One Hundred Days of Winter

As I was shivering while waiting for the bus this afternoon I did a quick calculation of how many days were left in the winter. I know purists will say it's not winter yet, there are leaves on the trees and winter officially doesn't start until next month.

This was the view from the bus stop. There was still a lot of leaves and a lot of bright color at Seventy-second street.

 

If I hadn't been wearing my winter coat, scarf and gloves and still feeling the chill I might have gone along with the calendar purists. The temperature on my phone was thirty-two degrees and the wind made it feel still colder.

 

 



 Just seventeen blocks uptown...

 

...the scene was vastly different. There were just a few leaves left on the trees and it looked and felt like winter. I resumed thinking about the calculation I made at the bus stop. There are approximately 100 days of winter to come. My plans now are to be in a warmer climate for ten of those days, but that still leaves many days of cold and yes, my most dreaded parts of winter, sleet and freezing rain.

 

 

As I have written about many times I am not a fan of winter. All the hot cocoa and mini-marshmallows in the world don't make up for short days and long cold nights. Cozy flannel doesn't come close to making me feel good about slippery sidewalks. But there are still 100 days of cold weather ahead and I don't want to spend the next three months moaning about the weather. I'm not sure how I am going to do this -- as I've spent many years disliking cold and snow -- but I am going to find ways to enjoy the season. It may be new winter gear...

 

...in bright colors.

 

 

It might even be some outdoor activity I've never tried before, or will try again. I can't promise that this will be a terrific success, but since I can't change the weather, it's time to change me. 

 

Here's a toast to winter. Bring on the hot cider and bright mittens. Winter and I are going to be friends, or at least friendlier acquaintances.

 

Are there activities that you have found that  make the winter more fun? I'd love some suggestions.  

 

 

It really is winter today, but I got my round of errands done this morning. I got to the grocery --bought my cranberries for next week -- and to the Apple store. My iPad met a tile floor over the weekend and the tile won. I go back tomorrow for a replacement.

 

I appreciate the many prayers for Anthony. Thankfully, he came through the surgery well.

 

As always, thanks for visiting and take good care.