew where that place was!).

On another note of permanence, the furniture arrived today. Oh happy day! So we now have a new couch and a table and chairs to seat everyone who is coming for Thanksgiving. This is very exciting, and also helps make me feel like I never want to move again. It is heavy stuff.