Dog days of Winter

Sioux City has has been under a cloud of fog for the past few days. The historic three feet of snow that fell over Christmas has begun to melt. The moisture in the air provides the fog and the layer of moisture in the air has frozen on the trees giving them a layer of icy frosting. The trees look lovely in their new outfits, dressed to the nines for the red carpet. At night they take on an otherworldly glow, looking like some kind ghostly apparition. The snow, while melting, is still well over two feet in most places. It is no longer the pristine white of a new snowfall. It has become that gray sludge that salt and sand and car tires leave behind. The river that runs by Sioux City is filled with giant slabs of ice, making the river look sluggish and forbidding. It makes me long for spring.

I find it difficult to want to go out into this frozen world of Sioux City. I prefer to stay in my cozy house and am quite content to look at it through the window. The temperatures take my breath away in this place. The kind of cold that hurts when felt on bare skin. My first winter here I was cold for a month. Two pairs of socks and slippers and my feet were still cold. It doesn't take long to get used to it though. Sioux City people don't let this weather stop them. It is quite common, even on the coldest days, to see my neighbors out and about walking their dogs or jogging or walking. Secretly, I think they are a little insane. I can think of at least a dozen scenarios, all emergencies, where I still would not choose to walk or run outside in this climate.

I like winter for its slowness. I like winter for the homey feeling it provides, but winter is not my season. The shorter days tend to make me depressed and the cold makes me want to snuggle under a blanket all day. I hibernate, just as my mammalian friends do. Sometimes I wish I was a bear and could sleep through the entire dismal affair.

I find myself dreaming of fresh home-grown tomato sandwiches. A beautiful fresh cob of sweet corn with just a bit of kosher salt. Fresh brewed sweet tea. The green grass, and the heat of the sun on the back of my neck. Driving with the windows open with the radio up loud. Watching the kids ride their bikes on the driveway, jump on the trampoline, ride their skateboards up and down the street. I'm longing to see that first crocus poke its purple head up through the snow.

Ah well, winter is a good time to do some soul searching. Do quiet activities, crochet that baby blanket, put together that photo album. It's a good time to start a blog, and write about life. I know this frozen season has its place. The seasons of nature are good for people, too. Quieting things down so there is time to just be, before the frenetic activity of spring begins again. I wouldn't complain, though, if winter was just a little bit shorter.