February Respite

oI really do try very hard (enough qualifiers for you?) not to let the weather dictate my mood. After all, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it, so just to deal with it, right? But this week, even I was beginning to get a little bitchy about this especially harsh winter we're having. By the third below-zero morning, I'd had enough and was fantasizing about heading to the airport to get on a plane that was going anywhere where I didn't have to brace myself just to walk out the door. Come on! Enough!

And then, respite. Sure, it's pathetic that a measly 38 degrees feels balmy, but I'll take what I can get. Saturday afternoon's warm sunshine was just what we all needed. There were puddles. Puddles, I tell you. Water was running into the gutters. I didn't need mittens. Kids were playing outside. It didn't hurt to take a deep breath. It was heavenly.

Of course, we know this is not the end. More cold and snow is surely coming our way. But now we can take. We've been buoyed by a reminder of better days ahead. It won't be long and my garden will show life, and I'll be mowing the grass instead of chipping away at ice.