Biding Their Time

Every year we have lived in the Midwest (our entire lives actually) there has been a stretch or two of weather that might be cold enough to qualify for the word "frigid" to be used as a descriptor.  I remember some of those days when I delivered the Sunday newspaper and I recall exactly how grateful I was that Dad would often get up with me and allow me to load the pile up into the van on those frigid mornings.  

I can recall mornings at college that were especially cold.  And, since I lived on the edge of campus, I often got to look forward to some of the longer walks to go get breakfast or attend classes at 8 AM.  Now - to be perfectly honest - my typical daily routine didn't have me getting up all that early - but I sure did find myself walking back to my room pretty late at night.  I remember several times walking from the computer lab after my shift ended at midnight.

The good news?  The walks were actually pretty short and - as a college student - I was probably not quite as aware of how cold it really was as I should have been.

We had a HUGE stretch of cold when we lived in Duluth and it defined for us a new reality as to what Winter could really be.  Surprisingly enough - we got a new definition once we moved to Lake Crystal and the record snows fell.  There were parts of southwest Minnesota where driving down the highway felt like you were in a tunnel.  Even the semi-truck drivers couldn't hope to see over the edges of the piles of snow on either side of the road.

Once we moved to the Genuine Faux Farm, we got yet another perspective on what it means to have cold weather.  While a person would prefer to stay inside where it is warm, the need to care for animals on the farm actually requires that you go outside MORE often - but maybe for shorter periods of time if you are lucky.

We are looking at another batch of cold for a couple of days this week.  More trips to collect eggs before they freeze and many more opportunities to have your eyelashes freeze to your cheek and feel the snow texture change.  And, more opportunities to stand outside for a moment - transfixed by the absolute stillness of the world as your breath forms a cloud around your head. 

But, if that cold is not for you - I present you with promises that some of our flowering plants hold with them as they huddle under the surface of the soil - waiting for their chance to shine once again.  Remember these moments when you wish days were warmer and hold them in your heart so that you can feel even more joy the next time you see a perennial flower in bloom once again.

They're biding their time.