The simpler life...

 "Yet, men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve; not for want of necessities, but for want of luxuries." 

  -Thoreau 

That is pretty much the phrase that has continued to run through my mind several times over the past few days.   I recently read Waldon, and at the time, felt inspired by the concept of living a simpler life, one free of those things we call "luxuries."  That said, it is so much easier to just read about living a simpler life;   it is another thing to have the "simpler life" thrust upon you!  

This past Thursday we woke up to our third SNOW DAY this year.   A real doozy of a snow day.    Now don't get me wrong... I LOVE a snow day.  There is nothing more enjoyable to me then a short stint of bad weather that stops us in our tracks.   Sometimes that is exactly what we need to keep us home, together, and forces us to relax and enjoy the slowness of the moment. 

However, this snow day also came with a power outage, and after going ALL day without any electricity, the novelty was beginning to wear off.   At first, we kept ourselves happy by snuggling up as a family and watching "Winged Migration" on John's computer. 

Then the battery died and boredom sunk in. 

 

Suddenly it wasn't a very fun snow day!  In fact, by the time evening came, and we still had no power, I was far from enthused.   As I began to prepare the house for a cold and dark night I found myself repeatedly muttering something along the lines of,     "Stupid.  Dumb.  Boring.  Hate it!"   

Steady John however, kept us all happy by starting up the BBQ, entertaining us with stories of his childhood, and boiling water on the propane burner any time I needed warm water.  (thanks to our energy efficient water heater- that is completely electric.)  

That John is such a boy scout!

It was a fun little adventure, (I can say that now), though I must confess we have grown far FAR too comfortable with the luxuries of life!

You know- like electricity!

On Saturday morning, I drove out of town to get a glimpse of the damage that had caused us to experience such a power outage a couple of days earlier.

Spring storms really do carry a lot of punch with them!

I'm thinking that a lot of people went much longer without power.

  There were dozens of poles just lying along the road, like this one.

I did enjoy and appreciate the slow day, but I am very VERY happy to have power restored again!

On another note, I must mention that Nate is officially 6 months old this weekend!  

For someone so small he sure has a LOT of personality.   He has a smile that is nothing short of Radiant, and he has the happiest most bubbly personality.    It's always fun for me to take him somewhere and watch people interact with him.    Give this kid just a little bit of attention, and he reciprocates with the biggest toothless grin ever.  A few of his favorite people know exactly how to draw out his laughs and it is so much fun to see!  ..and hear!

 We have started to feed him solids, and it seems as though we can't quite shovel that food into his mouth fast enough.   Peas, carrots, and pears are his most favorite foods right now. 

As you might notice from the picture, Sam and Jess enjoy "helping" with the feeding time as well.    

Luckily, Nate remains unfazed by all that his older siblings often put him through.

Deep down, I know that day is coming when he will not be my happy delightful little baby anymore, but rather a rough and rowdy toddler.    I know that I will love him just as much then, as I do now.

But I am really enjoying this stage he is at. 

He is pretty much content to spend his days eating, rolling, laughing, sleeping and dreaming.

Now that is what I call  a  "SIMPLE LIFE".