Surviving Janbruary

Winter's cold gives purpose to indoor pursuits

The late afternoon January sun casts long shadows over our yard. When your driveway is a snow canyon, the call of the great indoors will beckon.

Can it still be called a winter wonderland after December? Why do we sing celebratory songs about snow and cold in the holiday season and then abandon them when the true depths of winter set in? Would Rosemary Clooney still want to wash her hair in snow if the temperatures remained in the single digits? It is technically only winter for ten days in December. The true test of the season sets in during January and February which seem to blend together into one long frigid month here in the American northeast. Surviving these two contiguously cold months is a matter of attitude. For some, it involves schussing through winter activities, while for others, it is about enjoying their cocoon by making soup and reading a book.

While some of my northern friends become snowbirds and fly south for the winter, fleeing to Florida is not for me. I believe that the changing of the seasons is something to look forward to. A harsh winter makes one appreciate spring. On a cold and stormy day, there is something to be said for being forced indoors. This season is an excuse to seek quiet and cozy pleasures.

This winter has already seemed longer than normal. Despite the Buffalo stereotypes, we have been spoiled by mild Decembers over the last several years. Not this season. It started snowing before Thanksgiving and kept up through the holidays, despite our being accustomed to green Christmases of late. So now, as February arrives, this winter has already seemed longer than normal. I have been able to keep a positive attitude, though. Perhaps it is because, after 23 years of personally snow blowing a driveway that is longer than a football field, we have finally hired a plow service. With the perpetual snow that we had in January, I cannot imagine how this plow guy is making money. My attitude this winter would probably not be as upbeat if I had to go out into the arctic every morning. With snow mountains by my driveway that look like a shopping center parking lot, I am loving this decision.

There have been several things that have made this indoors season more than passable. My New Year’s resolution to read more hard copy books has brought me to novels that I am enjoying and to the anticipation of several more before the call of spring brings outdoor distractions to shrink my reading time. I am recommending two adventure stories by my friend, fellow Substacker Steven Shepard. Inca Gold Spanish Blood and The Sound of Life have brought me on treasure hunting scuba quests to Peru and to the warm Caribbean while the snow flies in Buffalo.

The winter wonderland outside our kitchen window this January

February has also brought the return of some of my favorite streaming shows like “Shrinking.” There is no shortage of things to watch, as the Olympics begin this week. I already spend three nights a week following the resurgent Buffalo Sabres (I am still trying to convince some of my friends that after years of disappointment, they are safe to watch). If your team gets hot, it doesn’t matter how cold it is outside.

When the weather eventually returns from the single digits to the balmy 20s, I will actually return outdoors to get more fresh air and take my dog with me. Meanwhile, I find myself drawn to Youtube videos that show braver souls taking on the bitter challenges of winter camping. I am fine with watching younger people engage in Olympic challenges in the colder months. There is plenty to entertain me in my cocoon. When the weather outside is frightful, I feel less guilty taking part in the indoor pursuits that I find delightful.

I do still leave the house during Janbruary. I continue an activity that I did in my teaching days as the public address announcer at my high school’s basketball games. This gives me a dose of youthful energy several nights a week. Beyond that, as my wife and I take care of a family of little kids three days out of seven, we get a four day weekend that makes us appreciate the peace and quiet of a warm winter house.

On days where we feel up to venturing out, we have been drawn more than once to one particular local restaurant. A local tavern that is nearly 200 years old features an immense fireplace allowing us to enjoy French onion soup by the fire. Once we navigate the snowbanks on the street, I think we appreciate the fireside meal more because of the weather outside.

The rhythm of having four seasons makes me value each successive one more. With the right attitude, one can even acknowledge the cold as a chance to relish pleasures that you are almost “forced” to engage in! Bitter cold makes you appreciate things—like warmth and the joys of the cocoon.