Winter....

So, here I sit, bundled up in multiple layers and my favorite pair of fuzzy socks. Yet, I am still chilly. In all honesty, if i could safely sit directly on my portable heater, I would! Why am I so cold? Because, Jack Frost must be angry. It is currently about -3 F outside. Which is actually quite warm. Seeing as how, this morning, it was about 30 below. The good news about that... A majority of schools cancelled so, I got a "snow" day of sorts.
There is something to be said about winters in Northern new York. Each one is different. They are beautiful, unpredictable and oftentimes, endless. Oh, and let's not forget, cold! People always ask me why i don't move. If I hate cold weather and driving in the snow, why live here? To answer is difficult to say the least.
I DO hate being cold. It makes certain joints ache and I spend a lot of the winter months with a slight limp due to the pins in my hip. And, as far as driving in this weather, well... I swear, my knuckles stay as white as the snow for the whole season.

Yet, there is something undeniably indescribable about winter here. When the first real snow falls, it changes people. They become child-like. Granted, it may be only for a few moments, but it is there. Throwing on their coats and running outside. Throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and simply standing there. Tongue out. Catching those tiny icy flakes in their mouths. Admit it, you've done it, right? I have. I do. Every year.

I love to take my dog outside. She adores snow! I bundle up in all my layers; jacket, snowpants, boots, gloves, and much more.  We go out and just race around the yard until we are both too tired to go anymore. Then, I collapse into a snowbank and look up at the sky. Pulling air in and tasting winter. Have you ever tasted the winter air in the country? It is sharp and cold. Yet, there is a sweetness. It's so hard to describe. And, everything just smells so clean and pure. It truly is such a sensory overload at times.

True, there are hidden dangers beneath all this beauty. There's icy roads, blizzards, freezing rain and temperatures that can give you frostbite in under 5 minutes. And, I can promise you, that I heartily complain about each and every one of those things on a daily basis. Yet, as much as I profess to hate this season, there must be a small part of me that loves the unique beauty of it. Because, every year, the glittering landscapes and serene stillness continue to take my breath away.