Winter Wonderland

Midwinter is upon us! For anyone living in the Northern half of the continental US, you understand perfectly. Nothing is running on time.  The kids are wreaking havoc on the house and the driveway is impassible. The office is closed, the convenience store's gas pump isn't working and grocery store lines stretch out to the parking lot. We Americans like to think that this is normal, it doesn't affect us at all, and that we can overcome it all.  To some extent that is true. We dig out, stay in, and don't complain too much when the satellite dish is covered with snow and the Superbowl doesn't come in. We overcome adversity by biting the bullet, going out into the snow, driving on ice, and adding yet another layer to our bodies until we can no longer walk. It is the very essence of winter that causes us to shut down and stay home. We enjoy the fire, have a glass of wine, and lounge in our favorite chair with a new book. We contemplate Spring, plan our summer vacation, and play board games with the kids. Nothing is as relaxing as the day we watch the snowfall and realize that if we had somewhere to go, we couldn't get there anyway.  We enjoy the day and breathe the ice-cold air.