At this time of year, I begin to wonder what Kate and her daughters would have done to get through the long, cold winters on the farm. Especially on days when they were snowed in, or the outside world was too frigid for enjoyment.
I imagine Kate would have kept busy with mending and darning and the daily chores of farm life. But I also see her in the kitchen, making something special for her family. An unexpected surprise that would warm the kitchen and fragrance the farmhouse.
In addition to their other chores, Ursula and Jessica would have been busy with weekly laundry and ironing – perhaps remembering springtime clotheslines as they gathered the cold laundry off the line.
As they listened to the radio at night, they might have crocheted or embroidered the flowers they longed for, as a way of creating a bit of springtime.
They would have continued their projects with the dried lavender gathered over the summer, making oils for baths and sachets to fragrance bed linen and nightgowns – a way of encouraging memories of spring before asleep.
I see them all pausing at the windows, searching for color out in the snowy, white world
and imagining the garden in bloom, the beehives full of honey.
Such thoughts might prompt them to make a cup of tea with honey, to warm up and savor the hint of wildflowers.
Maybe they would have gone into town with their brothers to run a few errands and catch up on the local news, finding warmth and vitality in the company of friends and neighbors.
In short, they would have done many of the things they did throughout the year – but everything now would be tinged with a wistful longing for the colors and scents of warmer months. It was second nature to them to bring touches of springtime into their lives and spread a little warmth and sunshine into the heart of winter.
(Though Kate and her family are mentioned in the earlier Christmastime books, the farm plots really blossom beginning in the 1943 book.)
Linda Mahkovec - Author 