Sunday, 03/02/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:19 a.m., under clear skies with a strong breeze, and the temperature was 11°, with a “feels-like” temperature of -4°. The sunset will occur at 5:36.
As if to remind us that she wasn’t the least bit interested in gently fading away into the Spring, Winter greeted us with a pre-dawn arctic slap to the face with a windy 11° air and a wind chill of -4°. Well aware that she’s still got 3 weeks to go, me and Alice well-versed in her frigid Windsong, humbly accepted the rules of the morning and took a quick u-turn to the house after biological needs were attended to. It’s a funny thing about immersing yourself in Winter on her terms; the longer she tests your will, the easier it becomes to pick your battles. We did our Sunday chores, piled on the blankets for a snuggly midday nap, and enjoyed a beautiful view of Robin’s egg-blue skies as they gave way to the Stars.
Observation of the day:
The secret to loving Winter is found not by appreciating her beauty but rather by understanding her relentless ferocity enough to know your limitations in the face of it.
Monday, 03/03/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:18 a.m., under clear skies with a strong breeze, and the temperature was 8°, with a “feels-like” temperature of -4°. The sunset will occur at 5:38.
By all accounts, the only real difference between yesterday and today was that morning temperatures were colder, and Emma was with us. Though not unheard of, it is rare enough to be noticeable when there are back-to-back days of almost exactly the same weather conditions. Now in the 11th week of this 13-week project, as I have said previously, cold temperatures are easily enough contented with, but the wind is the prevailing influence over every decision that is made about how much time will be spent outdoors and how much observation can be sensibly recorded when the wind permeates every unsealed window and burrows itself into your bones and very soul. The midday nap was exquisite, under multiple layers of blankets, and the girls were just as happy as I was to stay indoors and watch Winter do her work through the windows.
Observation of the day :
It’s not so much that Winter is hard to love (although she sometimes can be) as it is that, sometimes, she just loves too damn hard.
Tuesday, 03/04/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:16 a.m., under partly cloudy skies; the air was still, and the temperature was 34°. The sunset will occur at 5:40.
As if she had read yesterday’s observation of the day, Winter decided to cut us some slack and bring an equivalent heat wave of temperatures above freezing with no wind. Me and Alice were able to enjoy our coffee and quiet contemplation in the pre-dawn hours out on the porch rather than being chased back inside to await her sister’s arrival at Doggie Daycare. It was a beautiful day… we took a few extra trips outside to enjoy the fresh air and spend some quality time chewing sticks on the porch. The sunset was well worth sitting through in large part because the wind decided not to chase us back inside. Winter may not be done with us yet, but she is at least gracious enough to give us a little respite occasionally so we might get a little taste in advance of what life will soon be like once she has departed for the year.
Observation of the day :
Through even the most challenging and difficult of times, the eyes of storms can sometimes bring both respite and newfound strength to endure the next wave that is surely coming.
Wednesday, 03/05/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:14 a.m., under partly cloudy skies; the air was still, and the temperature was 23°. The sunset will occur at 5:39.
Old hands at 20° temperatures now, me and Alice enjoyed our pre-dawn coffee out on the porch. The air was still, the roads were quiet, and even the wind chimes were quiet. I knew from my weather app that it would be milder over the next several days, and this meant we could expect soggy, muddy dirt that would go along with the continued melting of the snow and ice. As the day progressed, the temperatures climbed, and we took several trips to the porch (rather than out to the mud fields in the yard) and chewed on sticks while soaking up the fresh air and talking at length about the greater meaning of life. After a later-than-usual but all the same snugly and warm nap, we toddled back down to the porch to enjoy a pretty decent sunset while the growing bird population kept the girls’ heads spinning furiously around on their necks.
Observation of the day :
Life really is what you make of it, but it is okay to let it make you from time to time.
Thursday, 03/06/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:13 a.m., under cloudy skies; the air was still, and the temperature was 51°. The sunset will occur at 5:41.
Right on cue, the morning temperature doubled from yesterday’s, and we were greeted with a pre-dawn temperature of just a little over 50°. Despite being cloudy, the warm and still air made for a beautiful start to the day. Already knowing the forecast for the remainder of the week, me and the girls made the most of this day. We went out several times more than normal and sat on the porch as I watched them chewing sticks, and they pretended to be listening intently to me, thinking out loud while just enjoying the fresh air and the decent company. We made a point to get downstairs earlier than necessary to watch the sunset; as the days continue to grow longer, Emma’s humans pick her up well before sunset is complete, so we try to get as much of it together as we can before she goes home.
Observation of the day :
Once you grow accustomed to the unpredictable nature of things, they don’t seem so unpredictable after all.
Friday, 03/07/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:11 a.m., under partly cloudy skies and strong gusting winds; the temperature was 24° with a “feels like” temperature of 10°. The sunset will occur at 5:42.
What a difference a night’s sleep makes, me and Alice went to bed after a prolonged stay on the porch in very comfortable weather conditions, only to wake up to howling winds and wind chill temperatures just above zero. We expected it, given that we already knew this day and the next would be mirror images of each other, so I didn’t even bother to take the thermos downstairs because I knew we were going to do an immediate U-turn after Alice was done tending to her biological needs. I’m reminded of the expression “in like a lion, out like a lamb” and laughed a little at just how true that expression is, at least as it relates to this year’s transition from late winter into early spring. I got a message from Emma’s humans telling me she was getting a day off from Doggie Daycare, so by 6:30, we declared it an indoor day and settled into a slow-paced, low-key series of Adventures- Alice with the cats, me with the computer – and took an early and long nap. We went out at sunset, to say we did, but we watched the bulk of it from our warm perch upstairs and inside.
Observation of the day :
When there’s no upside to immersing yourself in the raging fury of Winter’s wrath, don’t.
Saturday, 03/08/2025:
Sunrise was at 6:09 a.m., under clear skies and steady winds; the temperature was 30° with a “feels like” temperature of 22°. The sunset will occur at 5:43.
This morning’s pre-dawn coffee and quiet contemplation time started calmly enough; it had warmed enough overnight from yesterday, alongside the wind velocity having decreased significantly, allowing for me and Alice to spend enough time on the porch to show that we had given it the old “College try,” but once the wind started picking up again, we headed back upstairs. It was an easy enough decision to declare another indoor day because Saturdays are typically dedicated to putting the house back together in time for the girls’ Monday reunion. To put a finer point on it, I have grown weary of the wind, especially when air temperatures are below freezing, and the simplest of excuses would have been enough to convince me that my indoor duties had to be a priority. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re not wrong- on this day, I just didn’t feel like it.
Observation of the day :
Kenny Rogers’ “Gambler” knew a thing or two because he had seen a thing or two.
Weekly PostScript:
The week could be summed up in four simple words: Bitter cold wind sucks. Perhaps the greatest learned lesson of the Hibernal Journal project can be found in the realization that air temperature is practically irrelevant, but wind velocity is the true measure of our capacity to endure the Winter season. To be sure, less sunlight puts a general pall over the mood of day-to-day life in cold weather, but added layers of clothing can make that easy enough to endure. Wind, on the other hand, relentless and unforgiving, sucks the life out of any real joy that might otherwise come from immersing yourself in the Winter season on her terms and in her environment. It occurs to me, as I bring this entry to a close that I could use a 100° day with 40 mph winds right about now, but as the saying goes: “Be careful what you wish for.”
