Hibernal Journal: Week 6

Forcing yourself outside of your seasonal comfort zone has the effect of teaching you life lessons you might not otherwise have learned.

Sunday, 01/26/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:06 a.m., under partly cloudy skies, the air was still, and the temperature was 15°. The sunset will occur at 4:51.

Although it was a chilly start to the day, temperatures ended up being in the upper 30s. Me and the girls had some quality time out on the veranda under Bruce's ever-watchful eyes. It is impossible to get your fill watching the sisters terrorize and brutalize each other, never seeming to run out of energy, only to collapse into a tangled pile of arms and legs and Tails up on Beatrice so they can rest up, recharge and do it all over again a few hours later.

Observation of the day:

The brief periods of Winter's relent, before getting back to her bitter cold business, not only gives us a taste of a warmer future not far off, but reminds us to miss no opportunity to savor each moment when it comes.

Monday, 01/27/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:06 a.m., under clear skies, , there was a slight breeze, and the temperature was 21°. The sunset will occur at 4:52.

The day ended up being quite windy, but with temperatures finally breaking into the 40s, it was actually a pretty nice day as midwinter days in the Northeast go. Me and the girls hung out with Bruce for over an hour late in the afternoon and enjoyed an overcast sunset. Our bedtime porch visit quickly reminded us that winter was a long way from over; temperatures had dropped back to freezing, giving the human among us every reason to quit while we were ahead and let Winter take back the night.

Observation of the day:

Those most likely to celebrate rapid change are typically least directly affected by it.

Tuesday, 01/28/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:04 a.m., under partly cloudy skies, there was a light breeze, and the temperature was 32°. The sunset will occur at 4:53.

Me and the girls noticed, over coffee, that once temperatures are in the 30s, pre-Sunrise mornings are actually refreshing and invigorating. Of course, the dogs are built for this weather, and I have to add a few layers to keep it even, but after 8 hours of being inside a heated house, hitting the yard while the streets are still quiet is a damn fine way to start the day. We spent another good hour under Bruce, watching the sunset behind clouds that promised overnight snow ahead, but we were actually quite excited to know a fresh layer of Winter's paint was on its way to bring with it a whole new round of wrestling, roughhousing, and otherwise terrorizing each other while I would have to hold on to them for dear life.

Observation of the day:

A weak shy of halfway through the winter season, knowing all too well what February usually brings to the Northeast, I'm grateful - in advance - that Winter has been generous and kind, comparatively speaking. To say otherwise is to DARE her to work harder.

Wednesday, 01/29/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:03 a.m., under cloudy skies, there was a light breeze, and the temperature was 20°. The sunset will occur at 4:55.

Me and the girls were greeted with about two inches of fresh snow cover when we went out the front door about 2 hours Before Sunrise. As expected, they were quite pleased with this development and took every opportunity to destroy each other in Celebration. The featured image for this week's journal entry shows them in action as they celebrate the beauty and wonder of all of Nature's creation. The winds picked up in the late afternoon as we sat once more under Bruce to enjoy the setting sun, with temperatures still above freezing when it got dark. Convincing the girls it was time to go in was not without its difficulty.

Observation of the day:

The love-hate relationship humans have with Mother Nature's Winter season is a little unfair to Nature and a lot short-sighted among humans; lamenting her temperatures while rolling around and building stuff with her bounty belies are public disdain for her while we are deriving great joy from her work.

Thursday, 01/30/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:02 a.m., under clear skies, with a strong breeze, and the temperature was 16°, making it feel like 2°. The sunset will occur at 4:56.

Winter was back in all her bitter-cold glory as if to remind us who is in charge. I had to go to the store today, and the wind chill temperatures were brutal, even with the clear, sunny skies. Having to take the bus into town and back again always takes up at least 3 hours of the day, so needless to say the girls were incredibly pleased to see me when I got back home. A trip out to the yard for them to burn off a little more Steam was quickly followed by a late but glorious afternoon nap. We got up in plenty of time to watch the sunset together, as we do practically every day, and our bedtime porch visit consisted of discussing the simple beauty of the quiet roads and mesmerizing frigid temperatures.

Observation of the day:

However unnecessarily complicated we Sapiens sometimes make our lives, it can never be overstated to suggest that the simplest things inevitably make them much more worth living.

Friday, 01/31/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:01 a.m., under cloudy skies, with a gentle breeze, and the temperature was 25°. The sunset will occur at 4:57.

It was a calm and easy start to the day. We knew from the forecast that some combination of rain and snow would dictate how much time we spent in the yard, which, as it turned out, we did not do very much of. The girls got a decent amount of grizzly bear dive bombing in, but each session was short-lived, after which we would get up on the porch and watch the world go by. During our pre-bedtime review of the day and potential plans for the next, I pointed out that there is something soft and gentle about the sounds of rain dripping down the gutter while fluffy flakes of snow floated around in the air. It's the sort of ambiance you only find when there are no cars on the road and the world around you is wise enough to stay indoors and leave Winter be so she can attend to her affairs.

Observation of the day:

There is no better way to understand the deafening silence of Winter's embrace than to be quiet and still long enough to hear what she is saying to you.

Saturday, 02/01/2025:

Sunrise was at 7:00 a.m., under snowy skies, with a gentle breeze, and the temperature was 29°. The sunset will occur at 4:58.

Me and the girls were greeted by a fresh new layer of snow when we hit the yard a couple of hours before sunrise. It had continued to rain and snow overnight, but by the time we got out there in the morning, temperatures had fallen below freezing, which gave us a crusty, crunchy surface to work with as the girls tended to their biological affairs. By midday, the winds picked up, bringing with them Sub-Zero wind chill temperatures that made quality yard time a bit challenging to enjoy. By the time we gathered for our daily bedtime confab, temperatures were in the single digits, and the three of us were content with a quick return to the indoors once the canine waste disposal business had been attended to.

Observation of the day:

As it is with human-to-human relationships, it is healthy and productive to engage in brief timeouts from your love affair with Winter to pause and reflect (and thaw your bones) and get some quality "me" time; her feelings won't be hurt, and you will miss her more quickly than you might think.

Weekly PostScript:

As of the date this entry is published, we are effectively halfway through the Winter season in the Northeast. Sunrise comes earlier by a minute or two each day, and sunset comes later by a minute or two each day as well. There have been warm days, cold days, windy days, sunny days, rainy days, and snowy days... Everything you would expect to occur at this time of year. Yet for all of Nature's mood swings, there have been no surprises, and we haven't encountered anything we couldn't handle or find some way to enjoy. Thus far in the journey of assembling this Journal, it appears to be true that forcing yourself outside of your seasonal comfort zone has the effect of teaching you life lessons you might not otherwise have learned.