Winter’s Chill

We turned back our clocks more than a month ago and with that transition, cold weather came to stay in my corner of New Jersey.  Usually, we get a temperate November, with cool nights and mornings but days in the 50s and sometimes the 60s.  This year, I had to search out the mittens and scarves rather early. 

December’s arrival brought more cold and days quickly growing shorter as we seem to be racing toward the Winter Solstice.  I have an app on my iPad that tells me the sunrise and sunset times; we’re heading toward the point in the season when I obsessively refresh it to see just when I can expect daylight after 5 pm.

I have candles and fairy lights all over the house.  I turn them on as soon as I get home and they bring light to the chilly evenings.  I tuck under warm blankets on the sofa with a cat on my lap and a book in my hand.  Soon enough, garden catalogs will fill my mailbox to keep me company in the evenings.  Until then, I’m grateful for the blessings of sunshine on cold days.  When the light arrives, I look up at the branches of Old Man Tree, glad for the blue sky in this the restful season.