The Teeth of Winter

 

The credit for this picture goes to my friend Jenyfra Nelson, she thought that the words to my  poem fit her picture so she put them on it. I have to agree with her!  This was a snow several years ago before she moved to a different part of the state.

This was just a hot chocolate that I had one snowy cold afternoon recently. It was more of a windy kind of day with flurries so I was alone waiting for my loved ones to return home from work and daycare.  It was delcious!

                                               
This was a recent snow event.  It wasn't much, just a couple of inches but enough to be annoying and also pretty up the ground with a fresh coat of white.  The poem is from a couple years ago, but  I really like it so put it on this picture to share it.  It makes me laugh with the little bit of snark at the end. Haha!

We seem to be in the teeth of winter now.  Temperatures are below freezing most of the time and snowy, icy weather threatens every few days which is to be expected in January. My least favorite kind of storm is the wintry mix, which is what we seem to get the most of the past few years.  It includes accumulating snow, sleet, freezing rain, plain rain, and then the temperatures tumble and it ends as either layers if snow and ice or a frozen slightly slushy mess that if not cleared away before sunset freezes into lumps of ice which can only be removed by Mother Nature.  There are spots on my street and driveway that do not get much if any sun until sometime mid-February when it is higher in the sky.  I use lots of ice melter in this kind of weather.  Of course, at some point, probably in February, we will likely be in for a huge (to me) amount of snow of 18+ inches.  It’s pretty while it’s falling and spectacular when freshly fallen and the sun hits it.  At that point it sparkles like billions of diamonds and looks like a lovely Christmas card;  but then the realization hits that we must go outside and wield a snow shovel and clear off the cars and we begin grumbling about the “stupid snow”.  Like most everything else in life there’s good and not so great things about it.  The squawking heads on the television news really hype the storms that head for us, and the weather casters can barely contain themselves with the excitement leading up to and reporting during the storms.  I suppose it’s a relief to have a weather event to talk about rather than when it’s tranquil with perhaps a light breeze, sunshine and temperatures that are mild for the season but still within the norm.  They must get a little bit bored by quiet weather maps.  We do tend to give credit for weather to the forecasters on the television, as if they had any control over it.  Nice weather?  Thank you weatherman!  Rain on my picnic?  Thanks a lot, weatherwoman, sheesh!  Snow on the way? Geez, weather-people, what do you have against us?  It’s pretty funny that we do that.  They have no more control over the weather than anyone does, guess it’s a case of blaming the messenger. 

               When it’s very cold all the time I look for things to keep me cozy and warm.  Sweatshirts and hand crocheted blankets on the couch are good for that, as is sipping tea or hot chocolate (don’t forget marshmallows and whipped cream on it!) while reading a good book or watching a movie on TV.  Some people snuggle up with a pet to help chase away the chill and dullness of a gray wintry day, and some head out to the kitchen to make soup or bake cookies; all great ways to feel cozy and warm and a bit more cheerful while we wait for Spring to begin.  Some people use the inside time to start seedlings they can plant outside once the ground thaws and the sun warms everything again.  It’s something nice to look forward to and a great reminder that winter doesn’t last forever.  In a few weeks the snow will melt, the sun will be warm, and plants will begin to grow again.  Until then, stay cozy in whatever way you can.