It’s cold out. We got a lovely delivery of snow a little over a week ago, and it’s slowly melting away. I always imagine my ideal winters like snow days in my childhood. When we get lots of snow, we either go out and work, go out and play, or stay inside and get toasty. Trying to do other things in the face of harsh cold and snow is not fun. I think that’s why so many people up here hate winter. I don’t mind shoveling or chopping wood, they keep me warm and able to enjoy the outdoors when it’s quite cold.
We missed a good sledding opportunity with that last storm. I didn’t have any sleds, and we were snowed in. And, AND, the town stopped plowing the side streets, so there were long, flat stretches of space begging to be sled upon.
I imagine future winters without work, where I stay in and stoke my woodstove, and read. I will stay in and try to perfect a skill, like baking or making pizza. Something warm. Then I’ll go out, breathe in that special winter air, and chop more wood for the stove. Shovel a little path to a firepit outside, which I can get roaring hot enough to enjoy the winter night sky.
Summer is for work. Working on my car or my house is a miserable prospect this time of year. That’s what summer is for. Work is easier in the summer. We were offered some gigs selling ice cream at festivals this summer. That’s a nice paying gig that’s fun in the summertime. Maybe that could be a more regular seasonal thing.