January ... Oh January ...

January … BBBRRRRRR … 31 days of blue cold weather. It was 7º outside this morning.  Not only am I not a fan of snow but I detest the cold in general.  Once my bones are chilled, I never feel warm again (not even under flannel sheets, three quilts & a comforter) … well, at least not until the Spring thaw.  Let me just say, that kind of cold can make a girl feel blue (& a bit cranky!).  Never am I more in touch with my Southern California raising then when winter arrives. It’s then that I feel a bit like a stranger in a foreign land (ok, I’ve exaggerated here a bit for effect but you get my point, right?;) With that said, I have never made such an attempt to avoid the wintertime blues as I have this year. I’m really quite pleased with myself and have decided the effort I’ve made reflects character growth.  (Please no comments on what a character I am. I’m trying to be a grown up here).

In the past, I’ve always thought that if I can just get through January, I'd be alright. February, with its 28 days, has a lot to offer. In addition to its brevity, it brings a cute distraction in the form of ‘Groundhog Day’. Each year I anxiously await “Punxsutawney Phil” and his prediction as to whether or not we will have to endure six more weeks of winter.  There have been many years, given the opportunity, I would’ve choked that stupid groundhog as he always seems to see his shadow.  So it’s likely I can be heard on February 2^nd voicing my displeasure because of that dumb rodent and his prediction. As if his being frightened by his shadow actually meant the continuation of winter weather was somehow written in stone.  Ridiculous you say?  I know. Maybe this year, I’ll skip that portion of the winter program. Why give a groundhog that much power? 

Valentine’s Day is really February’s claim to fame, don’t you think? Hopeless romantic that I am, I can really get behind a month that has a day set aside for the celebration of all things LOVE!  What’s not to love about a day where you are actually expected to indulge in the eating of chocolate? I knew you’d agree! Well, wait a minute, I know what you’re thinking. Sometimes February has 29 days. Well, that happens once every four years.  Really, what kind of a whiner do you think I am?  I can handle it (and I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it ;)

Then there’s March, and while it’s true that, like January, it has 31 days, it’s also the month that boasts the end of winter and ushers in Spring! I have always held fast to the motto “I can do anything for a little while” thus the reason March has never posed much of a challenge for me and my psyche.  In the 32 winters I’ve spent in Appalachia, we’ve had several HUGE snows in the month of March but that’s okay.  It’s March … really, even if it does snow “hub deep to a ferris wheel” (and it has) how long can it last? Not long, right? Exactly. So have at it Ol' Man Winter … “I don’t dread you none” (my husband used to say that when he was younger –in reference to what I don’t remember- but it amused me terribly).  March is also home to the beginning of Daylight Savings , St. Patrick’s Day, and, on occasion,  Easter!  What a great month, huh?  Agreed!

Oh, how I long for Spring, but alas, for now, it’s still January.  But wait, upon reflection, there have indeed been moments in my life where this long cold month has redeemed itself.   After all, it was a on cold January day in 1979 that I married my high-school sweetheart.  Thirty-two years later, that sweet boy who stole my heart still has it.  It was early on a January morn in 1980 when I became a momma for the first time.  I will never forget my first moments with that precious babe, who stopped his crying as soon as he heard my voice.  That moment, would be the first of many joys he and his brother would bring me in the most fulfilling role of my life.  Just the thought of it warms my heart and soul … January, oh January, I may owe you an apology.