I have had a love/hate relationship with winter ever since I moved back to Lancaster 4 years ago.
Winter is exponentially improved if you have a good coat that you love, which I got last year. Previous years I had a combination of warm coats I hated, vintage down vests that stank of wet feathers, cute coats that were not warm and an overabundance of sweatshirts left over from when I lived in Texas and a sweatshirt was all you really needed for the cold.
Last winter we got an enormous amount of snow but I was content to nest: cooking delicious dish after dish.
This year I had to shovel the intersection of Spruce and Pine streets in Lancaster since I knew that a plow would never make it down Spruce. I was content with the work. The sore arms reminded me of the work associated with winter but also the satisfaction of it. While shoveling I warmed to the task, forced to be outside. I looked around and watched the fat flakes drift lazily down from the sky. I was content. Content with my life and content with this winter, for all its inconveniences.
Tonight I was invited to the soft opening of a bar. I arrived after they had closed but was given a free beer. Combined with my empty stomach, the strong beer made me feel warm and cozy. At home I drank the last of the Pabst Blue Ribbon's I had in my minifridge. I feel completely satisfied. As the freezing rain pours out of the sky, covering the streets outside, I am content.
