Thank You Phil

Groundhog day, 2012.  I'm cheering because fuzzy Phil has seen his shadow and we can now expect six more weeks of winter.  I've always loved winter.  Maybe I've never outgrown the wonderful excitement of snow days.  I mean, I love all the seasons, but winter is special.  I think it's because I've figured out winter's secrets.  Well that and the snow days of course.


So many people think of winter as dead season, everything buried under a blanket of snow and ice and cold.  Asleep and waiting for spring to wake up and come back to life.  Not only are they wrong, they are missing so much.



Life, as always, abounds.  You just have to look for it, and once you do you'll see so much you'll wonder how you didn't trip over it.


Once the pond freezes over, I can see the bald eagles that live here.  I'm amazed and happy that they consent to let us live among them.  I can see them the rest of the year as well, but it's much harder.  They sit in the trees and it's hard to pick them out across the water.  But in winter, they land in the middle of the pond and walk across the ice.  The boys will stand over the back of the couch and watch the eagles make an easy meal of the pickerel that fisherman have left.


Something about the cold air of winter lets sound travel farther I think.  And the air is clearer as well.  I can hear the coyotes sing year round, but in winter the acoustics of the world change and I can pick out individual voices.  In summer, they leave little trace of their passing, but on a winter morning I can see their tracks and know they came for a visit.  I can follow the tracks of the rabbits and squirrels they chased, and see the struggle for life played out on the ground in front of me.  Yes, there is plenty of life out and about in winter.


There is plenty to do as well.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is just begging for a terminal case of the shack nasties.  I guess that can actually happen to people.  Lucky for me, I've always found plenty to do outside in the winter.  As a kid it was building snow forts and sledding.  We'd stay out so long that we would need to put zip log bags inside our boots to keep our feet dry.  Later it was skiing and snowboarding.  Now it's come full circle and I'm taking the boys sledding, and looking forward to snowball fights and fort building again.  And of course there is ice fishing.  We took the boys out for the first time last weekend and had a great time.  They were fascinated by just about everything.  Although, the minnow bucket held their attention the longest.  They figured out pretty quickly what a flag meant.  I think by next season, I'll have to buy traps for them and Autumn.  And probably rig up a shanty.  Who am I kidding... we'll need to whole ice fishing catastrophe, I'm sure.


Winter has it's own special beauty as well.  I've walked down deserted city streets at night and watched snow fall, illuminated by streetlights.  And I've woken up to find the world snuggled up in a new white blanket.  I love them both.  It's quiet.  It's peaceful.  Everything is clean and new and fresh.


And even the cold isn't bad.  It's bracing.  It lets you know your alive.  You can dress for it and enjoy it.  Most of the time anyway.  And when you're done with your outdoor activities, you get to come inside.  Coming inside any other time of year is no big deal, it's just what you do.  But in winter it becomes a treat in and of itself.  Coming inside is no longer an ordinary occurrence, but entering sanctuary.  First you strip off the layers.  Then, snow crusted mittens and jackets and pants get hung somewhere to dry.  If you're lucky, that somewhere is near the fireplace or stove.  And while you hang them, you get to warm yourself by that fire.  First your skin tingles, and eventually the radiating warmth works its way into your bones.  And you wouldn't get to enjoy it if you hadn't been out in winters cold.


But the best part of coming inside is hot cocoa.  Not the stuff that comes out of a can and you mix with hot water.  I mean the real deal.  We had a big kitchen wood stove.  An honest to gosh Kalamazoo.  And after a day of playing outside, there would be a simmering pot simmering of real hot cocoa.  It would have a skim on top, but you could just stir it down and then dip the ladle.  Good stuff, that cocoa.  It would warm your throat and belly while the fire worked it's way in.


Now that I'm older and have kids of my own, I've discovered something else I love about winter.  It gets dark earlier and stays dark later, but that means the boys follow that same seasonal rhythm.  All day long they keep me hopping as I help them navigate the trials and tribulations of toddler hood.  However, they fall asleep a little earlier and sleep a little later, waiting on the sun to wake them.  As much as I love romping around with them all day, I relish the extra peace winter brings.  This sums it up pretty well...


There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.  


~Ruth Stout


Now, it's your turn to savor winter.  Whether that means snowball fights and hot cocoa, or snuggling under the weight of winter comforters, the seasons will change soon enough.  Get outside so you can really appreciate coming back in.  And, make sure you have a pot of hot cocoa going.


Personally, I'm thanking Phil for giving me another six weeks to enjoy all the things I love about winter.






Hershey's "Favorite Hot Cocoa"


1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa (you can use your favorite, Ghiradelli is really good)
Dash of salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla


Mix the sugar, cocoa, salt, and water in a saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils.  Keep stirring and boiling for two minutes.  Stir in the milk and heat through, but don't let it come back to a boil.  Once it's hot, remove from the heat and add vanilla.