Winter Wonderland at HOWL

Winter has arrived at HOWL. After a tremendous windstorm (85+ mph winds for nearly 24 hours), nearly six days without power, and a two-foot snow storm, we are dug out enough from the storms to admire the beauty of winter. Next time you're thinking of coming up to HOWL, bring your skis or snowshoes!



Michio is captivated by a downy woodpecker feeding on suet.


Hmmm, guess we'd better put "improve attic insulation" on the to-do list. Sure makes for pretty icicles, though.

The chickens didn't bother venturing out into the snow from their squatter digs in the old sauna...

...while the storm encouraged Anya, Martha, Peggy, and Amalia to take to the Catamount Trail for a four hour dusk-return jaunt.

Nuns Fest!

Educational, inspirational, and gastronomically pleasing....Nuns Fest, 2010! If you missed Nuns Fest, you might just have to make the trek to Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Iowa and say hello in person to Sister Grace and her wise Sisters. Or at the very least, order a good twelve pounds or so of their caramels: www.trappistine.com. Seriously, these things are sinfully delicious. From one women's land to another, thanks Sister Grace and all the Sisters of Mississippi Abbey!

Zebith put her Art Professor skills to work with this brownie-nuns-cake masterpiece. And okay, so the photo below is a terrible picture of all of us, but check out this spread! Where else can you find a Hannukah menorah and a nuns cake framing a veritable feast, all by candlelight? Nat saved the day by hauling over her neighbor's generator (Nuns Fest Saturday was Day 5 of no power) to power up the 4 hour DVD marathon screening of The Monastary. Missed it? Check out www.mississippiabbey.org/DVDs.