Winter

I like winter. It is one of my four favorite seasons of the year - the others being spring, summer and autumn (listed in no particular order). What is it about winter that has me taking keyboard in hand to express feelings about it? Top of the list would probably be... no yard work required!! Except for brief episodes of snow shoveling, winter is a time of sweet respite from the labor intensiveness of other seasons. Here are a few of my other favorite winter things...

• cold days and even colder nights
• frosted or snow covered branches on trees
• turtle necks and fleece
• ear muffs and gloves
• snuggling under a blanket reading a book
• hot chocolate and a good movie
• warmth and comfort of a wood fire
• the sounds of winter...
  - how sound carries so clearly on a cold morning after a storm
  - muffled stillness during a snow storm
  - show crunching when walking on it
  - the sound of snowflakes falling (yes, there is a sound)

Winter weather also helps to better justify my home body tendencies - I simply love being at home. The best vacation I have taken in years was a week "staycation" this past summer. In the winter, no one questions your mental state when you stick close to home. Try that in the summer, and your friends start slipping you names of mental health professionals and self-help books to read.

In the future, I will probably write other blog postings expressing my feelings about spring, summer or autumn - and why I like those times of the year so much. But for now I must reiterate that... I like winter.