It’s January 1, 2026. New Year’s Day. That statement means different things to some people and certainly something different to me than most.
It’s a grand celebration for many and a more introspective time for others. Personally, I was in bed with a book before nine last night and asleep before midnight. This has never been a big day for me but I am glad for those of you who celebrate.
The decision to read in bed and get some rest was an intentional head start to how I want my winter to be. As I age, I become more convinced that seasonal change is good for the human body and spirit. Even summer, which I despise, has a purpose in the rhythm of life even if many modern humans think it exists solely for their entertainment.
Spring is a period of rebirth and a revival of beauty. Summer gives us longer days for productivity and growing while fall is a season of harvest and preparation for the harsher days ahead.
And here we are in those harsher days where it’s cold and brown, where pine trees and lingering autumn leaves provide most of the color. The ground here is hard and blanketed in snow. Everywhere you look, trees and flowers are dormant. Animals have disappeared, choosing hibernation over struggle. Those left like the deer, birds, opossums, and squirrels do struggle so I make the trek outside each day to leave them a little something – not enough for them to become dependent but enough to help them out.
As a modern American with a job and responsibilities, I cannot completely hibernate but I do my best to take advantage of the season. Where there’s darkness, I shine soft lights of a Christmas tree and strategically placed lamps. I make things cozy, welcoming and calm. This year I added a string of lights around the inside of my bedroom windows, making that room feel a little like a Scandinavian retreat.
January has long been a No Spend Challenge Month for me, a perfect time to choose the quiet of home rather than adventure in the outside world. I will relive some adventures by telling you about them in stories this winter. I may even plan some trips for later this year. But I’m more likely to pass the month quietly here in my home on the ridge. I will do some home organization and maybe a little redecorating with things I already own. Feathering my nest is one of my favorite things to do.
I recently heard an interior designer say that minimalism and grey are out and that antiques and color are back. Homes that feel curated over time are back in fashion over those that look like they were carried in all at once.
Essentially, I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life!
I developed a bedtime ritual last year but, as life became busier and more tiring, I notice myself rushing or skipping steps in favor of just getting to sleep. Mealtime is something thrown together. For the last couple of weeks, meals have been comprised of whatever leftover pasta, veggies, potatoes, cheese, and fudge I happened to find available. Bedtime has been later and later. For weeks, running errands and doing things I really didn’t want to do replaced intention and calm.
I don’t exactly have New Year’s Resolutions but I do believe that this month is the right time for me to reset my intentions. To think more about nourishing meals, to choose water over Diet Coke, to choose rest over whatever nonsense the outside world has to offer, to read more, to relax with a puzzle, to try a new recipe, to feather my nest, to soothe my own nervous system – these are the things I resolve to do more.
So, the blog for the next several weeks will be sort of a hodgepodge of adventure stories from last year, reading goals, cat stories, No Spend Challenge notes and other assorted things happening around here. I will also attempt to get back into a regular writing habit. When life gets to be too much, this blog is basically the canary in the coal mine. If I’m not writing here, that means there are bigger problems and distractions elsewhere.
I hope you’ll stay for it.
Happy New Year, friends! I hope you will make 2026 the best year for whatever will make you happy and calm.
The winds howled last night while the March Peepers sang their little hearts out. Daffodils have broken through the ground, yellow tips ready to break out into bud soon. Birds gather round the feeder, badly in need of some good meals to help them through the winter. It has been warm but there’s snow in the forecast and a chill in the air again.
That’s March in Ohio for you. Change is always on the horizon so don’t get too comfortable in whatever combination of heavy coat/shorts, boots/ flip flops/hoodie you chose for today.
It will change.
Now that Spring is near, we can revisit the old saying: March winds and April showers bring May flowers.
And for today, we won’t discuss the grass and weeds that will soon follow all those pretty spring blooms!
Happy Day, friends!
The transition of winter into spring is the hardest seasonal transition for me. It’s no secret that I have learned to appreciate winter or that I truly enjoy the aspects of the season so many view as hardships.
Southern Ohio today is enjoying what I like to call Stage I Fool’s Spring. It looks nice but the air still has a bite.
From where I sit, warm light streams through the window, casting sprays of light ideal for a little black cat’s peaceful sleep. He’s luxuriating in a large sunny spot right now. The sky is blue and birds abound. Pine trees sway in a slight breeze. It looks like a beautiful, warm day.
In reality, it’s 26 degrees at this moment and less hospitable outside than here on the couch. But if you dare to go outside for a lungful of clean air, you might find that early spring bulbs are pushing through the ground. The March Peepers I so enjoy gave their first nightly chorus on Friday. These little frogs are the brave souls who are the traditional harbingers of spring year after year but their February 28 appearance seemed early.
These things are all lovely.
But I truly like the snow and cold and, as I muck through my muddy back yard to reach the birdfeeders, I wonder if I have seen my last snowfall for the year. There’s an old wive’s tale there will be three more snows after the forsythia blooms but those snows could be mere flurries.
The sense that earth is beginning to warm and the days are growing longer makes me feel anxious. After all, what is to come will be miserably hot and humid. Summer in Ohio is just sticky and gross and it drags on for months. Spring here lasts for a short time as summer crowds in a little earlier than it ought to and hangs on later every year.
For those of us who sunburn and who don’t breathe well in humid conditions, this is not a time for celebration. It’s a time for planning to be outside early and late and for indoor time during midday.
I would never survive life in the south where I know conditions are even worse. Yes, yes. I know I sound weird and pathetic but it’s a true problem that seems to worsen as I age.
After years of being berated and bullied for my seasonal preferences by people who suffer Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), it turns out I’m neither alone nor an anomaly.
There is such a thing as Summer SAD. Just like Winter SAD, symptoms include irritability, suicidal thoughts, sadness and insomnia.
Who knew?
Little research has been directed to Summer SAD and tips I’ve read for how to cope are more or less useless. Yet, there’s something reassuring about knowing I’m not just a weirdo.
It’s time to begin brainstorming and making lists of ways to tolerate (and hopefully enjoy) what’s ahead. Do you struggle with symptoms of Summer SAD? I would love to hear about your experiences and tips.
Waking up to the sound of rain is one of my life’s great joys.
Would I like to be out hiking right now? You bet I would. I badly need the exercise and fresh air. My spirit, mind and body crave the feel of earth beneath my feet and tree bark on my fingertips.
But going to sleep without setting an alarm is a luxury. Combine that with awakening to the soft tapping of rain against the window and that, friend, is a sweet trade.
Factor in a soft bed, warm blankets and a little black cat snoozing at your feet and this becomes the definition of happiness. And then the cat begins to gently snore and you know he understands this is a happy moment as well.
Wherever you are today, stay warm and dry. If you’re out exploring, I expect a full report. As for me, I’ll adventure another day.