05.This Season From Hell, Winter

Winter, in particular the winter of '13-'14, is hell. For me it is, anyway. (I might only mean January, as I write this it’s 1.25.14.) Some folks are more capable of dealing with this time of year than I am, and I'm eternally envious. One young friend introduced me and our circle of friends to the Danish concept of "hygge", which is a way of getting through the long winters that one must deal with in the far northern climes. Essentially they find the silver lining or construct one of their own, and celebrate it with good friends. I can sometimes find a glimmer of said lining, but it's often fleeting, and I'm back in my rut of longing for summer. Yes, summer. At this point spring isn't enough to elevate my spirit. I desire a sunny day, temps in the mid 80s, a light breeze and clean roads, as I pedal my way to nowhere, a droplet of sweat tickling its way down my back.
For me winter begins about the first of November. Yes, I know, true calendar winter doesn't commence until the third week of December, but I can feel its evil presence looming over me as the days get shorter and the mercury plummets. (To paraphrase Mr Shakespeare, "A turd by any other name would smell as foul.") This year I headed off the onset of my winter doldrums with a trip to sunny, warm Florida in early November. To my delight, BloNo had an uncharacteristic early season snow with some four inches of short lived accumulation. Of course, I gloated from afar as I enjoyed the pool, ocean, and sunshine. Ah, but the weather threw me a curve on my return, as I drove home from the airport through rain and tornadoes. Not winterish perhaps, but a not-so-subtle reminder that the weather was in charge, not me.
This winter didn't begin any harsher than most winters past (early November snow notwithstanding), but I could feel my mood slipping as I grudgingly gave up riding my bikes after work since the darkness descended earlier by the day and the late fall chill prevailed on weekends. While the holidays help a little to alleviate my disgruntlement, they just aren't enough. The new year began with a bang of snow followed soon by sub zero temps combined with windy conditions resulting in wind chills of less than 40 degrees below zero!
Early morning after the worst (to date anyway) snow and wind I foolishly drove my normal route to work only to encounter a drift that I'd soon discover was impassable. Straddling the yellow line in the middle of the road my trusty car settled in and was going to move under its own power no more. I tried to dig my way out (I carry a shovel in winter times) but to no avail. 911. Hello, I'm stuck in the middle of a road, have a full tank of gas, coffee and food, so not urgent, but please send a plow. Waiting, thinking the "keep off the roads" warning was wise, and I was not so wise. After 45 minutes an angel in the form of a big bad heavy duty Ford truck appeared in my mirror. This gentleman and his trusty F-350 struggled, but was able to free me in about five minutes. He decided that he wouldn't attempt the drift and turned back to town (unfortunately for the other three vehicles stuck there.) I went a more circuitous route to work from there, a little humbled, a little wiser, and a little warmer.
The month of January hasn't been without its highlights, though. There was an amazing group birthday party the second weekend celebrating five wonderful friends who gained a year in age. Ah, and how could I forget my first ever successful "Ride My Age in Miles" ride. (For more on this, see a previous posting.) The day before my 55th I found a break in the weather and rode 58 glorious miles before the next blast from old man winter brought us to our knees, shivering. If not for this 48 hour window of pleasure, the month would have sent me to the depths of despair.
As I bang this out on the keyboard the weekend forecast is calling for relatively warmer temps, but with the highs in the near-tropical-seeming 20s and the predicted winds slightly higher (28 mph), the silver lining once again escapes me. Oh, and the highs three days into the future will not be above zero. Sigh.
Here I now sit, coming to the realization that I have no idea how to end this essay. It seems a bit like this winter, no logical conclusion in sight, no natural apparent outcome. My apologies to those reading who were expecting this to be wrapped up nicely in the end, but sometimes life just leaves us with uncertainties.

Thanks for reading, I'll try to be more upbeat next time.

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