It is freezing here in the Northern Midwest. Not just 32 degrees Fahrenheit freezing, more like 2 degrees freezing. The kind of cold that makes the snow squeak, your sinus freeze and your dog's paws freeze on a simple walk to the bird feeder. This is the time of year when water pipes freeze, cars won't start and when you keep the bird feeders full. It's two-coats cold.
That kind of cold can be disheartening, especially when you throw in a wind chill. You want to go outside but it is simply too cold to spend a lot of time outdoors. We have most of our wood working tools outside so most of those projects have come to a standstill. We spend a lot of time outdoors most of the year so it's a little hard to be cooped up indoors during these completely regular cold snaps. We cope by baking, cooking, painting, and working on projects indoors and we're lucky to have the opportunity to do those things.
This deep cold also means extreme dryness in the air and often, blue skies and sunshiney days. So if you can get outside (I think it will get up to 20 one day this week!), it's lovely. The views are lovely from indoors too. The dogs love lying in the sun patches on the floors and plants enjoy the direct sunlight as well. It's getting lighter longer each day too - a sure sign of spring. And the birds that frequent the feeders are starting to sing their spring time songs too.
Spring is coming in our area but not for another 6 or 7 weeks or so. This season of deep cold is when you appreciate the furnace, the sun, the seedlings in the window. This type of weather means we can simmer chicken stock all day and go from bitter cold outdoors to being enveloped in the warm scented steam of a hearty stock when you come inside. This is a season of quiet planning and thinking and getting ready for the completely consuming and frantic pace of spring.
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