Once the summer is over, the busy lobster season has passed, the holiday shopping, baking and travel are done, many of us who are still on the islands have a whole winter in front of us to figure out, “What comes next?” There are few in the Cranberry Isles who have the luxury of a steady income from a year-round job, so winter affords us a different kind of luxury: time on our hands. Even my husband Bruce, who has an amazing work ethic (along with one of the toughest bosses I’ve ever had over for dinner), said, “You know, I used to hate this time of year, but I’ve come to really like it. Sometimes it’s not even long enough…as long as it’s not arctic.” True, there’s nothing like cold wind, ice and canceled boat trips to make this time of year seem to go on forever; but so far, we have had a winter much like last year-easily tolerable. Bruce and I are really enjoying our surplus time.
With an ever-increasing amount of social networking (ie. responding to e-mails, checking Facebook, keeping a blog, responding to blog entries of other artists, and keeping up with selling on Etsy), I took little time last year to indulge in the simplicity of reading a book. Winter is the perfect time to sit in a cozy chair by the wood stove and read for a few hours. I realize how much I miss it the rest of the year. Though, by no means would I trade my computer and internet service for more reading time. I rely on a high-speed connection with the rest of the world to maintain my chosen life style, and I like the instant gratification of quickly accessing information such as the origin of the term “stir crazy.” (According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase refers to the mentally unbalanced condition of a prisoner due to prolonged incarceration. It dates back to 1908, and is based on the 1851 slang word for prison, “stir.” Now we use it to describe the restlessness of becoming stuck in one place for too long.) If I want to read more books throughout the year, I just need to practice better time management.
Food is a big focus for us no matter what time of year it is. As our friend Dan says, “We take our food very seriously.” We like to talk about it, watch TV shows about it, plan it, prepare it and eat it. Food equals entertainment, especially in the winter. We have time to experiment with new recipes and gain some new skills in the kitchen. Bruce is looking for recipes that sound unusual and delicious from a pile of cooking magazines that he now has time to read. I’m just starting to get a handle on how to make sourdough bread with the taste and texture of what we buy from a bakery. We are both working without any deadlines in January and February as Bruce paints lobster buoys and repairs traps, and I make jewelry to build up a summer inventory. Without the need to get up early in the morning, it’s easy to stay up beyond “Islesford midnight.” (Our friend Edie’s term for 9 p.m.) We are more apt to invite people over for dinner and a movie. Red and white Netflix envelopes are a common winter sight at the post office, as others catch up on their movie watching, too.
How are we managing to burn any calories with all this eating, and sitting around reading and watching movies? Well, that’s something I have to work on, though Bruce and I get out fairly regularly for afternoon walks. This winter, Bruce is taking advantage of another exercise opportunity, badminton. When our phone rings around 3:30 it’s usually someone looking for a badminton game at the Islesford Neighborhood House. If they have more than two players they work it out by having singles play against doubles, or by rotating more players in and out of the game. Along with the novelty of a sport that requires something called a shuttlecock, is the fact that these players are competing in a room with no heat. Wearing gloves adds to the challenge of the game. When there is enough snowfall, there are opportunities for cross-country skiing to places we are not be able to walk during the summer. Ice skating in the gravel pit or walking through the frozen marshes are also activities exclusive to winter.
If we’re going to do any traveling, this is the time to do it. We’ll be seeing our sons in Baltimore and Portland, and perhaps add a trip to New York before spring. We’re such homebodies that we haven’t planned anything longer than a five day getaway, but it’s nice to know we could if we wanted to. That’s the benefit of being self-employed with a seasonal job. There are also plenty of projects to tackle in the house in winter. We’re thinking of repainting the kitchen. You wouldn’t know we are two people who like to spend so much time there by the disarray in our cupboards. Getting them in ship shape is another likely winter project, and again, there is time to do it.
So, do we go stir crazy on the island in January and February? Usually not. But if you ask again in March, after we have relaxed, recharged and reorganized, we might have a different answer. By then we’re ready to get back to work and spring can take a very long time to arrive in the Cranberry Isles.
Islesford January, 15 2011