My Favorite Things

Central New Mexico is having some very cold weather. Tonight is supposed to be only 5 degrees, with a high tomorrow of 27. Strong winds make it seem even colder. So as I lay in bed early this morning, long before the sun tried to make an appearance, I started thinking about some of my favorite winter things. If I thought about all the things I don't like about winter, I would probably never get out of bed until spring.

Winter weather is definitely not one of my favorite things. But there are a few good things about this time of year:

• Lying on my wonderful bed, snuggled between flannel sheets and covered by several warm blankets.
• Listening to my 14-year-old dog sleeping, and sometimes snoring, in her bed.
• Making homemade macaroni and cheese from a new recipe.
• Drinking a cup of hot tea as I read the morning paper.
• Eating hot soup or chili to ward off the cold.
• Enjoying a bowl of hot oatmeal or multi-grain cereal for breakfast.
• Putting on a warm cotton sweater and cozy socks.
• Feeling the temperature inside the house rise after I turn up the thermostat.
• Feeling my car seat warm up once what I call the 'bun warmer' is activated. 
• Contacting a real estate agent in Tucson to start the search for a winter home so I no longer have to put up with this awful winter weather.

Do you see a pattern here? Most of my favorite winter things are about getting me warm. Snow-shoeing, skiing and ice skating are NOT on my list of favorite winter things. I passed up a hike recently because the weather was too cold and windy to enjoy a nice hike. Staying warm definitely is one of my favorite things.

I don't have a lot of good things to say about winter. But at least there is a handful of things I can enjoy while I eagerly await the arrival of spring.