Winter,
No Wonderland!
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My family has returned to the Cold, Frozen North where
Winter is firmly entrenched, leaving me alone down here in the cold, but not
frozen, southland.
My house is empty but my heart is full.
Today I plugged in my little portable heater for the first
time. Woke to pelting rain in the night. No storm or wind. By morning, the rain settled
into a steady light rain, hour after hour after hour.
I realize it is hard for you to dig deeply to find sympathy
for my cold woes but please keep in mind my house is made of one layer of
brick, no insulation, no heat source. I recall with great fondness my beloved
Hearthstone Woodstove from my former home in Winter Wet-Cold Washington.
That said, I also must report that with my new windows, my
wee heater is doing a good job of keeping me from huddling in blankets all day.
Meanwhile, please feel free to grab onto all your feelings
of superiority and lord it over me, the wuss of winter, griping because my
house is cold and damp. I do remember, with no fondness, Montana winters with
freezing rains, snow which turns to ice, cars with plug-ins sticking out the
front, snow shovels, bitter winds, clunky Sorel boots and puffy parkas that
turn the population into Dough Boys.
I grew up huddled in a rocking chair over a floor vent over
the furnace in the basement, so, really, sitting in a chair near my little
heater, book in hand, waiting until the warm comes, is not so different from
old times.
Full disclosure. True, there are not that many similarities.
Today is cold. Tomorrow will be warmer. We are assured of much colder days here
in this rather temperate country. But the cold days are interspersed with
afternoons which bring toasty warmth. And by February, most of the cold has creeped
back to its den, wherever that is.
Winter. People are beginning to string Christmas lights and
a few decorations. Tiendas display more toys and gifty items. I miss my
daughter and my grandson. I’m grateful that we had a great week together.
Today’s rain is just that—Today’s rain. No snow, no ice, no
wind. My winter.
Sondra Ashton, HWC:
Looking out my back door, December 11, 2025
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