Wishing Winter

    Do you ever find yourself wishing your life away? I do all the time. Now that I am retired I don't have to pray for the weekend to get here. Most days are like Saturday and I can do whatever I want. What I have been wishing away is the winter. One month is officially completed. Hallelujah! Since I don't technically count March as winter, I just have to make it through the next five weeks.

   I wouldn't say I hate the winter. It is a necessary evil for most of the things I love. It is the resting period for my perennials and the chilling hours for our Chilton County peaches. It is a time for planning the garden and looking through plant and seed catalogs. Winter can be a very busy time outside - weather permitting. There's the rub: the bitter cold, the northern winds, the sleet and ice. I'll grant you that one good snow is beautiful. A second snow might be acceptable. After that, no way. I live in the south for a reason. I don't understand how people can live in frigid climates or even why they would want to. 

   There are some good things about winter. Most of the time I don't worry about mosquitos, wasps, or snakes. It is great to work in the yard when it is in the 50s with the warm sunshine. Last week I cleaned out the garden. Burned corn stalks and okra stalks. Picked some volunteer greens. Soon I will roll up the fence and the garden will be ready for plowing. I am working on a new walkway in the front and steps for my new deck in back. Cleaning out the garage of things I thought I couldn't live without. Dismantling furniture for parts. "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

   So far, it has been a very productive winter. I guess that is why I feel guilty about wishing it away. There is no way I can do everything in the 5 remaining weeks that should be done. I wouldn't be ready for spring if I had 15 more weeks. 😄 Spring is just so much more enjoyable with all the beautiful blooms, Easter celebrations, family birthdays, and planting the veggie garden. Until spring, I still have time to take advantage of what winter has to offer. A time to -

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV

1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.