Today is January 2nd. To me, it means that Spring is right around the corner! Most people start the year with lofty resolutions that get discarded promptly when the doldrums of Winter best us. I take the month of January to think of the upcoming warmer months and what they’ll bring. I plan the garden and what I’ll grow, I draw up plans for outdoor projects, and think of what I’ll be cooking outdoors soon.
To suppress my Winter blues, I have this sweet smelling Hyacinth in my kitchen. It was kind enough to wait until after Christmas to bloom. So today, only two days into the New Year, all the Christmas décor is packed away and the house has had a Spring cleaning. The second the weather breaks, I’ll be outside, clearing out the garden beds, cleaning off the patio, and making sure the grills are gassed up and ready to go!
Here in the South, we’re experiencing something we NEVER do: freezing temperatures! This morning’s 10 degree temperature made many people’s pipes freeze, while our heaters struggle to keep the house up to temperature. Multiple layers of clothing, and crocks of steaming soup are the only remedy for days like this. We just don’t know how to cope with temps that fall below freezing down here! The hardware stores shelve’s are cleared out of space heaters, and the plumber’s phone is constantly ringing with claims of frozen pipes.
But soon…. Soon we’ll be back to days of flip flops and shorts. In fact, here in North Carolina, we really don’t even have a Spring. We go from Winter to a steamy Summer in the blink of an eye.
I’ll take the humidity over the cold, any day. Especially if it means, I get to sit under the shade of my big Birch tree out back and enjoy the breeze with a cold beverage and a load of food spread out over my big farm table…..
Here’s to dreaming of warmer days!
