Groundhog-wash!

It may all lie in superstition, but I could not be happier that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday. I love winter and I want all thirteen weeks of it, thankyouverymuch!

There's just something about winter that makes me happy. I can't decide if it's the brisk air, the fun scarves I get to knit and wear, or the need for a crackling fire, a hot cup of tea and a good book. And of course, the snow.

I remember when I was a child and we would receive tons of snow and ice throughout the winter. There was the big Ice Storm of 1993 when my brother and I didn't have to go to school for a week. We didn't have electricity at the house for most of the week and I can remember huddling under 14 blankets (it was a competition for my Ben and I) when I went to bed. Despite all of the traffic problems and dangerous conditions it caused, our county looked like a fantasy land. There was also a big snow storm in Tennessee back in the late seventies, before I was born. My mom was a Kindergarten teacher at the time and they closed school the entire month of February.

Unfortunately, Tennessee doesn't have much, if any, severe winter weather anymore. We've had some lame attempts at flurries so far, but no significant accumulation. On top of it, our temperatures have become unseasonably warm. We had the tenth warmest January on record this year, with highs in the 50s and 60s. The tide may be turning though because it looks like temperatures are leveling back out to normal. Flurries have been predicted for tonight and a couple of times in the upcoming week. We'll see what happens...

If you've known me for any iota of time, you know that I have a deep love for four distinct and defined seasons. Watching the changes in weather throughout the year alone are fascinating enough, but the fact that Tennessee is one of the most beautiful places to watch the changing of the guard makes it all worthwhile.

Anyway, I really appreciate that overweight groundhog seeing his shadow. Let it snow!