Can We Talk 2

January Days

Prompt: What is the best thing about January? Why?

#1 No major holidays. No high pressure shopping or cooking. No decorating anything. No special seasonal shows or parties.

#2 Days are shorter, which is okay on a short term basis. It makes you want to sleep in, go home early, be a homebody. (Short days, and therefore, less light are depressing for some people). I want to stay in and cuddle up with a blanket and a book, maybe, something hot to drink. Or if I want to be sociable, just chill with some friends in a low key way.

#3 It just feels like something's finished or finishing, and something fresh is beginning. It could be conditioning from going back to school or work. Or it's the hype that goes with a new calendar or resolutions. But it's a quiet month to reflect, assess, plan, and rev up.

#4 It could be a time to start a new project you don't usually do, like sewing, needlework, or a jigsaw puzzle. Or diet while no one is looking.

#5 Sometimes it snows in January in my part of the world, like today. I've had some Januarys that were icy and hazardous all month. I've had some warm enough to play tennis! Most are fairly mild with occasional white stuff.

#6 What's really good about January is Mother Nature's quiet work. The ground freezes, breaking up the soil, rotting the compost, and killing off the germs on the ground. It will be no time before the bulbs will be sending up shoots. Of course, the weeds and the kudzu are getting tougher and preparing to overtake us. The birds flock to my porch to gather up seed before the squirrels get it all.