January

Perhaps it is the interminable cold. Or the flu-colds-sinus crap-vomiting-and-every-other-bug going around after the holidays. Or maybe it is just the after-the holiday-letdown, or maybe it’s all three. Whatever it is, it is my least favorite month of the year. January definitely fits #2 above.

This year, however, I decided to take a new approach. I armed myself with information, inspiration and imagination. I started by reading books about how the experts do it. As in, the experts who live in the coldest part of the world and seem to enjoy it. In that process, I came upon a new favorite word:

Pronounced “hugh-ga,” or “hoo-ga,” it has been my mantra for the winter. If the Danish and Scandinavians can do it, then I should at least try. So I have been, but with limited success. Better than last year perhaps, but I’m still fighting it all the way.

Suzanne and I are puzzlers, Gail is not. Suzanne has graciously shared one of her Christmas gifts with me when she finished it, not even knowing it was my new favorite word.

I have bought a few new clothes this winter (of course), and the first requirement is that they have to be cozy. I have purged some other clothes that were not cozy and comfortable, realizing they are not worth the scratching, irritation and ill-fit they posed for me.

It’s all about cozy comfort for me. I do realize that this time of year is glorious for some people. I have a dear friend who loves the cold and winter. Gail and Suzanne enjoy it more than I do, but not as much as they enjoy the wind. I even gave birth to someone who loves it, so I do respect those differences, I just don’t understand them.

Gail’s sentiment is this: “Cold Pffft!! You can dress to keep warm, but you can’t undress to keep cool.”

As I type this on the last day of January, I continue to realize that here in the middle of Kansas, we don’t really have it so bad. Gail’s daughter in northern Michigan sent me this picture:

She reported 110 inches for the winter so far.

Much of the eastern United States has been hammered with severe, even life-threatening winter weather. It could be so much worse. Still, I complain. The snow is gorgeous as it falls, and even as it settles, but now we are in the ugly, gray and dirty phase of the snowfall. However, it was a beautiful sight last Sunday morning:

At least there was no wind. Gail and Suzanne would have loved that, not me.

If you are looking for some winter reading to get you through until spring, I highly recommend these titles:

Leibowitz, K.2025, How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days. Bluebird.

Wiking, M. 2017. The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living. Harper Collins.

May, K. 2020 Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. Riverhead Books.

There are a few highlights in January, however. Our dear Mom’s birthday was in January, and now my dear daughter-in-law celebrates hers on the same day with us. And, of course, our home state of Kansas celebrates its birthday on January 29th. This year it was 165 years old. I do my best to commemorate this special day in my fullest regalia. (Please note the sunflower earrings as well.)

The most exciting thing about January, I think, is looking forward to the end of it. February arrives, and I feel a sense of relief, a weight lifting. Thirty years ago on February first, Suzanne felt a great relief when she gave birth to her only child. In her words, Suzanne offered this: “As for living through January, I spent two weeks of January 1996 in the hospital. It was the last time I’ve been caught up on sleep, but I really don’t recommend it.” Happy Birthday Julia!

Cardinal sightings are always a special treat, and they seem to show up in the most brutal cold and snow of January. My daughter-in-law Olivia, Mom’s birthday buddy, shared this from the video on her backyard birdfeeder:

Plus, for the last few years, “The Beekeepers” of The Sister Lode have participated in, and highly anticipate the annual Neighbor to Neighbor Spelling Bee in Abilene in early February. Along with my neighbor Jordan, we will be back again next Saturday to attempt to regain the crown we gave up last year. Jordan gave birth to her twins shortly after last year’s bee, and she will join us again this year.

And how can we forget the thrill of Groundhog Day on February 2nd? That is a day to anticipate as well.

With a mere 28 days, February seems easier to survive, knowing spring will soon follow. I find myself wishing every January away, even though I know that even the worst days are a gift.

This Facebook meme stopped me in my tracks, it is profound:

We should also consider “one more January” as “one less January,” even if it is a crucible. Every day is a gift, no matter what the weather. Even if January feels like it is 6,184 days long.

Bilston, B. 2022. Days Like These: An Alternative Guide to the Year in 366 Poems. Picador.

HAPPY FEBRUARY FROM THE SISTER LODE!

I think she does it just to piss me off.

Whenever I make a comment about inclement weather–no matter what the season–Gail will invariably respond with something like, “I know. I love it. Nothing you can do about it, so you might as well embrace it.” Her comments about last week’s snow and sub-freezing temperatures were a perfect example. I called her that morning while the temps dipped and the snow flew, and I could hear the upbeat tone in her voice. It was windy as well, and recall that both she and Suzanne love the wind. Ugh.

Normally, I try to keep a positive and sunny disposition, but when it’s not sunny, and especially when it’s cold and windy, I’m not very positive. As if there is anything I can do about it.

So, instead of letting her get to me, I thought I would embrace the issue, just as she embraces any type of weather.

Gail quoted this statement from a Facebook page she reads when I asked for her input on the topic of the title: “I make my bed every morning because it’s a gift that I get to open at the end of every day. A gift that not everyone has. So while I am wrapping my bed in the morning and unwrapping it at night, I’m reminded of what a great blessing my bed really is in my life. When we stop viewing what we have as little, insignificant or not enough, then we get to see what we do have as gifts we get to enjoy, great blessings in our lives and provisions for our needs.” She then added her own thoughts:

“I have always made my bed every morning because I feel it sets the tone for the day. Here is another way of looking at it, a thought for the new year: we take our beds for granted, but think of the ones who don’t have a bed.”

Great advice from Gail, as always. In closing, she added this: “Get rid of shit that needs gone!”

In contrast, Suzanne also offered wise words, albeit a bit more passive: “Stay asleep the entire 31 days. Or drunk. Dealer’s choice.”

Wise words from my wise sisters.

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Crucible: noun: a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.

I find January to be an annual crucible. Surviving the elements of cold weather, minimal daylight, gray days and months before my beloved summer comes, I struggle to thrive in January, my least favorite month of the year. Gail, in her ever-sunny disposition regarding the weather, even when it is not sunny–and hot–takes it in stride. I am a long way from that attitude; it is quite likely I will never reach that point, but I keep trying. I need those reminders that I do indeed have a warm bed. I make mine every morning as well, and I will now think of it as a gift to unwrap when I get in, thanks to Gail. And, if January is indeed a crucible by definition for me, then I need to use it to make me stronger and renewed.

On top of that, I have a warm home, plenty of warm clothes, money to pay bills and have a little fun, and plenty of food to eat. I have fulfilling work, a loving family–my two sisters are the icing on that cake, and despite a few new pains and aches, I am generally healthy.

So what’s a little bad weather? Get over it, Kathleen.

Gail’s comment about getting rid of stuff–I believe she called it shit–is a good idea for most of us, except Suzanne, who subsists as a minimalist, and I admire that in her. If she gets rid of much more, she may not have the essentials for daily living.

Gail and I, on the other hand, are not minimalists. We could both stand to get rid of a lot of material possessions, which is what we both commit to every January. So far I am moving along with a nice pile to donate, and Gail reports that she has gotten rid of multiple unnecessary kitchen items and clothing she no longer wears. She’s still on a roll, and finding more “shit” as the month goes on. So am I. We both need to continue to take that cue from Suzanne.

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January, with all its darkness, does offer two elements of spectacular light here in Kansas: the sunrises, and the sunsets. The sunrise picture was taken from my porch last week, and the sunset picture with the Kansas grain elevator is courtesy of my friend Stacy, taken not far from our home:

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Spring always follows winter, and summer always follows spring. The cycle has never disappointed us, and it likely will repeat again this year. Like nature, we should all use this time of year to go inward for all the “re-” activities: rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reconsideration and relaxation.

Embrace it like Gail does, or sleep through it like Suzanne–and the animals do. Dealer’s choice.

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Until the warmer temperatures arrive, I am offering a montage of photos from earlier posts with the sisters of The Sister Lode enjoying the sun and warm. We hope they bring back memories of warmer times for you as well.