Oh My, Winter Found Us!

I am sitting here with a fresh, hot, cup of coffee in hand and the space heater running. It has been so cold this week and it makes me think about how Mother Nature was teasing us with weather in the 20’s to 40’s. Walking with Bentley, on the trail behind my house, would bring comments with passing fellow walkers, “Can you believe this weather, it is so pretty out, and we are in the middle of December?” Yes, even into January!

Well….. I have lived in the Midwest most of my life, and there is one thing I know, never underestimate Mother Nature. Boy, did she deliver! In forty-eight hours she delivered about 10 inches of snow followed by wind chill temperatures in the – 20 to -30 range. So I can safely say winter has arrived.

Are you a winter person? Some of you will groan a resounding “NOOOOO” (my sister) and others will say “YESSSS” (me). Which ever direction you lean, that time of year has arrived.

You may be reading this from a much warmer climate, like my son calling me from Rome, with a giggle, saying he got caught in the rain but he didn’t get too wet, as he had his umbrella. Then proceeded to ask me how the weather was here. He watches the weather and he thinks he is a comedian. If you are currently wearing shorts, would you be so kind to send some warmth? Not a lot, because I don’t want the snow to melt, but enough so I don’t get frostbite the minute I walk out the door. That would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

Now, I don’t like when winters drops way down in the negatives, but I do love winter. The crisp air makes me feel more alive. The busy noise of summer diminishes and of course winter brings a whole new set of outdoor activities.

Here in WI ice fishing is huge! I mean like the lakes are covered in vehicles and tents. This is not something I want to do mind you! It is just incredibly popular and truth be known, the lake is covered with fishing boats in the spring the second the ice melts, all summer long, and into fall until the lake freezes. Then come all the cars and tents on the ice. We have a lot of fish fries here!

I do like to grab my cross country skis or snow shoes and head out on a fresh blanket of snow. There is something about having cold cheeks while everything else is toasty warm under sweaters, hats, and, mittens. Oh and the promise of hot chocolate when you get home and shuck off all the layers is a treat indeed.

My friend Laura and I out on skis and loving life!

Am I convincing any of you non-winter lovers that winter might not be so bad?

Hummmm….well, let me share a winter story with you.

One of my favorite cross-country skiing experiences was when a friend of mine called at the last minute wondering if I wanted to head out for a cross-country skiing adventure in the dark! It was Valentines Day and we were both home not doing any valentines things, so I was all in! It was cold and there was a very crisp wind, nothing a few layers wouldn’t solve. We got to the forest and it was lightly snowing and the moon was hauntingly peeking out between layers of clouds. The further we got into the trees, the less the wind blew, and we warmed up. It was the most magical night and we had the trail to ourselves. Between my headlamp and the reflection off the diamond sparkle of new snow, we were able to navigate just fine and had the best time. It was one of those moments you wish you could bottle up and revisit from time to time.

Don’t get me wrong, scooping snow and scrapping windshields is not my idea of fun winter activities, but summer brings mowing, watering, and weeding. So what are you going to do?

When spring arrives, I am ready for a change and I get excited for the warmth of the sun on my face and the tulips poking their noses out of the soil. For now I am going to enjoy what winter brings and on the super cold days, it is my time to cocoon inside with a hot cup of what ever happens to be my favorite drink in the moment, and look through the newly arriving seed catalog’s dreaming about my summer garden.

Everything has its season, in life and weather, enjoy the season you are in. 🙂