Winter Season Challenge from Strawberry

It's friggin' cold outside as I write this – 34ºF with damp air as the ground gives up the moisture of the weekend's rains – but 70ºF inside the house with a breeze from the ceiling fan. For some reason, that feels cold. This year I find myself agreeing more and more with my elderly mother: It's f*ing cold!! Yes, she's as "colorful" as only an 80-year old woman can be. That's about the only amusing thing about Winter so far. I don't like Winter and I was really tempted to skip Strawberry Singh's meme this week (original here) but otherwise I doubt I'd blog anything today. In her post she thanks bloggers "that still do my memes" but I should thank her for leading the way.

Meme Instructions: Take a wintery picture and/or answer the following questions about the season. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in the comments and share your picture in the Blog Memes Flickr Group.

One of my favorite builds over the years at the Isle of Lesbos was Lofn Skadi, a small lake dedicated to an original builder on the Isle. For the two years it existed I added Christmassy items to the skating hut at the end of the seasonally frozen lake.

What is the December/Winter season like where you live? Cold. I live on the seacoast of Maine so our snows will vary widely from just a dusting to several feet if a Nor'easter hits. Fortunately we pay someone to plow us out so I have very little shoveling to do ... mostly cleanup of the wheelchair ramp and the part of the driveway Mom has to traverse. Snows usually hit in February through March so we don't always have a White Christmas.

When you think of winter, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Spring. I would much rather have the chill of a Spring morning followed by a temperate day than most any part of Winter. Of course, I'd rather be on the cold side than outright hot. Heat makes my body turn to liquid and I sweat like a pig without the pleasant bacony smell that accompanies. Sadly, Spring comes late here. The earlier start of Spring in Central Pennsylvania, where I grew up, is something I miss. Instead of March, I have to wait till later in April.

Have you ever played any extreme winter sports? Ultimate (Frisbee) in snowbanks. One day my brother dragged me out to shovel snow, I thought, but we wound up tossing a Frisbee up and down our closed street. Local kids would join in and some younger adults. Hardest physical effort ever, really, but fun so we did that whenever we could. My brother's health isn't what it was so in the last few years we've simply tossed a disc back and forth on shoveling breaks or waiting for the car to warm up.

What do you like most about this season? Maine (almost all of New England, really) is so beautiful after a fresh snow. Then again, Maine is rather lovely even with bare trees and ground. It's the abundance of pine trees we have. I can still see green stuff even in the depths of this miserable season.

Do you celebrate Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanzaa or another holiday during this time of year? Christmas. Nothing fancy. Mom usually gives us our prezzies way early. I got an iPad Air last month (we all got new ones) and I have a Winter coat coming my way. Haven't owned one since I was a pre-teen, preferring to layer sweaters and sweatshirts and flannels. Some friends usually pop over for a light meal and to exchange gifts. We decorate on or about the 15th of each December, usually just the living room. Mom has a custom 4'-tall ceramic Christmas tree, lit from within so little plastic bulbs glow. And she has a 15" ceramic tree with bulbs and doves, one for each person important to her that has passed away.

The last Christmas at Lesbos. I'd waddle around in my penguin avatar whapping Meeroos with a large herring. The boss loved to decorate for Christmas. She's from Florida so she doesn't know that this is supposed to be a miserable time when we all pay penance buried deep in frozen water with the only joy coming on the one day we go inside from the torture to sit around a dying tree that can't be kept near a heater lest it catch fire and roast us all.
Happy Christmas, Everyone!