Town of West Bend, Wi – This is permission to stop the rush and enjoy a cup of cocoa. The words of poet Christina Rosetti keep running through my mind this morning as I glance out of the window that overlooks the garden east of the Farmhouse, on toward the spruces and beyond to the maples in the Woods.
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
The land is indeed frozen as hard as iron this morning and the chilly wind is making the weather seem much colder than the 6°F shown on my thermometer. Yet this January morning is waking up in a beautiful way – almost as beautiful as last evening was as the bright sliver of the moon danced with Venus in the cloudless cold sky. This morning, a rosy glow in the western horizon as the sun rises in the east makes the weather seem less cold, if just for a minute.
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There are a couple of intrepid squirrels digging around in the earth outside my window as well. Since the snow is almost non-existent, they’ve been helping themselves to stashes of acorns, chasing each other up and down the oak tree, and chattering at anyone who dares to intrude. I think they live in our spruce windbreak, coupling protection from the winds and snow with easy access to their stashes and climbing apparatus.
It is winter, and of all the winter months, January is my favorite. Early January seems to keep the glow of the Christmas season as we continue to light our windows and spend more time with quiet candlelight, wrapped up in quilts against the chill in our old log cabin, drinking hot cocoa and finishing the last few holiday treats.
January can be a time of settling in and hibernating. I think if I did not have things to do away from home during this month, I might not leave until February. At the Farmhouse, the last of the Christmas decorations will soon be put away, but simple lights and candles will continue the glow until the spring equinox. Why not make winter as cozy as we can?
January begs simplicity after the richness of the holiday season. January also seems to invite us to comfort, quiet, and creativity. When was the last time you took a few hours to just make something, or cook something, or to sit, quietly thinking? January seems to give us permission to step back from the everyday, at least once or twice, to focus on what really matters.
I stepped outside early yesterday morning to collect some of the twigs that our oak tree seems to endlessly drop, and strolled around the spruce windbreak to gather dried heads of wild bergamot, red and spikey black raspberry vines, and tall dried grasses to make a winter arrangement.
Oak leaves and acorn caps still clung to some of the twigs and everything was edged with a thin white layer of sparkly hoar frost. There is great beauty in winter’s touch; it’s probably the only season where we expect to see nature as brown and withered and dormant but can be surprised by the soft and glowing light of the extremities of the day, the touches of frost or snow decorating sticks and rocks, and the intricate patterns of frozen fog on cold morning windows. All we have to do is look.
Today I’ll put on my boots and hike out to gather cones still clinging to the pines around our property. After soaking them in warm water and drying them in the oven, I’ll keep them to use for such projects as stringing foraged branches, apples, and birdseed-studded suet to hang from trees to feed the birds, creating texture in my spicy potpourri bowl, and building bug hotels for next summer’s garden.
In January it’s possible to live life with cozy contentment while also planning for seasons to come.
A Not-too-Sweet Hot Cocoa Mix to Warm your January
You can adjust the ingredients to your taste: maybe a bit more or less sugar or cinnamon, maybe a dash of espresso powder. Mixed with warmed milk or oat milk or almond milk, this chocolatey-but not-too-sweet drink is the epitome of cozy at our Farmhouse. I make a large batch at one time, at least doubling the measurements below, then storing it in a tightly topped canning jar so the vanilla beans can do their sweet work too.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine:
½ cup plus 1-2 Tablespoons 100% unsweetened cocoa powder (usually found in the baking aisle of the supermarket)
⅓ cup ultrafine or caster sugar (you can also whirr regular sugar in the food processor to make it fine)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (or just tip the cinnamon shaker over the bowl and shake it a few times)
½ vanilla bean, split and seeds removed. Add them to the bowl too.
Using a whisk or spoon, stir the cocoa mixture until thoroughly combined. Store the mix in an airtight container.
To make a cup of cocoa:
1. Heat 12 ounces of milk or milk substitute.
2. Add 1-2 heaping teaspoons of the cocoa mix to the milk. Stir until dissolved.
3. If you wish you can add a marshmallow, chocolate shavings, whipped cream, or all three.
4. Curl up with a cozy blanket and a book. Sip and relax.