50 reasons I Love/Hate Winter

... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18


I have a love-hate relationship with Winter.

Especially in the midst of a 24 hour Winter storm warning.

Early December, I find myself looking forward to the snow

and its fluffy - goodness

Snow is necessary for me to get in the Christmas decorating/shopping/baking mood.

I enjoy it for a couple of months,

then - right around the time

Punxsutawney Phil sticks his head out of the ground

to proclaim how many weeks of winter we'll have

(BTW, Phil isn't very truthful - in Cleveland, we're liable 

to have 8-10-12 weeks of winter left!) 

(shame on you Phil!!)

... Anyway

About that time I begin to get very weary of Winter.

Like a beloved house guest

that has overstayed their welcome

I wish Winter to go away!!!

In the past, I've listed the 50 reasons I have loved a particular season.

For winter, in all fairness

I will list 25 reasons I love it

and

25 reasons I hate it:

25 Reasons I Love Winter

Big fluffy snowflakes

steam heat, bright colored scarves,

Brisk air to awaken my senses

snow-laden tree branches

rabbit tracks in new fallen snow

snowmen

warm mittens

eggnog

my snowman wreath upon my door

freshness in the air

flannel sheets

catching snowflakes on my tongue

curling up under a fleece throw with a good book

sledding

the sound of snowplows

Chrismas lights, carols, presents, etc.

hot chocolate with marshmallows,

Valentines Day

my big wool coat

New Year's resolutions

snowballs

Winter Olympics

icicles

Brand new calendars

25 Reasons I Hate Winter

 neighbors who don't shovel their sidewalks

tracking snow into the apartment

Dirty, gray snow

The greed that Christmas can bring out in people

when 36 degrees is considered a heat wave

1ce-y sidewalks

the extra time it takes bundling up and putting on boots

Just when you think Spring has arrived - a blizzard hits

scraping ice and snow off of the car

16 shades of gray - everyday

it's dark when I leave for work, and dark when I return

dry skin

eyeglasses fogging up when I come inside

Cold, Colder, Brutal

no end in sight

hazardous driving conditions

harsh winds in my face

single digit temperatures for days on end

Being overheated in my coat while shopping indoors

frozen windshield wipers

Punxsutawney Phil lies

Salt on my boots, coat, car, floor

Taxes

Colds and Flu

The Music of my Soul

I love music.

I REALLY love music.

ALL types of music

Any TIME Any PLACE!

I don't know how or why my taste in music is so passionate and varied.

I can't read music, play an instrument or carry a tune.

I can only figure that the Lord gifts certain people to sing.

And others to transform black dots and lines into melodies

And others, like myself to have an intense appreciation for the music others make.

I grew up in a household where my Dad taught me to Jitterbug

whilst listening to Glen Miller, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington.

And my Mom, nearly 20 years younger than my Dad would turn up

the Hi Fi Radio and listen to

BeBop and Rock and Roll -

Chubby Checker, Elvis, Little Richard and The Supremes.

Growing up during the infancy of racial integration, sometimes the only "hip"

radio stations played Rock and Roll.

And during the seventies the R&B stations.

I have my Mom to thank for my very first record album
when I was 5 or 6 years old.

"A Child's Introduction to the Classics"

where I listened to Peter and the Wolf

and The Sorcerer's Apprentice

musically narrated by Tchaikofsky,
over and over and over,
which gave me a passion for

Classical music

(I remember as a teen,

being brought to tears, sobbing over Boradin's Nocturnes).

So its no wonder I could be found at a Christian Rock Concert

last Friday with my 2 daughters.

... And we had a BLAST rocking praises to the Lord!!

Just take a look!

Tiana and me

Third Day

Cara and Tiana

FireFlight

Jammin'!

Thousand-Foot Crutch

NewSong