The Agony of Winter

The weather this winter has been rough. After a mild and supportive November, the temperatures nose dived in December and the land became blanketed with snow. I didn't seem to mind the cold and snow so much in Dec., because it helped to complete the "holiday effect". Now that the holidays are over, keeping my head out of the oven becomes the goal for the day. The end of this week is supposed to be nearly 40 degrees (!). I am picturing myself flinging open the windows and doors, letting the house become flooded with sunshine and fresh air. Fairies and wood nymphs will be skipping across the lawn, waving wands and holding hands. The birds will have renewed vigor, no longer squabbling at the bird feeders over who gets the last sunflower seed, instead they will tweet gaily from the treetops, basking under a glorious blue sky. I see myself twirling across the lawn, like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, my sanity trailing just behind me, clutching to keep up. I try to keep my sanity at an arms length during the winter months. It's just a downer, you know?
Don't worry, I won't be putting my head in the oven. As I do every winter, I will hang on by a thread until the weather improves. I will revel during the brief visits of warmer days that seem to be sporadically sprinkled in between cold snaps, coming in the nick of time, just as I have the bottle of poison raised to my lips. Winter in New England requires mental and physical fortitude. After forty years, I think I've come to grips with the winter blues. They are always lurking in the back of my mind, but I've become successful at keeping them at bay. Here is an appropriate poem for the winter blues;

Razors pain you
Rivers are damp
Acids stain you
Drugs cause cramp
Guns aren't lawful
Nooses give
Gas smells awful
You might as well live

~Dorothy Parker