Sorry...I just love winter...

What a marvelous weather day today! My favorite kind -- clear and cold...and SO cold! I took Daisie out for her "First Things First Duty Run" and the cold made her very efficient this morning. It was good to get back in the warm house...Soon, however, with the sun streaming in, she was antsy to go out for the Morning Walk. I was about to go get geared up when Randy said, "You're going for a walk??" and then began to read the wind chills off our Weather Station..." minus 3, minus 11, minus 16, minus 8..." and so on as the wind increased and fell off again. I decided to wait.

About an hour later the temp had risen to 21 degrees...and I wanted to get on with my day, so Daisie and I snuck out the back door to head into the wind. I knew it would be a short walk...too cold for more, and it would convince Daisie to be content inside...But it was glorious out there. The air is so clear that you can see mountains much farther away than usual. The white and blue of them is so crisp, as is the air you pull into your lungs. Brilliant sunshine, crunchy ground underfoot, and burning cold quicken your step, and make you feel alive!

And glad to go back into the warm, cozy house...That cup of coffee is so consoling. You've braved the elements, and now have your comfort in hand. Daisie stretches out on her patch of sunshine, snoozing contentedly, as I had hoped.

While some are complaining as winter continues, I must truly confess that I think it has been a spectacular winter! A fearless thing for me to say as raspberry farmers really don't know yet how much of our crop was lost in the first cold snap in December...Sorry folks, I've still enjoyed this season! We have had so much sunshine, so many clear, cold, beautiful days. We had snow before Christmas for anticipation, and better yet, snow ON CHRISTMAS!!! FLAT snow, and lots of it!! And now we are getting just a little bit more on the verge of Spring. I'm just loving it.

I used to be more like most people -- Spring and Summer were my favorites...but the stress of harvest and its preparations have changed that for me. Now my favorite season is Fall -- with the relief of a completed harvest, a bit of warm weather beauty, and the beginning of cozy times with the anticipation of the holidays...Second place is winter -- for the clear cold days, and the stormy ones...

In a week or two, winter will be all done. The farm work will begin, and I will try not to complain as we move into that weather that we can see in any season around here...50 degrees and raining. Bleh!