Fog purgatory

It is almost as if it will never rain. The fall has settled in and become a comfortable shield across campus, yet the associated rain is still missing.

I actually get happier when it rains. I am waiting for it to come down in a sheet that pounds down the fog and cleans all the fields of the old snow. I will open my windows and lay in the middle of my room. Listening to it from all angles and letting it fill my space with the smell of turned soil and refreshing rain.
I can't wait.
considering the forecast say 100% chance of rain!
it is only a matter of time.

Following each other's footsteps

This is a blog I've been meaning to write since January, and it was sparked because I realized just how much I learn from the people around me.

I was walking and needed to cross the street, however there was a huge pile of plowed snow between myself and the street. I was contemplating in my head how hard the pile was, wondering if I'd make it over when I noticed foot prints in the snow. They were headed just over the pile toward the street, right where I would have also decided to cross. In that moment I litterally followed in someone else's footsteps as I made my way safely over the snow.

Since that day I've been grateful for all the moments I can learn from others.
I soak up those around me, even my cat.


Someday I will probably follow in your footsteps, and you will follow in mine. We will go there together.

out of my winder, looking in the night

What goes with snow

When I got home to my Read 2nd room today the snow was softly falling down. I didn't have any desire to unpack my 4 days worth of clothing so I sat on my bed and watched the snow fall. It is strange to me that each flake is absolutely different from the next with an infinite number of possibilities.

When we are young and we hear the storied about elfs whose job it is to cut snowflakes all year long we are mesmerized. Now that I am older and I understand the process of crystallization that occurs way up in the stratosphere I am still in awe to think that our earth, our environment can create something as delicate as snow. The process that causes them to break and crystallize is beautiful in itself, even if it leaves out the elfs with their magic scissors and creativity.

When it is cold and the snow is falling, what else would one want in the world than hot chocolate. I recently realized that I can make homemade vegan hot chocolate in my room. It takes a bit of innovative thinking, but it works.

The process: I took one chunk of 100% coco baking square and dropped it into a glass jar. Mean while I have put water into my hot water cooker and turned it on. About a week ago I made homemade rice milk (for another post) so I poured rice milk into the jar over the still solid baking square.


Then I put this jar into the middle of my hot water cooker. It looked liked this.
After it began to heat up I stirred it some. Then I let it heat all the way through before stirring it again and taking it out of the hot water. The water around the jar was boiling but because I don't like to wait for things to cool down, I didn't bring the contents of the jar to a boil.

and bam! I had vegan hot chocolate in my dorm room in a matter of minutes with out a huge amount of clean up. Just one jar!
Time to enjoy winter

windowsill fridge

As the weather gets cold, and snow begins to fall on the ground. The Windowsills of college dorm rooms around the country become unusable tundras. Until some brilliant individuals realize that instead of using your dorm room mini fridge you can save the energy by using that tundra of a windowsill for your refrigeration needs.

My school may not invest in better insulation for our old dorm windows, but at least the conscious number of us can fit the system in our own green way.