Hibernal Journal: Week 9

It is in the remembering of the best of days that we find the courage and strength to face the ones we are well aware might be the worst of them.

Sunday, 02/16/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:41 a.m., under snowy skies, the air was still, and the temperature was 22° with a "feels-like" temperature of 15°. The sunset will occur at 5:18.

As the weather app promised, me and Alice were greeted by a nice, thick, fresh, new layer of winter paint. Alice was quite pleased by what she saw when she stepped onto the porch and made sure to let me know how excited she was once we got into the yard. Lady Winter surely must have been proud of herself for having delivered us several more inches, knowing she would spend the rest of the day bringing us even more. I've always believed that if there has to be a Winter, there might as well be some snow to look at, even if it's only out your window- to make the whole experience a little bit more worthwhile. The two of us took several more trips Outdoors than necessary just because- since she had gone to all that trouble- the least we could do was show her some appreciation for her efforts.

Observation of the day:

Winter might be the season of death and the beginnings of rebirth, but she also brings with her levels of beauty and wonder that no other season can match.

Monday, 02/17/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:40 a.m., under cloudy skies, with strong winds, and the temperature was 22° with a "feels-like" temperature of 8°. The sunset will occur at 5:19.

As quickly as the peaceful serenity of quiet snowfall was visited upon us, Winter kicked all that to the curb and delivered us the first of what will be several days of dangerously strong winds and bitterly cold temperatures. Despite me and the girls having grown accustomed to many of Winter's twists and turns, we have also been made to understand that days will come (and eventually pass) where only acceptance of her capacity for rage and fury must humbly be embraced. There was no pre-dawn porch coffee, there were only quick visits to the yard, and the only Sunset worth watching was the one enjoyed out the westward-facing window.

Observation of the day:

As it is in life, so too is it in the love affair with Winter that you can't win every battle.

Tuesday, 02/18/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:38 a.m., under clear skies, with strong winds, and the temperature was 16° with a "feels-like" temperature of 1°. The sunset will occur at 5:21.

With stronger winds and colder temperatures than yesterday, me and the girls accepted that another indoor day would be on the menu. I did my writing, they did their grizzly bear fighting, and while the winds were gusting strongly enough to kick my computer offline, we took a long and glorious snuggly nap; it's an interesting thing to see a 200 + lb human and 2 100+ lb Newfoundlands fighting for space on a queen bed, but love always finds a way. And when love doesn't find a way, the human kicks the dogs off the bed.

Observation of the day:

It can be fairly said that some of the best things that we come across in life are not only those things that we weren't even looking for but the things we never considered we would ever need.

Wednesday, 02/19/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:37 a.m., under clear skies, with slight winds, and the temperature was 10° with a "feels-like" temperature of -7°. The sunset will occur at 5:22.

Combining an air temperature of 10° with a slight breeze that makes it feel like 7° below zero is the start of any day that should immediately send you back in the house if you're a normal person. Now in our 9th week of trying to learn how to love winter, me and Alice were actually quite pleased that it was warm enough to have coffee on the porch because the wind wasn't gusting at 45 mph like it had been for the previous two days. It was certainly cold, but comparatively speaking, it was comfortably cold, and we spent a little pre-sunrise time just enjoying each other's company and the deafening silence that Winter offered up to us in exchange for what she had just put us through over the last 48 hours. The trips outside for the girls to do their business lasted a little longer, the indoor play was a bit more chaotic, the midday nap was a bit more restful, and the sunset- under long overdue clear skies- was just a little bit sweeter.

Observation of the day:

Robert M. Pirsig is credited with this quote: “The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.” He's not wrong, and I would add this applies equally to the Zen you find when you surrender yourself to the environment you're in rather than trying to change it into something it was never meant to be.

Thursday, 02/20/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:35 a.m., under clear skies, the air was still, and the temperature was 11° with a "feels-like" temperature of 1°. The sunset will occur at 5:23.

Today was basically a repeat of yesterday, with tolerably cold air temperatures but no wind to dampen the spirits enough to chase us back inside. We took our time going outside and coming back in; we had some quality porch time - especially as the sun was starting to go down - and the girls got plenty of exercise before and after our daily nap. Of all the things that can be said fondly about living the Hermit life, it can be argued that routine and repetition are two of the best ingredients, along with a Sprinkle of "no surprises" to make for the best of days. Despite, and maybe even because of, the chaos and calamity that comes with spending your days swimming in canine frivolity, it cannot be overstated to suggest that the best of these can often be those spent submerging yourself in "sameness."

Observation of the day:

Measuring the quality of life is often best accomplished by considering what didn't happen as opposed to what did.

Friday, 02/21/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:34 a.m., under clear skies and gusty winds, and the temperature was 20° with a "feels-like" temperature of 5°. The sunset will occur at 5:25.

The 48-hour break from Winter's wrath was short-lived, me and Alice were slapped in the face when we stepped out onto the front porch with a harsh reminder that she was still in town and had plenty of unfinished Business to attend to before she was going to be going anywhere. It was another one of those " hurry up, we're doing coffee inside today" mornings, and both of us were perfectly okay with that. Each of the trips outside over the course of the day was brief and singly focused on one objective- tending to biological needs and rushing back inside to get away from the bitterly cold wind. With nine weeks of this under our belts now, having proven we can take her best shot and keep her company while she does her death and rebirth work, the hardest lesson we have had to learn is that it's not the temperature of her air that runs us off so much as it is the velocity at which she spreads it around and circulates it into our bones and through every crack of our single pain windows.

Observation of the day:

As it is in chess, when you know before mid-game you are doomed, so too is it true With winter that there is no shame in resigning once you figure out there's no chance of winning.

Saturday, 02/22/2025:

Sunrise was at 6:32 a.m., under clear skies and slight winds, and the temperature was 15° with a "feels-like" temperature of 2°. The sunset will occur at 5:26.

Another out-and-in morning, coffee and quiet contemplation taking place indoors, and some banter with Alice about the challenges of building a loving relationship with a season not at all concerned with our feelings is how we began our weekend. My weather app tells us to expect temperatures to climb up to around freezing by sunset when the skies will be clear. Looking ahead at the 10-day forecast, it appears that the week ahead will be significantly warmer with several days of rain somewhere in the middle, which means the snow will be starting to melt, the ground will be a muddy mess, and the winter season might be on her way out the door for the year. As we watched the sunset, basking in the warmth of the fading Sun and the lack of winds, I told Alice that it would be unwise to assume the worst was behind us; here in the Northeast, we've had blizzards as late as April. It is far too early to get ahead of ourselves.

Observation of the day:

It is in the remembering of the best of days that we find the courage and strength to face the ones we are well aware might be the worst of them.

Weekly PostScript:

It is fair to say that week 9 was a roller coaster ride; at times, it was mild. At others, it was fierce and turbulent, but most of all me and the girls got healthy doses of everything Winter had in her arsenal. Perhaps the greatest of the lessons we learned this week was coming to understand that air temperatures below zero can be defended against, but accompanying high-velocity winds are the Kryptonite that sends the bravest of us running for cover. I mentioned last week that Winter was showing early signs of gathering herself up in preparation for moving on and leaving us in peace for the next 9 months. I failed to mention that it was because the girls had begun ridding themselves of their winter coats in small piles that have now begun to come off in huge clumps. As happy as I am with my weather app, the girls are far better- without having to use words- to let me know that "the times they be a changin'", and Punxsutawney Phil might have gotten this year's forecast wrong.