Diary of a Modern Frontier Housewife, Day 1

The snow keeps falling, and the thermostat is set near 60. My husband would be proud, were he here to see it. We took him to the airport this morning before dawn, me behind the wheel and the kids bundled in the backseat. I navigated the slushy roads with care and looked to the east where there was not yet a trace of daylight over the mountains.

Hopefully this afternoon will bring word of my husband’s safe arrival in Michigan. May Providence grant him minimal turbulence over Denver.

In my husband’s absence, care of the animals falls to me. I must feed the cats twice a day or they’ll try to trip me by weaving between my feet while I’m walking. It’s not clear to me whether they’re just trying to get my attention or if they really hope I won’t survive the fall. My son has offered to help scoop the litter boxes. He’s like a little man already.

A short time ago, a friend picked up my daughter for a two-and-a-half-hour “play date,” as they call them here, with her daughter. My son cried as my friend’s Volvo backed out of the driveway and he realized his sister was going without him.

We expect the farmer to bring the eggs around midday, although the weather may delay her on her journey from Provo. It will fall to me to manage the money from the sale of the eggs and honey today, that being normally my husband’s task. But he’s paid all of our household bills and left me enough allowance to pay the babysitter and to cover any unexpected expenses that may occur in his absence. He also graciously left the laptop behind so that I might maintain my connection with the outside world.

This evening, as darkness once more creeps across the land on this the shortest day of the year, I’ll toil at the stove, making either frozen pizza or frozen gluten-free breaded cod. After dinner, it’s bath, stories, and bed, all without my husband. I hope for the best but fear the worst.

My son has fallen asleep in my arms as I type this. I will close for now and attempt to lay him on his bed without disturbing his slumber.