Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I know winter doesn’t officially arrive until December 21, but if you looked outside you’d think we were there. Blowing snow, icy windows, toppled herby-curbies, cars in ditches – that’s the kind of day it was. It’s after 11 PM, and the wind is still howling unremittingly, letting us know that winter really comes whenever it pleases.

I must admit this kind of weather keeps me more house-bound, since my little car with tiny tires doesn’t do well on ice. I cancel appointments for massage or swim lessons or whatever with impunity rather than risk an accident. At the same time, I never mind being stuck at home, since there’s so much to do.

I can work on my piano skills (Lord knows they need working on!); I can get caught up with work. Or crochet. Or, this time of year, finish holiday decorating and wrapping. I can read. This morning, I just slept in. And, I can appreciate that I don’t have to weed until Spring.

This afternoon, our handyman Mike arrived in the middle of the crummy weather to present us with a handmade birdfeeder and feed to fill it. We placed it in front of Earl’s office window, since he is the prime bird devotee around here. And, while I wondered at Mike’s sanity for being out on a day like this, I thought how appropriate his arrival was. It insured that any local bird who’d not gone South might survive winter regardless of the date.