February is the worst, isn’t it? It’s like Narnia under the White Witch – always winter and never Christmas.

I mean, think about it. Winter, in these parts anyway, starts around November or December. You’ve got Thanksgiving and all that “over the river and through the wood” stuff. Obviously, if the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, there’s plenty of white stuff on the ground. Of course there is – it’s “white and drifted snow!”

Then you move on into December – the lights and the shopping and the baking and all that holiday spirit all over the place – who minds a little snow then? It even sparkles – it just puts people in the holiday spirit!

And it seems like the actual “winter” we get earlier in the season is mostly, at worst, in the form of storms. A storm front will move in, dump a few inches of snow, then move on, to be followed by a string of crisp, clear, sunny days and snowmen.

Sure, January can be a little rough. It’s cold, the holidays are over for a while, but still – you’ve got your shiny new New Year’s Resolutions to keep you occupied, right? That new diet, the gym membership, and even “dry January” – that stuff keeps things fresh while we start the new year.

Then along comes February.

Always winter, never Christmas.

It snows. Not just an occasional storm – oh no!

It just snows. And snows. And keeps snowing. Day in and day out. Always more snow.

Dark, gray skies. Heavy clouds. Cold. And ice.

Did I mention the snow?

All of Outside is crusted with salt residue and coated with road dirt.

It just wears you down. You look out the window, and it’s cold and gray and snowing.

You go to your car, and every day, you have to brush snow and scrape ice. Your toes are cold and damp most of the time.

Let’s face it, it’s miserable.

At the beginning of the month, the woodchuck said we’ll have an “early spring” – what does that even mean, anyway? The beginning of April instead of the middle?

This is exactly why old people go to Florida for the winter.

There’s really no good holiday until Easter, which is SO FAR AWAY.

Sometimes, it feels like it’s ALWAYS going to be winter – it’s ALWAYS going to be February.

And then one morning, you go out, and the temperature is above freezing. You see a hint of blue in the sky, and maybe you even leave your gloves in your pockets when you go outside.

Heck, you might even see the green of crocus leaves poking out of the snow.

You start thinking about starting those seeds for the garden, or maybe even about washing the nose prints off the glass door.

Sure, you’d still enjoy a nice hot pot of Earl Gray, but this time, you’ll enjoy it while the sky is blue!

And then you realize – the long night of winter is finally drawing to a close. Aslan is on the move. Spring – and summer – will follow, as they always have and always will.

Categories: home local

kristinebryant