This year, I’m not sure we got our January thaw. Our daytime high was 32 degrees, the low was two degrees. (The night time high was 26 degrees , the night time low was minus ten.) Three days were in the thirties, fifteen days were in the twenties, nine days were in the teens, and four days were below ten degrees. All things being relative (say, to Minnesota where family members have reported consistent temps around twenty below zero) January was a chilly month in the northeast.

On Thursday of this past week, I went out the door expecting to take the dog for the exact walk that gets the job done with an efficiency that returns me to the house with minimal exposure to the risk of slipping on ice or the damage of frostbite. While I do bundle up, the routine of scooping, results in some minutes that my hands are only covered by thin gloves, as I fumble with the bag and its purpose. And any attempt to cover my wind-burned face with a scarf only results in my breath causing fog on my glasses, which then freezes, adding the complication of blurred vision.

As I walked the daily path, I found that it was actually quite warm (26 degrees, I later learned), and in time I dropped my hood and decided to do a full lap around the pond, then later, two more. The greatest impetus to extend my course was the song of birds. As I trudged my way, their chirping became louder as I approached the stretch of trees along the far bank of the pond. Then, there they were – bright, carefree, and lively. I felt my body relax as I experienced this season’s first wave of realization that winter will end and the spring will come. I had my own January thaw.

Above is a brightly colored male Eastern Bluebird. At the start of the this post and in the photo below (of four birds in branches) are pictured the duller colored female Eastern Bluebirds.

Each of the photos presented here is worth clicking on to enlarge for better enjoyment.
Use your back arrow key to return to the post.