Winter Conversations, Clarence Hiding, and Other News Fresh From the Farm

Inside: Yet another discussion about the weather, Clarence goes a-hiding, and when Christmas lingers too long. 

Yet Another Discussion About the Weather

Winter is like the relative you genuinely like, but after a couple of months you’re ready for your dear old uncle to go home.

Winter is charming BC–before Christmas. Bundling up in scarves and hats and mittens. Sweaters, both cute and ugly, add to the delight of the season, and the anticipation of the first snowfall is magical. And even a few snows after that seem enchanting as we walk in our winter wonderland.

But then January rolls around, and bundling becomes “dressing in layers,” and canned soup and cold medicines with ugly green cartoon characters portraying nasal discharge dominate our screens. Cold settles in, a chill that is hard to get rid of, and the sun seems to have gotten shy all of a sudden.

This particular winter has been long. Uncle Frost stopped by early in November and made a couple of loud comments around the dinner table, upsetting Cousin Fall, who left town early. Before I wanted him to leave. Summer had hardly been gone herself, and I really didn’t get enough time with Fall.

Christmas came and went, like it always does, and by the time the excitement of the new year started wearing off, I was done with Uncle Frost. Add in hazardous travel, trouble with pipes and wells, and I’m beginning to lose my patience.

But Amy, you say, weren’t you the one who wrote about thriving in winter a couple of posts ago?

Yes, that would be me. To tell you the truth, January has been hard this time around, and I was beginning to feel like a hypocrite for writing with tips to thrive in winter. But then it occurred to me that I was helping make my own point. Those tips have worked for me in the past, and they’re still helping me.

Meanwhile, I’ll put up with Uncle Frost, mostly ignoring him and his tired antics because one of these days quite soon, Spring will be skipping up the lane, ready for a game of hide-n-seek. Hopefully I’ll find her right away, and she’ll stick around for awhile.

Clarence Goes A-hiding

Clarence is an inside/outside cat. He likes to spend some of his life in the great outdoors, though he tends to like long naps indoors in the cold weather. For a cat, he’s pretty predictable. Not a lot of variety in his favorite napping spots–counter, armchair, couch, floor by our feet, the bed.

So imagine my distress the other night when I couldn’t find him in any of these places. Although a couple of times he’s gotten behind the washer and dryer, and when Emily visits he sometimes hides in the bathroom, he was in neither location. I started in with “Here kitty, kitty,” to which Winston (my other cat) looked at me like I was a little crazy. He knew something I didn’t. Upon heading into the kitchen I did a double take. There, in the sink, was my sweet little baby Clarence curled up sleeping.

The picture of cuteness, right? He wasn’t really happy when I turned on the light to snap a picture, though.

When Christmas Lingers too Long

Confession time: I still have some of my Christmas decorations out, and when I say out, they are not, for the most part, showcased in an attractive display. They are lying around or standing guard on my television stand, waiting patiently to go back in the box. Even as I binge-watch episodes of Marie Kondo tidying up on Netflix. Write posts and take pictures for posts. Cook meals and meditate. Yeah, I’ll call it meditating as I’m sitting on the couch with the TV off. (If the TV is on, it doesn’t count as meditating.)

The truth is, I’m running out of excuses. Through January 6, I’m covered. After all, that’s when the Three Kings showed up. (Or when the liturgical calendar celebrates them.) So I stubbornly keep my decorations up through this most neglected occasion.

But that ship has sailed. The camels have headed back over the vast sandy plains to wherever it is wise men go. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

I have carried this task on my to-do list for the past several weeks, finally deciding to pack away Christmas before I turn the calendar page to February. We’ll see.

And maybe, just maybe, that old groundhog will not see his shadow in a couple of days.

Any lingering Christmas decor hanging around your house? Confess in the comments. It’s good for the soul.

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