January 7, 2026
For many of us, the holiday
season has come to a close for another year. For some, this week of getting
back into the routine of living is welcome relief. I know that everyone in this
house is grateful for the “pieces of quiet” that are now ours—for the most part.
Of course, the dogs are still
barking and the unplanned and inconvenient will still happen. Such is life. But
if one is unused to large gatherings and lots of noise and activity, then one
is grateful for the afterwards. The good thing is that the noisier and more
chaotic those few days of celebrations were, the more calming seems this return
to the “boring norm”.
It was a lively and fun season
for us. We got to see all but three of our grandchildren – and when I use that
word it includes our “in-law” grands—we have two granddaughters-in-law. One of our
granddaughters and her wife are now in another province. This makes getting together
en masse very challenging and thus rare. The one grandson we
didn’t get to see, we’d hosted the month before for a few days. He couldn’t
make it here during Yule and again, that’s just life.
So far, the winter of 25-26
appears to be what I would call a more traditional winter. This is the first
year in a few that the snow that fell in early November has remained in place
without melting. The cold has been pretty solid, too, not deviating much except
to the degree of cold we get to enjoy—alternating between bone-chilling and bone-shattering.
I checked the weather for the
next few days. To go along with the theme of “traditional winter” it appears
that we are about to have a true January thaw. The temperature is slated to hit
50 on Friday. And because it has been pretty solidly cold since early November,
I’m thinking that 50 is going to feel like a 70 in early spring.
In case y’all have forgotten
what a “traditional winter” entails, after the January thaw there should be
another deep dive into the world of sub-zero temperatures by next week. And it’s
possible that this plunge will last the entire month of February.
This is the reason, I believe,
that February is the shortest month. My father, I’ve been told, used to refer
to the second month of the year with a prefix that was a hyphenated epithet. But
I digress.
It’s generally in February
that I go into semi-hibernation mode. I hunker down, because for me this time
of year—when nature is getting ready to hold its nose and dive deep into the
sub-zeroes—is a time of year to be survived, period.
I really don’t mind hunkering
down. I have my writing, and there are always books to read. There can be nice,
quiet afternoons spent in comfort heaven, with a heating pad, a warm blanket,
and a much-loved recliner. Sometimes I put music on my television, as a just-able-to-hear
background sound. Cap it all off with a nice cup of decaf, and I’m good.
I suppose that’s all part of
the grand plan, when you think about it. Nature herself tends to have a period
of dormancy, a time to rest, to prepare for the growing season to come. Many of
her wild critters do the same.
So keep warm, my friends. And after
the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, make sure you take time for yourself.
If you can’t hunker or hibernate, at lease schedule some quality self-care time.
Pamper yourself.
You deserve it!
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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