Despite what the calendar says, winter is here. Though there’s no snow on the ground, it’s cold enough to put on your winter coat and boots, so it’s winter in my book. The temperature might still spike for a day or two, but pretty soon it will be sub-zero, all the time. If you’re like me, you are feeling a little bit down about that. November has never been my favourite month; it’s grey, cold, wet and dark. If you haven’t put your garden to bed, well, it’s a bit late now. Working outside in this weather is not much fun, so if the work isn’t done now, I say leave it til spring. It will still be there and you’ll feel much more inspired to do it.
For us gardeners, weather is always a subject of interest. Even now, I wonder whether we’ll get enough snow cover to protect the tender perennials. Whether we’ll have another freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw type of winter, which is not particularly good for the garden. Plants like to go to bed and not be bothered until spring arrives in all seriousness. If it thaws in January (anyone remember 1998?), it can play havoc with all kinds of plants. On the other hand, I’m not a lover of -30 temperatures and when the thermometer creeps up to anything above zero when it’s not expected, it makes winter more bearable, at least for a few days.
What else makes winter more bearable? If my skiing/snow-boarding/snow-shoeing friends are to be believed, embracing a winter sport definitely helps. In my experience, hibernating inside with a glass of wine, some music and some good friends can also help. Maybe a little of both, to keep a balance. This winter, I have the slightly cuckoo idea to keep biking until I really can’t do it anymore, whenever that might be. This fall I have embraced the bike, thanks to Mr. Money Mustache, who ignited my semi-dormant love of biking. The last couple of weeks, biking in the colder weather has been quite an unexpectedly enjoyable experience. I’m still pretty wussy, so whenever the weather’s a little blustery or a little too much below zero or there’s some other excuse I can find, I opt out of biking. However, when I do it, it turns out to be pretty enjoyable. With the right clothes on, and that is the key to enjoying any outdoor winter activity, it’s invigorating rather than uncomfortable. In past years I’ve resigned myself to living my life indoors during the winter, by and large. Perhaps this winter I will test the idea of living more of my life outside even in the cold, dark months. The precious daylight hours of winter can be exquisite when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, so why not get out there and enjoy? I will report back on my successes!
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