Winter into Spring

It’s been a long winter.

This week has been the first since last fall that temperatures are projected to crest consistently above the 55 degree mark. With the upsurge in spring like weather, it can be easy (well, not so easy, really), to forget the sins of season’s past. Winter wasn’t that bad, and Maybe it was me just exaggerating…, we will say to ourselves as we strip off our coats and don our short sleeves. Sandals will make an appearance in my house, as well. But before we just let bygones be bygones, let’s remember the wealth of misery this winter threw at us.

It was cold.

It was snowy (in March, nonetheless…the worst).

It was, overall, crappy weather all around.

Ugh.

But it’s over now. Believe it. I do. The robins are here, the air is softer, and the sun is out a shade longer than 4 o’clock. We’re a hair away from May, too, and, even though snow in May is rare but not unheard of in the northeast, my birthday month usually brings the proverbial round of May flowers. So I think I can actually let down and relax.

As I do that, and start mixing the Cinco de Mayo beverages, I have to at least nod my head to the reading and writing life I have had that has sustained me through these past three months.

Reading

I owe my survival this winter to many things, but one activity that I always turn to in winter to help ease the strain of the cold weather is reading. This winter was no different, and the crop of books I read was just amazing. At some point I’ll talk about these more the lineup of super reads I devoured, but for now here’s the list:

Writing

I’ve been writing, too! I have discovered Medium, the blogging site for writers, and I’m pretty jazzed about being over there. I’ve republished three old blog posts originally found here, submitted a story for consideration on one of their online magazines, and have just tonight had an article published in The Writing Collective! You can find my Medium author page on my Stories page or here, and my latest article, Writing and Teaching: A Field Guide to Five Potential (and, if we’re being honest, Probable) Pitfalls on a Teacher’s Path to Literary Success, can be found here.

Busy winter into spring. Lots of new discoveries. And it’s warm, now, so the discoveries can be the kind we make on our bikes or on walks, too!