Happy Winter

You know, I really like winter until about the middle of January. And then I start longing for spring. Oh, to go outdoors without wearing fourteen layers! We received several seed catalogs in the mail this week, as well as the February/March issue of Birds and Blooms. I felt deep longing for the beautiful flowers in those pictures. I found myself huddled on the heat vent dreaming of the lovely spring sunshine.

It seems this winter has been particularly wearing (yet simultaneously beautiful, I must add). Last week was so dreadfully cold that we hardly left the house. I literally heard this phrase come from my mouth… “Brian, we are going to have a warm snap tomorrow. It will be in the 20s!” Since when is 20 degrees considered a warm snap? Daniel and I are both tired of being trapped indoors. CABIN FEVER!!!!

Today has been better though. We started off the morning reading the book, Happy Winter, by Karen Gundersheimer. It is a delightful children’s book for a winter day. The book follows two sisters who enjoy their winter activities to the fullest. They bake a fudge cake with their mother, and that spurred Daniel and me on toward some baking of our own. We made eggless, milkless, nutless banana bread. Despite all its missing ingredients, it tasted delicious and made the house smell wonderful. Yum! The weather is warmer today too, so we are planning an outdoor adventure for the afternoon followed by a trip to see Great-Grandma Ruth and Grandma Linda. Life is feeling pretty good again. Winter, I have decided you can stay for awhile longer. I am not so sure about two more months though. Oh dear. Maybe we should read Happy Winter again.

I will leave you with a photo of our new little friend. This squirrel has been a frequent visitor on our deck this winter. He loves the sunflower seeds we put out for the birds. Here he is digging down in the snow for them and popping up to eat them.