The hustle and bustle of the holidays is over for another year. We’re settling into winter.
SOURCE: clipground.com/image-post/76271
Old Man Winter is playing hardball with the poor folks on the east coast. Even here in Texas, we had a full week where temperatures didn’t rise about freezing.
Our little arctic cold snap only lasted a week, but it wiped out many of my flowers even though I had lovingly covered them. Plants and houses and cars in Texas don’t do cold weather very well.
Some folks thrive in the cold weather. For those folks, winter means snow and snow brings skiing and ice skating, snowmobile rides, curling up by a fire with a good book, and the peaceful silence of a walk after a fresh snowfall.
Others dread the winter with its snow and wild weather. All they can think about is shoveling, snow blowing, icy roads, and frigid temperatures.
I like winter with its cooler temperatures. I didn’t even mind the shoveling and snow blowing when we lived where it snowed. I avoid icy roads by huddling inside with a roaring fire and a good book. And, I positively love the aroma of a good soup or stew simmering in the crock pot on a chilly day.
Another thing I like about winter is the slower pace.
Animals are hibernating, trees have shed their leaves, and daylight hours are shorter. Nature beds down for winter, storing energy for spring.
Perhaps we should mimic Mother Nature and use wintertime to renew ourselves. Get more sleep, read more books, and eat good soups. Take a step back from busyness and noisy days to replenish our spirit in the quiet and calm of winter.
I’m thinking if we did, the arrival of spring would likely find us refreshed and energized ready for its promise and possibilities.
What do you think?
I used to love the feeling of putting the farm to bed for a winter’s nap. My grandfather stacked corn stalks in a circle like rifles. I have no idea why, but it is a memory I keep close to my heart. The cattle now have been switched from pasture to hay forage and they wait for us to bring them lunch with joyful anticipation. The horses are covered and enjoy a warm bran mash for their evening meal. Our trainer, Hans Boone, even puts up an additional wall in the barn to give them more protection. The downside of all this is I, too, lost plants. I’m hoping my neighbors can get me started again in the spring. In the meantime, it’s a roaring fire, and a good book for me. I suggest Robert Frost. I’ll worry about the garden in April.