How Can January Be Over Already?

How Can January Be Over Already?

I’ve long felt that January is my favorite month of the year.  Unfortunately, it always seems so short.  Part of the reason may be that it is not until five or six days into the month that I can take a deep breath after the holidays and really start savoring the time.  And then, of course, anything that you really enjoy seems to pass more quickly than the times you dread, like the month of October when the weather hasn’t cooled off yet!

This past month I have been able to embrace the days and reflect on this time to make the most of each moment, whether it is how the winter sunshine comes through my windows on the plants and sewing projects in the not so late afternoon, a fire in the fireplace and the longer time spent over coffee in the mornings because we want it to warm up a few more degrees before we go out to walk.  There has been no out of town company, very little going out at all and plenty of home time to catch up on work, stitching or watching football.

All of winter, and January in particular, is a time when there is little to do outside.  I look forward to that after the long, hot summers when there is always something to do in the garden or around the house.  It’s also been a fun time to keep watch over the animals we see whether they are here year round or we get a glimpse of them as they pass through the area.  Just today, actually, we have seen Robins everywhere as they pass through to their next stop.

Recently, our most exciting show has been the group of Bucks who have suddenly started showing up daily for some of the corn we put out.  From our vantage point inside, we have a front row seat to something that is completely wild and natural.  We have no idea why the Bucks have just started showing up.  There has been a group of six or seven Does that have been regular attenders at the corn spots on the edge of the yard.  Some of the smaller ones were newborns the first time we saw them and we have watched them grow now for almost a year.  They are a close knit group, staying together most of the time and they are not bothered by sharing the small piles of corn with each other.  But now the big boys show up and their behavior is very different.  We have seen all sizes, from the smallest to the largest, and they have a different approach to communal eating.  Only one or two of the largest ones  take whatever they want whenever they want.  The others have to almost get permission and move toward their food with care.  The larger Does seem to know that they would not be welcomed by their male counterparts but the younger ones are either clueless or perhaps they know that the Bucks will, grudgingly, let them eat.  Either way, it is fascinating to watch.

So, we glide into February and although the next month should be somewhat similar to the previous, I know my winter respite is passing rapidly and very soon we will be surrounded by signs of spring.  In the meantime, I am sharing photographs of some of our favorite things this winter.