Winter Warm Up from the Frozen North

The Cardinals are coming! The Cardinals are coming! 

Before these particular Birds migrate to the South, they'll be making a stop to grant solace and hope to the frigid but faithful fans across the frozen hills of Missouri.  Fortunately, one of these stops will be the Missouri Farm Bureau building...a week from Friday on January 16.  Judging from the crowd  of red clad fans waiting their turn to go in at last year's Cardinal Caravan, I'm not alone in my desire to experience a Winter Warm Up, to dream of blue skies and humidity, to set aside January and mark off the days until April.

Lucky me!  I unwrapped my own personal Winter Warm Up in the mail right before Christmas! In the midst of Christmas cookie baking, I found a single box wrapped with brown paper and festive Christmas tape on my front porch as if Santa's elves had knocked on my door and then scampered away giggling.  My daughter hovered over the package as I pulled out one delight after another, all seemingly chosen to warm me from the inside out.  

And not to wonder why!  My package came from Katie Pinke, from even more frozen North Dakota !  There was homemade jam and sauce and spice for barbeque (warm), seasonal lotion and shower gel for a steaming bath (warmer), and a pottery mug to drink my Norwegian Blend coffee (toasty!tasty!).  Creature comforts aside, I love the plaque Kat sent me: I have hung it in my kitchen by the back door where I see every going out and every coming in.(very warmest of all!)

 I knew of  Katie before getting this chance to "meet"her online.  Her photos of the North Dakota prairies that are her  home ground are achingly lovely.  When I post a winter shot of northwest Missouri, this is what happens:

So...go check out Katie's pictures and decide what YOU'D rather call home!

Thanks to all the hosts for doing all the work so we could have all the fun!  May we all find inspiration from our homes, farms, and friends....and all be spared writers'block this New Year...