Monday, October 26, 2009

Cold, cold, stay away

We've had to turn on the heat in the house. That's a sure sign that my least favorite months of the year are upon us. Now, I think a blanket of snow is just as lovely as any fan of winter, but I loathe being cold. I start getting chilled in October, and I often don't truly thaw until April. I have to haul out the fleece jackets, the space heater for my office, the fingerless typing gloves my husband got me for Christmas a few years ago. And if it's a dark winter with little sunlight? That just adds insult to injury. Sometimes I think I'm part bear because when it gets cold and the days grow short, I want to curl under the covers and sleep until spring.

But to combat the winter months, I try to stay so busy that the days fly by. A few days ago, I made out a detailed calendar of all the projects I want to get done by the end of the year. I'll also have some holiday travel to occupy some days, Christmas shopping/wrapping/card addressing to do, and I have a three-day meeting in mid November. January is the worst month. It seems twice as long as any other month in the year. But if I can make it through January, I start to feel better, even if the thermometer is still below freezing. It's a psychological turning point when I can flip the calendar over to February. I know that despite the temps, the next month is when spring starts. By February, my daffodils are usually poking out of the soil as if they think if they do so spring will come faster. We might even have an occasional warm day in February, warm enough to get outside and shed some of the cabin fever.

Anyone else not a fan of winter? If so, what tactics do you use to get through it? I'm looking forward to the day when I can answer that question with "Go to Florida for four months." :)

5 comments:

Linda Henderson said...

I'm not a big fan of the cold either. It's hard on my arthritis. We are pretty lucky here that we don't get tons of snow. Unfortunately we get ICE. I hope and pray for a winter without the ice storms. We can lose power for days. Sometimes a week. It sucks. I usually just hole up for the winter with my hot drinks and a load of books. I have satellite TV this winter so I even have more channels to watch. I've had my heat on for at least a month. It's not bad here today, I think it's in the 50's. I hope none of us have a bad winter.

Lisa Ruff said...

I have to say that I love winter, but I live in the mid-Atlantic where summers are worse. In winter I can get out and walk and enjoy the bright blue skies without the heat and humidity. What about planting some bulbs to bloom inside mid-winter? My mother always had pots of blooming tulips and daffodils after Christmas to brighten the house.

MJFredrick said...

I love the winter, but I live in Texas, so it's not COLD. And if it is, like today, tomorrow will be warm again. But you're right. January is the LONGEST month.

shelley galloway said...

Hi Trish,

I don't mind the cold as much as the snow and ice. That I can do without! I'm afraid things don't start to warmup around here until late March.

I usually don't mind January because it always feels so good to do nothing~December is always way too hectic for me.

But I do use a few tactics to get through it, too. I bake a lot and somehow try to right a book set in the summer! And since we moved to Ohio, we always plan to go somewhere warm for spring break.

Shelley
www.shelleygalloway.com

Nicole's Book Musings said...

I like winter until the middle on January because the holidays wouldn't be the same without snow. But after the holidays are done I'm ready for spring. I have to say Oct, Nov, and Dec fly by for me because I really get into the holidays, but from Jan to April the days crawl by. I make sure I have plenty of hot chocolate and hoodies to keep me warm.