The year 2013 didn’t wind down slowly like “Old Man Time” doddering along with depleted energy as depicted in the iconic pictures of the end of the year. For me it ended in a frenzy of manic energy like a hyperactive child on a sugar high.
Here
in the colder regions of the country, many lament the cold and snow, but I
welcome it. Yes, there are some things I don’t like. When it gets too cold or
the snow gets too deep, I have to forgo my morning walks, but that isn’t too
often. I also don’t like breaking the ice out of the ponies’ water buckets or
the chicken’s water pan by beating on the ice or the outside of the buckets
with a hammer.
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| Phoebe and Puffy hoping for a treat. |
What
I enjoy about winter in the north is the slowing down into not quite hibernating,
but a time of less activity. No shopping for anything much more than food. No
parties to attend or entertaining to do. No excessive cleaning the house. No weeding
or planting or mowing the lawn, and what leaves didn’t get raked in the fall
can rest where they lay until a later time. Since I’m retired from teaching and
quit substituting, too, most days there is no reason for me to leave the house
except to do barn chores morning and evening and for my daily walk, weather
permitting, and to fill the bird feeders. This is my time of the year to have
the freedom to concentrate more on my writing and get more reading done.
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| Maggie and I returning from our walk in the woods. |
This
week I’m finally going to start on book four; a book I’ve had plotted and
planned in my mind for almost two years. Before I could start, I needed to
finish Ladies of the Garden Club,
edit it numerous times, polish it and then publish it. November and December
were too crazy to even put down that first paragraph of book four, but January
and February will be slow months for me so I can get to it finally. Of course,
now we’re blogging again, and I have an interview to conduct for an extra blog.
There’s church every Sunday and sometimes my friends and I go to lunch after
Mass. Then there are the two book clubs as well as two writers groups; a SinC
chapter about 45 minutes away and a local writers group. Make that three
because one of the members of the local writers group thought the four serious
writers in our group should get together separately to critique our work. I
have two book signings coming up this month, too, and I’ll probably arrange for
several others since it’s my slow time of the year, don’t you know. There’s
Mobile Meals every other Thursday and a commitment to a young friend to be his sponsor
and godmother which consists of weekly sessions every Tuesday night plus a few
Sundays until sometime in June. There are three concerts coming up that I don’t
want to miss as well as a play or two at local community theaters. I’m pretty
sure my sister will arrange a sibling night at least once, and we want to go
see The Book Thief if it’s still
playing in a movie theater within reasonable driving distance. I think I’m due
for a dentist appointment and I need to get my hair cut. Other than that, it’s
going to be a slow month, a time to relax, write and meditate on life’s
pleasures.
Happy
New Year everyone and may you all have a relaxing winter.
What
are your feelings about winter? What are your plans for the winter months?
I'm revising my novel, Gloria, and getting it out to query. I must!
ReplyDeletePhoebe, Puffy and Maggie are so cute! Do they build enough of a winter coat to protect them from the cold or do they go in the barn when it snows? Their coats look like you brush them. What are their personalities like?
Sorry for so many questions. I've never had pets. I assume Phoebe and Puffy are also pets.
Good luck on getting that book revised and out to query, E.B. I finally started my 4th after plotting it in my mind for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteMaggie is a house dog, but she still loves being outside. Her only problem on walks in the winter is when it's packing snow and she gathers snow in her paws or big snowballs on the feathered fur on her legs. Then she flops down and works at getting rid of them.
Phoebe and Puffy do have another winter coats to keep them warm, but I also put them in their stalls in the barn at night. I do brush them, but not as often as I should. They come when I whistle for them but it's because they're hoping for a treat - apples in the fall and winter - I have a lot of old apple trees - or dandelion greens from spring through fall. I do love them because I've always loved horses,but still I feel I have to rationalize having them by them creating compost for my gardens. Also, the outside critters are what get me up and moving outside on cold days when I'd rather stay in so that's good for me since it's my workout instead of going to a gym.
Winter is generally when I organize, write and cook. It's not my favorite season because I love being outdoors, but I did miss it a tiny bit when I lived in Florida.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I agree it is a good time to write and even though the snow can be limiting to some extent, it is beautiful especially when the tree branches are icy and the sun makes them sparkle. It's like being in a fairy land.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your writing!
ReplyDeleteWinters where I live are milder - less snow and more cold rain and ice - which makes it nicer to stay in and catch up with reading and writing. Those fairyland days when fresh snow paints the trees are few and far between, but I love them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your beautiful photos of Maggie, Phoebe, and Puffy, Gloria. When it’s too cold to venture outside, I use my non-writing time to sort through closets and drawers, and generally get organized. One downside to winter is that’s it difficult to get out of my warm bed in the morning.
ReplyDeleteGloria,
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your concept of a slow time. I don’t find much difference between seasons any more, in part because I migrate with the birds.
~ Jim
I hope I can just finish my paranormal. In between taking a cruise, worrying about winter damage and helping move my kids. I need to stress down to write.
ReplyDeletePatg
Gloria, your idea of what you accomplish during your "slow" season makes my head spin. At least you manage to get the writing in!
ReplyDeleteI love having pets, and find that do get up and out so the dogs will get some exercise.
Thanks, Warren. At least I made a start on it.
ReplyDeleteShari, I'll bet wherever you are, you suffered this past week, too, from the cold. It was way too cold for me to like.
Kara, that's a good use of your time. I put things like that on my "to be done" list, but don't manage to get to much of it. I hate to get out of my warm bed, too, and have moved my clock radio up to 7:00 and then sleep through it until at least 7:30.
Enjoy your warmer weather, Jim, although from what I heard this past week was just as cold for you as you would normally get in the north.
Pat, good luck on getting your paranmormal finished. It's not the weather that is keeping you from doing it, but other things in your life, isn't it.
KM, the good thing about pets is they do keep us from spending all day at the computer or in a comfortable chair reading. They can be almost as demanding as having kids, but I love them, too.
Hi Gloria,
ReplyDeleteI, too, enjoy the semi-hibernation aspects of winter. I am so very thankful that I am now retired from the day job because it was already a miserable commute (via public transit, no less).
Sounds like you're keeping very busy nonetheless!
Best wishes for book 4 in your series.