Winter

Today was my first day out skiing. I slid across two to three inches of glorious fresh powder under the bright after-snowfall sunshine.
Yesterday was another great winter day. The snow started. I parked my car by mid-afternoon and wandered through town. Then, I rented movies, made dinner, and watched the snow from inside. It was great. I avoided the thing I hate the most about winter: driving in snow and did the things I love most about winter: watching the snow fall with nothing to do, and skiing in it afterwards.
I can understand why people hate the winter. You have to bundle up. The cold is painful. You can't be outside. Colds and flus are rampant.
But it's also beautiful. The snow makes the world eerily quiet and calm. It's one of the few common weather events that force you to adjust your life a little bit.
The cold is a good excuse to drink hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and dark strong beer.
As much as I love those bright, sunny, 70-degree days, you need some cold to appreciate it.
Do I hate it? Sometimes I do. As a native from the DC area I'm deathly afraid to drive in it. 3-inches of snow? It's bread, milk, and toilet paper time. I'm slowly adjusting to skids and getting your car unstuck from the parking lot. Hopefully I won't need too many pushes out this year.
By March of course, I will be singing a different tune. Winter is long in Wisconsin. While the tropical south is enjoying spring, we'll still be hovering at the freezing mark dealing with those awful cold rainy days and residual snow storms.
But for now, let it snow. I'm going to make some cocoa.