As I have mentioned many times before, winter is my least favorite season. This year the temperatures have been very mild and if we hadn't experienced our only freeze in early January the hibiscus would still be blooming and all of the tropical plants would be green. Unfortunately, they are withered and brown and resemble corn in the field after the cobs are picked. Today's post is my attempt to remind myself that there are some redeeming aspects to this dreary time of the year. First off I am so lucky that I live in the land of the deep South, where there aren't any snows or frozen roads.
January is a great time for walking through the woods. Hunting season is over and so it is a safe exercise, and the biting flies have not hatched out to aggravate me as I pleasantly take in the sounds and sights.
On my walk I was reminded of how the skies are the brightest and clearest, now.
On those days when it is cold and we have a fire, we set up the card table and complete our school work where we can enjoy this rare winter treat.
Due to the clear skies and the shifting of the earth, the sunsets are most beautiful and visible from the front yard, during winter.
And while every other plant in the yard looks wasted and forever dead, the camellia is blooming and smiling with a promise of spring. I love this plant.
Duck season has a bitter-sweet story in January. The bitter side....it ends. No more hunting until next fall.
The sweet? My men quit hunting and return to normal behaviors and routines. A to-do list on the weekend may actually be accomplished now that they are no longer rising at 4:30 am, painting their faces, strapping on waders etc., and slopping out into the pond to shoot unsuspecting fowl.
One of the benefits of this hobby is fresh duck, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is by making a dish known as duck stew.
So what do you enjoy about January?
