Winter: Time to dream...

We've had a fairly mild winter so far where we live for which I am grateful! Probably only a handful of snowstorms so far, but winter's not over yet...

A few things that have helped me get through the winter are...

1. Flowers...My Cyclamen indoor houseplant always blooms about this time. I love it! It always brings me a breath of fresh air when I watch the flowers burst forth right in the dead of winter.

2. Dreaming...January is a great time to start thinking about next year's garden. I usually start my seedlings indoors around the end of January or first of February. There's something therapeutic about pouring through seed catalogs on a cold wintry day.

3. Windows...I'm a window kind of a person. Our front rooms are south facing - our kitchen has a beautiful bay window and our living room window is almost as large as the room itself. I love basking in the sun on an afternoon winter day. We pull out pillows and blankets and gather the sunlight as it streams in. It does the body and soul good to feel the natural warmth of the sun.

4. Winter Night Walks...It's only been in the last few years that I've discovered this winter-therapy treatment. If you've never gone on one before, you are missing out! We bundle up after dinner on a clear winter night (including the kids) - in snowpants and coats, hats and gloves and blankets. And walk. There's something beautiful about the silence of a winter night that you don't discover anytime else. Most of the world is bundled up inside their houses...and that leaves you and the world - the crisp, beautiful world. We like to walk up to a hill that overlooks the town near our house and enjoy the skyline and the stars and the beauty of the snow-covered valley. Then we come home and drink hot chocolate and warm up in front of the heater. I always look forward to these walks and they help me appreciate the beauty of winter.