Saturday, January 6, 2007

¡Muchas Gracias, El Niño!

Today is January 6th. It is, according to the calendar, winter. Winter for most people in New England means that it’s cold, dark and that there is snow on the ground. Here at Wayfarer House, the days are still short, but this is the only thing that matches what all the almanacs say is supposed to be going on now. It’s almost as if we’ve wormholed out into another dimension, an alternate dimension, where the seasons and their indicators are somehow mixed up.

The temperature reached 69ºF (20ºC) today, according to the bank thermometer downtown. It was warm enough to open the windows in the house and let fresh air circulate. It was warm enough that I had to bring the frozen groceries in from the car immediately, lest they melt all over the back of my car.

It was warm enough to go kayaking.

I took my little boat out on the water for about 2 hours in the afternoon, and was treated to the improbable delight of a warm breeze on my face as I glided along the frigid water. It was simply wonderful! I was even blessed with the sight of a full, bright and colorful rainbow before I was hit by an unexpected and intense downpour that caught me still half a mile downstream from the boat landing, forcing me to paddle my arms off against a stiff wind and the river’s current. I reached my car sore, drenched to the bone and reveling in the fact that I was doing all this in January—in wintertime. Glorious!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's WONDERFUL, isn't it? I mean, aside from what people will say the implications of all this are (those who will not listen to the fact that we (New Englanders - not "we" personally) had a winter very similar to this in something like 1891, and again in the 50s), I think it's fantastice. We, too, opened windows to the house. Until that downpour came, I had my car's sunroof open. I'm loving it.

Of course, I keep waiting for the proverbial other shoe. I swear to Goddess: if I have to put my kids in snowsuits to go to Easter dinner, I am going to be one pissed off bitch, and no amount of reminding me how lovely the weather was in December and January will help matters in the least....