NYT: Things to love about winter

[Tradd]

I thought some of you would appreciate this.

I love getting cozy during the winter. I hole up in bed after work and on weekends reading. I listen to the radio and/or classical music from Apple Music (the Classical Music app has some great playlists) and read. Something hot to drink (Earl Grey or Red Roobios tea).

This link is from the app.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/well/how-to-love-winter.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[iris lilies]

I wish I liked tea better. Am trying several herbals. In these cool days long about 4 pm I have a yen for a warm drink and coffee would just keep me up at night.

[pinkytoe]

I sleep so much better in winter. We turn the thermostat down to 58 and pile under the blankies.

[littlebittybobby]

okay----not so many bugs. Also---vegetation stops growing. yup. so yeah----that all helps. The daylight hours are shorter, and you have to dress warmer. But at least you don't break into a sweat, exerting yourself. Hope that answers your question. Thankk mee.

[Tradd]

I wish I liked tea better. Am trying several herbals. In these cool days long about 4 pm I have a yen for a warm drink and coffee would just keep me up at night.

Red Roobios is quite substantial. It’s herbal, no caffeine, but is almost like a black tea. I can’t stand herbal tea myself.

[catherine]

Thanks for sharing this. I do love the four seasons, including winter, but I tend to handle the transition from summer/fall to winter with a little nostalgia and sadness.

At the same time, I look forward to hunkering down. The winter has a beauty all its own. I don't like the short days, but I love being able to put my jammies on earlier. I don't like the snow much, but I do have fun snowshoeing and going to our local ice festival in February. I don't like putting the garden to bed but I love having the chance to read more books. I don't like not having fresh veggies, but I love love love making thick stew-y soups.

[frugal-one]

I LOVE winter here in Texas! Don’t miss the cold or snow! It is a little over a year since we moved. It was a good decision!

[pinkytoe]

Every once in a rare while, we will get a foggy, drizzly day here that reminds me of former Texas winter days. Usually though just very sunny and delightfully cold here. Snow melts quickly with all the sun. Glad you like TX though.

[Rogar]

The long cold quiet nights are a great time to catch up on more difficult book reads as well as other reads. I like waking up mornings after a fresh snow before cars, dog walkers and snow shovels have disturbed it. By the time all the fall leaves have been picked up and the final chore of gutter cleaning is done it good to relax and take a few months break from yard and garden duties. My days of scheming on free firewood for my fireplace insert are over, but I still like buying a pickup load of fire and stacking it. One of those simple pleasures and maybe something about the smell of split wood.

We do get a few shoveler snows that are not too much of a chore. After a minor surgery a few years ago I was told not to lift heavy loads for a while, so I bought an electric snow blower (with a headlight). It's fun to use, although most of the time shoveling is a good excuse for a little exercise after some cabin fever.

[frugal-one]

Every once in a rare while, we will get a foggy, drizzly day here that reminds me of former Texas winter days. Usually though just very sunny and delightfully cold here. Snow melts quickly with all the sun. Glad you like TX though.

Texas is a big state. I am far south and don’t have the weather you mentioned.

[early morning]

I mostly love winter because it's not hot! I like snow, and chill, and hoarfrost coating everything on crisp clear mornings.

[iris lilies]

Hoarfrost! I like that word.

[littlebittybobby]

okay---Vulgar, foul & coarse language will NOT be tolerated here! Just because it is annoying to have to scrape your windows, does not warrant crude expressions of your frustration. Nope.

[iris lilies]

okay---Vulgar, foul & coarse language will NOT be tolerated here! Just because it is annoying to have to scrape your windows, does not warrant crude expressions of your frustration. Nope.
Well, it ain’t northern Iowa around here, it could be worse.

[early morning]

Another thing to love - ice flowers! once in a blue moon of winters we get them in some weeds at the creek. On the way to Pleasant Hill KY years ago, along one of their marvelous meandering roads, there was a stunningly large patch of them- we stopped and spend a bit of time there, just admiring nature's handiwork. Amazing frost patterns on poorly insulated old storm doors - another thing to look forward to. I'll gladly pay a tad more in energy bills to preserve those sorts of experiences. Our double-paned newer back storm door does not provide a show, but sometimes the front door, with its old changeable glass pane insert, is persuaded to do so. Snow is pretty (until it gets dirty!) but frost and ice, on a clear day with the sun just coming up - to me, those views are absolutely spectacular.

[LDAHL]

I like winter a lot more now that I’m not working. I can decide when I need to drive somewhere.

I like it that the snowbirds and tourists are gone, and things are less crowded.

I’ll take the cold over the heat anytime.

Hockey season.

I like how Lake Michigan looks and sounds with big chunks of ice grinding against each other.

I like having a terrific excuse to do nothing productive all day.

I like an additional excuse to imbibe spirituous beverages.

[iris lilies]

Yes, the tyranny of weeds in our gardens dissipates during the cold weather. It is such a relief.

you would think I was out there every day weeding. I’m not. I’m sitting inside stewing and building anxiety about how I need to be out there weeding.

[LDAHL]

Yes, the tyranny of weeds in our gardens dissipates during the cold weather. It is such a relief.

you would think I was out there every day weeding. I’m not. I’m sitting inside stewing and building anxiety about how I need to be out there weeding.

I cleared a bed on my hands and knees, digging down almost a foot to get at the roots. I used chemicals that created a zone of desert on the adjoining lawn. I laid down a thick fabric and secured it with spikes. I covered that with a thick cover of mulch. And what do I see a week later? Mocking, insolent thistle! It’s like there’s some malevolent intelligence guiding it. Covering it with snow will at least allow me to forget about it for a few months. Or so I hope anyway.

[pinkytoe]

I much prefer winter clothes. Sweaters and such.

[CompulsiveGardener]

I lived in the southwest for a while and I missed autumn and winter so much -- including raking leaves and shoveling snow!
Now I live in the upper Midwest and - well, I get plenty of winter.

I love the silence of a snowy day, snow-covered trees, animal and bird tracks in the snow, the "permission" to stay inside and be cozy.

I do not like commuting in the snow and ice and dark, and the short daylight hours (all spent in a windowless office environment) really get to me and deplete my energy.... but the year that I was working fully remotely due to covid, winter was awesome. No commuting, no worries about bad roads, my desk in front of a sunny window. So I think that once I am retired, I will enjoy winter a lot more. Just one more reason to be counting down the years at work!

[iris lilies]

I lived in the southwest for a while and I missed autumn and winter so much -- including raking leaves and shoveling snow!
Now I live in the upper Midwest and - well, I get plenty of winter.

I love the silence of a snowy day, snow-covered trees, animal and bird tracks in the snow, the "permission" to stay inside and be cozy.

I do not like commuting in the snow and ice and dark, and the short daylight hours (all spent in a windowless office environment) really get to me and deplete my energy.... but the year that I was working fully remotely due to covid, winter was awesome. No commuting, no worries about bad roads, my desk in front of a sunny window. So I think that once I am retired, I will enjoy winter a lot more. Just one more reason to be counting down the years at work!

yes, once you are retired, dealing with the winter weather is trivial!