The 21st Century Matriarch

We’ve been having winter weather for the past few weeks and I’ve been applying the usual tactics for keeping comfortably warm.

Wearing thick socks in my house rather than going barefoot (my feet are most comfortable sans shoes). My sister had gotten me ‘cuddle socks’ the past two Christmases and they are my favorites for ‘at home’ days.
Enjoying sweaters and sweatshirts. The T-shirts and lighter weight tops are put away for the season. We keep our house comfortably warm…assuming we are wearing our winter clothes.

Most skirts are packed away. I have one heavy brocade skirt that I wear for special occasions with tights or leggings under it.

Hurray for corduroy. Heavy jeans are OK too.
If I want to be warmer, I wear a sweater cape or cardigan. If I am moving around enough, I don’t need it.

If I am going outdoors for a short time – the essential outer layer includes coat, gloves that work with my cell phone, a scarf/hat, and boots (either hiking boots or dressier lined boots).

If I will be outdoors for longer – birding for example – I add to ‘quick trip’ gear: wear ski bibs over leggings, a balaclava for my head, and a hoody under my coat and then over my head. Handwarmers and footwarmers are well worth it to. A thermos of hot tea is welcome too!

I took a short walk around Howard County Conservancy’s Mt Pleasant Farm yesterday morning after delivering the reports of the conservation easement monitoring. This was probably the last trek there until January, so I took the opportunity to look around at the signs of winter. There were still some patches of snow in shady places and I realized this was the first time I’d been at Mt. Pleasant when there was snow on the ground.

Montjoy Barn has its doors closed. The ramp retained some snow.

The path to the meadow was soggy and icy at the same time.

I walked a little ways down toward the stream until I decided the wind was making it feel very cold. I did a quick zoom series on a round of hay in the field on the other side of the trees that mark where the stream divides the meadow from what’s beyond.