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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Wednesday Thoughts

I feel my winter personality trying to creep in. In the winter I go into survival mode. It was dark all day yesterday. I wondered at one point how thick the clouds must be to keep us in semi darkness for a whole day.

Luckily my day wasn't all bad since I got to spend a wonderful evening with two dear friends I've known since high school, Sara and Sarah (that "h" makes their names totally different). We went to one of my favorite restaurants: Sidetrack. It's such a cozy place, with amazing food. Here are a couple pics I took last night:



When we were walking out, the wind whipped around us, chilling us to the bone. Sarah always defends winter to me and pointed out that we weren't dressed as warmly as we could have been, and that in January we'll think 30 degrees is warm. I guess she's right. But I still told them I'd see them in April. (I'm not actually going to hibernate this winter, I promise.)

During dinner we talked about some winter survival tactics. Both of them have better attitudes about winter than I do, and we made plans to go ice skating in Detroit, have snow shoeing lessons, and drink plenty of hot chocolate (though I complained about "hot chocolate belly" - that feeling that you've drunk a brick about five minutes after you're done with a mug of hot chocolate). Their good attitudes almost convinced me I can get through another Michigan winter.

I'm not a total winter pessimist though. As I've said before, there's something very romantic about winter. Those winter nights, when the sky is dark and the snow is coming lightly down. Those are my favorite nights to bundle up and go on walks. Then there's the winter mornings when the sun reflects off the snow and it honestly looks like the snow has been sprinkled with glitter the way it shines. And of course, it's nice to feel cozy inside when it's too nasty to venture out into the snow storms.

This morning I woke up and it was snowing outside. Big, fat, heavy flakes. I put my fleece on under my coat for added warmth, pulled my leg warmers up under my pants, dug my winter hat out of the bin, put my mittens and scarf on and went outside to face it. It's December now and I can no longer be in denial. But I'll try to make the best of it.

Happy Wednesday.

12 comments:

Christi said...

Skating in Detroit is so fun! I only went once, but now I wish I was there to go again!

Sarah said...

I'll admit, I was totally ready for the snow today. Ask me again in March, and I might change my tune. :) (PS: I *love* that quote from Phil about the cats!!)

Katherine said...

Oh, hot chocolate belly! It really is the worst. But I love hot chocolate so much! (At Kendall today they're having a "hot beverage bar" as a finals week stress-reliever - I am SO there for some hot chocolate!)

I'm trying to prepare myself for winter, too. I can't take the dismal days!! But I'm trying to think of fun, wintry things to do to keep myself motivated. (My membership at Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park helps - the tropical aviary in the dead of winter is the BEST!!) Since I walk the mile to/from school, the snow in Grand Rapids today was...not unwelcome, since it's pretty and all, and a little magical, just one more obstacle, I suppose. Ah, well. I've got a warm coat and snow pants, so I'm prepared for the worst! (I hope...) I'm never prepared to clean off my car, though - I think that's my least favorite winter thing!

Katherine said...

P.S. I love the new quotes!!!

Amy said...

The first time the temperature dips down to freezing every year I have such a hard time believing that in a few months, 32 degrees will actually feel warm, and it always kind of scares me. But I still hold that if winter didn't exist, I wouldn't have any good reference point to allow me to love summer as much as I do. And as much as I complain about winter and wish for it to be over before it even starts, deep down I have to admit that without it, something important would be missing from my life.

Heather said...

I am a complete wimp about the cold. I get cranky and refuse to move. My kids are nice enough to pile on top of me to keep me warm.
Realize as I am saying all this I live in Houston and it only even freezes once or twice a winter.

I'll try to get tougher though realizing where you are a person could actually freeze to death or something...not just to annoyance.

Sara said...

Another reason to learn to knit! It's a perfect wintertime activity while you're covered in blankets or a snuggy. And this pattern is probably a little hard, but you could make some super cool leg warmers.
http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2010/11/28/a-purl-soho-pattern-loeffler-randall-rain-boot-and-rain-boot.html

E McL said...

And the abundance of sickness doesn't help me like it any better. I should buy stock in Puffs or Kleenex in summer and sell it mid-winter. Seasonal investment planning. I should get my cut for keeping those companies afloat, shouldn't I.

But I live without real winter, snow, ice, sledding, ice skating and the like for too long. Here in the panhandle of Texas we get sunshine with brief interludes of white fluff. Happy winter to you.

violet50 said...

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Dylan Thomas (and me)

Wee Sisters Three said...

You will have to hangout with the kids this winter. They are a blast. I took some pictures today of Sam in, what I think of as her first snow. I know she'll be 3 in march, but this is the first one where she actually enjoys it and is really "getting" it. She went out all bundled up but with her pj's on, adorable! Also, I have a zoo membership. When Kat comes down after her semester is over we should all go one day. It's getter when it's cold out.
Ethan suggested you eat s'mores and keep warm socks on. That's what he says he does when he's cold.

Katherine said...

YES! Zoo!! Also, I just remembered something - did you eat the beer-battered pickles at Sidetrack?? mmmmmm....as Ethan would say, "awicious!!"

BlackLOG said...

How can you not love winter -

open fires -

frost tingle (please note this is not the same as frost bite) where you come in from the cold and that feeling of warmth creeps over you.

The squeaky crunch you get as you trudge through fresh snow.

Not being able to get to work beacuse 2mm of snow have closed down the UK yet again....