Embracing winter ~ My column from Sunday's paper

NOTE: I wrote this column last Wednesday before the Snowmaggeden event.


I know I say this with every change of season, but it’s beautiful this time of year. After the drought last summer and fall, the trees looked tired. We had some color but not like years past. But then the rain came. It was refreshing not only for the trees but also for my spirit. It gave the earth a drink before turning in for winter.

Jilda loves winter, too. The moment the weatherman said we could have a little of the white stuff this coming weekend, she put up our “Let it Snow” flag on the arbor. I think it’s because she spent time as a child in Chicago. She talks fondly of times when it snowed booty-deep.

I think our great nephew Jordan took after her because he loves the snow too. He’s already

Snow Pie from a few years ago

taking orders for snow pies. I learned firsthand a few years ago about his snow pies. They are gnarly mixes of snow, grass, and small sticks. I can tell you that one of these babies upside the head was enough to do me.

We have stores of Carnation Cream, vanilla flavor, and sugar. All Jilda needs to complete the recipe for winter ice cream is snow.

I like snow now more than I did when I had to work in Birmingham. Snow is fine if you don’t have to drive in it. Drivers in the south haven’t mastered the use of turn signals, much less driving in snow.

After spending time in Panama, I grew tired of the oppressive heat year around. I realized that each season has things to offer and they are beautiful in their way.

Yesterday, after arriving home later than usual, I slipped on my sweatpants and walking shoes to get in some steps before dark. The dogs almost knocked me down when I opened the garden door. They love the cooler weather, and I admit that I do too.

At the end of my walk, I paused and leaned on the back fence for a few minutes surveying the sky. Through the trees, the horizon looked like it was ablaze. I pulled the phone from my pocket and snapped a few frames, but pictures never do justice to the beauty of a moment.

Once back inside, I flipped through the daily mail. We received some bills, junk mail, and three seed catalogs. Setting the bills aside, I brewed a cup of green tea and sat on the sofa with the catalogs.

The pictures of tomatoes, squash, blueberries and apples in these catalogs are like visual crack to me. When I got to the section on flowers, I held the page close to my nose and sniffed it. The first company that invents a way to let you smell the bouquets will make a fortune.

Seed catalogs are like the old Sears and Roebuck Christmas Wishbooks we used to get when I was a kid. They give us a hint of good things to come. After a few months of sweaters and overcoats, the late winter sun will start warming the earth. That’s when the seeds and plants ordered in January will begin arriving. Waiting until after the last chance of frost is a test of willpower. Time has taught me to give every season their time.

Happy winter.