Christmas is over; is winter here?

Do you get a warm feeling from the above image? Come Friday all the revelry of the holiday season will be gone and winter will be upon us. Even tho the winter solstice is behind us and the daylight hours are increasing each day, the next eight weeks or so are typically the coldest of the year here in the BToS (Big Town of Savage).

When I was a kid, I was a winter person. Somewhere between sleigh riding as a child and becoming a retired 'old fart' I lost my interest in winter. I basically dislike extremes...and I almost forgot, it could have been from getting shot in the butt by Dickie when I was sledding down his driveway. He was watching from his porch with a BB gun in his hands. Anybody that tells ya getting shot in the ass with a BB gun doesn't hurt, is lying. I hurried home after that for some of my momma's 'feel-good' and a visit with Cookie.

The Big Town of Savage has moderate winters with snowfall varying year to year. The last few years have brought us practically no snowfall. Heck, my ol' snow blower was just crying for attention one really nice day back in early November. Those handles and controls just shouted "start me and let my veins breathe". Bowing to the need to verify that it would run at the first snowfall, I set all the controls and gave 'er some fresh gasoline with a bit of that stuff that keeps 'er gasoline veins from clogging up (Sta-Bil). She was happy and fired on the first pull. Even Crazy Ray was tickled when she kicked off.

Spring brings full-growth, plants just go crazy; grow, grow, grow, that's all they do. Most ladies seem to enjoy spring with the flowers blooming. They love buying new annuals and working in their gardens, some even planting some veggies for summer harvest. Personally, I don't like a lot of growth...spring wears me out; I no sooner mow and the yard yells at me to "mow again you lazy bastard!" I just can't take it too long!!! Good thing about spring is that NASCAR is in full swing!!!

Summer is hot and usually humid here in the BToS. I end up spending an inordinate amount of time inside with the AC humming away. Summer outdoors ain't my thing. Beaches ain't my thing either. The ol' Valkyrie beckons sometimes early Sunday mornings and I can't resist a quick run up thru some of the local central Maryland back roads, all the while dodging the go-fast church-goers in mini vans and SUVs.

No, when I evaluate all the seasons, I think I'm more of an autumn guy. Autumn is a fun time, especially with some beautiful day trips or a week-long road trip on The Valk. I definitely luv autumn. Mowing slows, and little grows, with plants at the end of their growing cycle. I think the main reason I relate best to autumn is that it's akin to the season I find myself in personally.

JD

PS - Here's the '01 Valkyrie during warmer times; better known to me as 'The Valk'!