2013 - January Blues

Snow-o'clock on the sun dial

Observations on the season:

Did you notice how desperately fast your email spam folder fills up around the holidays?  As if any of those items would make an appropriate gift for anyone...And, did you also spot how quickly the Christmas decorations got dumped onto the reduced aisle to make way for Valentine's Day?  There hasn't been a "Grace Period" between holidays for quite some time.  It leads me to think that the advertising industry has gotten too lazy to promote business without a hackneyed holiday theme.  Perhaps I've been watching too many episodes of Mad Men, but I'm craving just a little more creativity than that.  And since much of the money spent on advertising goes into Superbowl commercials, it's not likely that they'll get my attention there either since our Patriots blew their chances for that last week.  As our defensive linebacker Vince Wilfork humbly stated, "The best team won tonight."   Simple as that.            

Frosty Fort Hill approach

O.K., so why would a self-confessed winter-lover entitle the first entry of the year January Blues?  I'm referring, not to the mood, but to the gorgeous, deep colors of the ocean and varied palate of the winter skies.  Though nature has seemed confused about the seasons, winter weather finally arrived barely in time for the solstice.  So much for the roses still blooming and the hummingbirds looking for their feeders (honestly!), it's time for sub-freezing temperatures, icy ponds and snow.  A two-inch white blanket tucked in the old year and the winds sang 2012 out.  The ever-ready snow plowers left abstract frozen sculptures in the parking lots and icy patches made walking less of an involuntary action than usual.  

 Final performance

We usually go into hibernation on New Year's Eve, eschewing loud parties and sharing the road with drunken revelers, but we had an incentive to get out this year to see our son perform with his dance group, The Tides, at Chatham's First Night celebration.  Despite coming down with a wicked cold, he put on a big smile and his dancin' feet and treated us all to a fun performance.  We could have stayed for fireworks and many more performances at different venues in town, but the lure of p.j.'s by the fire was too great for us and we rang in the new year in our favorite place with our cats cuddled close and another couple of episodes of a new favorite t.v. series.  

Smilin' Sean in the middle

The B&B hosted couples from Massachusetts and Connecticut over the holidays, and January brought us a Harvard professor who needed some quiet time to finish a book.    We also have a new "frequent flyer" by the name of Bob White, who has taken over the job of cleaning up under the bird feeders.  He's a handsome guy who struts like Mick Jagger and peeps like R2-D2.  Our Sibley Bird Book describes him as a member of the quail family who is often heard, but seldom seen.  Lucky us!

Mr. White

Last Spring, I excitedly reported that our town of Eastham had hired four Alpine goats from a local farm for a pilot program to manage unwanted vegetation without chemicals.  Although the goats performed their job to perfection, munching away locust trees, brambles and poison ivy, the Department of Public Works came to the conclusion that a team of only four goats to manage the whole town is akin to trying to plow the streets with snow blowers instead of plows.  For now, the town has decided that in order for such a program to be a success, the goats would need to be handled by full-time professional farmers rather than the DPW employees.  So, we sadly say goodbye and a heartfelt thank you to Alan, Butt Head, Tag and Momma and hope to see them again someday.

Frozen Mary Chase Salt Marsh

January is also the time when the Development Committee of the Lower Cape Outreach Council starts a new year of fundraising, attempting to work smarter, not harder.  The good news is that we raised a record amount last year, but unfortunately the community need is still so much greater than that.  Having completed a full year as a volunteer, I have a newfound respect for the volunteers who have done this tirelessly for years without letting discouragement get in the way.  Onward.  

Ice on the Cove

I don't know why I was worried about having a real winter.  Our Canadian neighbors have generously shared the jet stream with us this month with three very modest, but gorgeous snowfalls and occasional wind chills in the negative numbers.    

lazy kitchen window snow pictures

Strangely, January has turned out to be a prime wildlife viewing month.  Six deer surprised me at the mailbox last week, flipping their white tails as a comment on my rude intrusion.  Maybe that's who that extra mailbox is for...But, the truly exceptional sighting was the pair of bluebirds who stopped in for a suet break on their travels.  It's the first time I've ever seen a bluebird, and the timing took me quite by surprise.  I do hope that if they can't stick around for awhile, they'll at least make us a regular stop.

Mo' Blues

As January comes to a close, I've already had time to sort through free-shop treasures in the basement, filling the car with things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but couldn't pass the second-look test.  The space regained allowed me to restore my work area to a usable condition, where actual framing projects are getting completed.  I've also been able to dust off the higher level of discipline required to tackle our tax preparation.  A lot of cold, gray days helped with that effort, not that there weren't many distractions that suddenly took precedence, like filling up bird feeders, restocking the porch with kindling and paging through the new bulb catalogs that came in the mail.  I reasoned that since our postman, Ken, was nice enough to come out in the cold to deliver them, I should at least take a few minutes to look through.  With two-thirds of the winter left, I look forward to more winter projects like continuing to transfer old 1970's negatives to computer, printing and framing new photos for the next showing, mulching more of the gardens before shoots pop up and dazzling my willing guinea pig boys with new recipes.  And, even as winter sports enthusiasts don wetsuits and hit Nauset Light Beach with their surfboards, my favorite way to start and end a winter's day is on the couch with Ron, two cats, a steaming latte and the view out of our windows.   

Good night, Eastham