The First Olive

The first day of February! Can you believe it? One month of our brand new year gone like smoke in the wind!

My mother used to say, “We got the first olive out of the jar – the rest will be easier.” I hope that’s true for this year, although January wasn’t so bad weather-wise. We hardly had any snow at all – only a few light snowfalls that barely covered the ground and lasted only a few hours. However, we did have some single-digit night-time temps.

Cold weather doesn’t bother me; I’m one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to get up and go out to a job every morning. I just sit in front of my fireplace, drink hot tea and do the things I love, like reading or writing. But when those sizzling 80 and 90 degree days of June and July hit, along with scary thunderstorms, I’d like to be a big black bear and hibernate – in reverse, of course.

My son and daughter are completely different. They both live for the hot summertime! I’m sure they were mixed up with other babies at the hospital; neither could possibly belong to me! Just as soon as the holidays are over, Daughter starts making plans for summer vacations (yes, that's plural!). Forced merriment, I call it! According to her, everyone must enjoy the sun, sand, surf and sea. Also seafood, which I could live without from now on!

She already has reservations for the first vacation of the year for herself and her husband. She sent info the other day to show me where they’ll be spending their March mini-vacation. http://www.excellence-resorts.com/caribbean-and-mexico-destinations/excellence-punta-cana

She hasn’t yet divulged where their mid-summer vacation will be – nor the “last farewell to summer” escape that comes oh, about mid-September... or sooner.  But that's not all. Between vacations, they spend weekends at Lake Norman, boating. 

I don’t begrudge her any of this. She and her husband are hard workers. They deserve every good thing that comes their way. I just have trouble understanding why they never take a winter vacation. Skiing and ice skating can be fun, too!

Oh, well. To each his own.

According to Son #One, everyone enjoys planting and tending flowers and growing a few vegetables - vying for the most beautiful yard in the neighborhood while soaking up vitamin D and getting all tanned and healthy looking at the same time. 

He's been trying to convince me since New Year’s Day that spring is almost here. He already has bulbs and seeds planted and is talking about planting tomatoes soon. He swears the days are longer and refuses to believe that we’ll have any more snow. “It’s too warm,” he says.

I remember having snow in March and April a few times, but I don’t argue the point with him. He enjoys his dreams of sunny spring and hot summer days so much that I wouldn’t dare spoil it for him.

My children seem to be getting happier by the day – planning their warm weather activities, so I’ll let them do that.

But, secretly, I’m still dreaming of that one snowfall – just one – deep enough for me to lie down in and make just one snow angel! One! Or a snowman.

That’s not too much to ask, is it? 

Happy February!