Here in Minnesota it has been cold, I mean really cold, for about three weeks. This below zero temperature has forced an inside life for way longer than I want or think I can handle. (Just a note of sadness for Texas – they were not as cold as we but also not prepared as we in the northland. Who expects single digit temperatures in Texas? So sorry you guys. Thinking of you and hoping things are improving.)
Anyway, I am an outside type of person. I am not a big backpacker or adventurer. I just need to be out and about a little every day. A walk around the hood, time in the yard, even shoveling for 20 minutes will help me clear my head and feel better. I need to move and feel the fresh air.
So three weeks with no walks, moving only between the car in the garage and the grocery store was a tough one. The pandemic had not kept me inside as much as this cold. I have a funky right lung that is healing but does not like temperatures in the single digits or below, yet, so it has been a long haul.
Yes, we had plenty to do inside – there are books and stories for Little Man (LM) and I. There is drawing for me and coloring for LM. We have had play dough, cars, blocks and an indoor climber to keep him moving which worked great for a 20 month old but what about me?
I did my yoga every morning and found reasons to take garbage and recycling out for a tiny walk to the garbage cans but always came back in sorry for taking myself out into the deep cold.
Then Monday of this week came and we woke to temperatures in the teens moving quickly to the 30’s and reached 41 but mid afternoon. You can bet we were outside! LM in his snowsuit and I in boots, hat and mittens were walking and heading to the park! There were big sighs of relief as we played on the park equipment. LM smile was as wide as mine.
The birds were out singing and the squirrels were chasing each other all over the neighborhood. There was the sound of water instead of crunching snow. There was a blue sky with a gentle breeze against our skin. The fact that we even had skin visible told us the change had come.
It is Tuesday now with a cloudy gray sky but still the temperatures are holding at about 37 degrees mid day. We visited the park, we walked carefully up and down the block. We have entered the season of ice. The snow melting slowly sending water slipping over the sidewalks leaving thin layers of unseen ice. We pushed snow around and checked the trees and bushes for tiny buds. Soon – they will come soon we can feel it in our bones!
I know that it is still Minnesota and we have a few more weeks that could turn cold and snowy but these few days of spring like weather was all Little Man and I needed to feel free and happy again.
It is the little things in life – sunshine, mild weather and a grandson who likes to be outside as much as his grandmother!
Words from JL 
So glad for you! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
I loved this and know how you feel. It’s only been a few days since I’ve walked, but it really makes a difference when I don’t get outside. The paragraph about what it was like outside was beautifully crafted. I especially like the line, “There was the sound of water instead of crunching snow.” Hope the sunshine and warmer temps hold.
Let’s hear it for warmer temps. We are on an upswing here. Dare I say it might even break 50 degrees by the end of the week? Although there is always something to do inside, I agree with you that it is nice to get out for a little bit every day just to clear the head.