Idlewild Cottage

The winter merriment continues this week as we explore literary and cinematic moments . . . on ice! Ice skating is such a beautiful sport, it's no wonder our beloved heroes and heroines take to ponds, rivers, brooks, or lakes whenever the temperatures drop. 

Happy New Year, kindred spirits, and welcome to our winter season here at Idlewild Cottage! For the next several episodes, we’ll celebrate the magical coziness connected with this time of year, from snowy outdoor frolics to warm indoor gatherings. During our time together today, we’ll soar through a number of literary and cinematic scenes connected with sleds and sleighs.

Merry Christmas, kindred spirits! I’ve been so eager to pop back in this month to share this special bonus episode with you. During our Christmassy time together today, we’ll revisit some of our all-time favorite stories, from Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, to Little House on the Prairie and even a Charles Dickens gem. Each of these classics draws us near the crackling fire in a meaningful way. Let's peek into the pages of these stories -- and some corresponding film adaptations as well -- to delight in the atmosphere of an old fashioned Christmas by the fire.

As we wrap up our autumn content here at Idlewild Cottage, let’s turn our attention to the joy, gratitude, and abundance that characterize this season. 

As prosaic as it sounds, an umbrella does allow us to step out into the changing world to seek out the hidden treasures of the season. I’ll be sharing a number of umbrella-related scenes today. May they inspire us to find beauty as the year ages and the landscape shifts more and more toward winter.

There are no wrong answers in today's "Choose Your Own November" (decidedly cozy) adventure! 

"Nut gathering has all the aura of tradition with us. With old gunny sacks over our shoulders, we climb the pasture slopes." (Gladys Taber) Today we’ll look at both the pleasurable and practical nature of foraging for treasures such as berries, nuts, and herbs. We’ll draw on literature, art, a movie scene, and more to inspire our time together.

If you had your eye on the horizon a couple of weekends ago, and if the weather conditions were favorable in your area, you likely caught a glimpse of the stunning hunter’s moon stealing its way across the night sky. This mesmerizing luminary has been the admiration of writers, poets, and artists since the beginning of time, and will inspire our time together today, as well.

In his Manifesto, Wendell Berry challenges the efficient ones: “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute.” Snail mail doesn’t compute. It’s not the way of efficiency. But it is a way to meaningfully connect with others. And so, during our time together today, we’ll look at books, movies, poetry, and art that celebrate the old-fashioned craft of letter writing. It may even inspire you to write a letter of your own. 

If we were to each make a collage composed of items representing the coziness of fall, I imagine a lot of similar images would come to mind. Likely we would choose vibrant leaves, hot beverages, plump pumpkins, and plaid scarves. Now, I want you to envision your own collage for a minute. What else might you add? Perhaps red-capped mushrooms? A crackling fire? This week at Idlewild Cottage, we're going to tuck one more image into that collage: a football. Now, I know football isn’t what you might call a “cozy” sport, but during our time together today, we’ll explore some of the cozier aspects of this favorite pastime. As usual, we’ll glean from favorite books and movie scenes, and this week we’ll also check out a couple of songs.