Some winter days are so pretty. Today is one of them. The bright sun glints through the trees and the blue sky is cloudless. The air is so clear that the pine branches seem to pop like in a 3d movie. It is cold, but with no wind it feels warmer. Days like today make winter bearable.

My dance card for the week is uke filled. Besides practice and my lesson, I have two concerts, tomorrow and Friday. We are starting to practice our Irish music.

When I was a kid, cold didn’t matter. I still had to walk to school even during a deep freeze. I just bundled more. Mittens kept my hands warm so I could carry my lunch box. My school bag had a long strap so I put it over my shoulder. I wore my school shoes though sometimes I had to wear boots. I never liked wearing boots. I had to pull them on over my shoes. It was always a bit of a struggle but taking them off was even worse. Later, I discovered if I took off my shoes I could easily put them in and out of my boots then slide my foot into the shoes.

My house had radiators. One was against the wall at the foot of my bed. I could hear the water running through the radiator pipes. I could hear the steam hissing. Sometimes, if I were cold, I’d sit with my back against the radiator. I’d put my shoes underneath it until they were dry. I always loved the hissing sound.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are high on my comfort food list. They were the perfect winter lunch. I think every mother bought Campbell’s tomato soup. The can was the measure. My mother would add half can of water and half a can of milk though sometimes it was just milk which made the soup thick and tasty. The sandwich was always white bread and Velveeta cheese which melted perfectly. I loved dunking the sandwich into the soup. My mother made the best winter lunches, the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

From the window, the day is perfectly lovely. The sun is bright and the sky is clear blue. Nothing is moving. The only drawback is the cold, 36°. Today is an inside day. Today is a day to stay in my cozies.

My backyard and deck have several fallen branches from the wind storms. I haven’t ventured on the deck yet to clear it as the deck is still snowy and icy. I figure I’ll toss those branches in the yard then start a pile. I’ll add the long skinny branch on the ground near the deck. I used to keep all my bird feeders on those fallen branches. I miss my birds, but I do have a crazy idea. A very long branch is leaning on the back fence. I’m thinking to haul it to the deck. I’ll tie long ropes to each end and try to throw the other ends onto the branches high upon the pine trees hanging over the deck and then attach the rope permanently to the branch. I’ll hang the bird feeders on that branch close enough to the deck so I can fill them.

I remembering celebrating both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays when I was a kid, and I remember celebrating school vacation the same week. We entertained ourselves the whole week. We did all the winter fun things. If we had snow, we went sledding. We never had to go far. The hill was perfect for sledding as long as the plow left a layer of snow on the ground. Ice skating depended on cold days, but the swamp and the town rink were shallow so they were usually frozen. Good days meant hauling my bike out of its winter storage, the cellar, and exploring around town. When my mother asked where I was going, I always answered around as I had no idea what routes I’d take. They were spontaneous and serendipitous. If I needed books, I’d go to the library. I hated being without a book to read, still do. I never went home for lunch. I brought it with me, usually a sandwich and some cookies. The only rule was we had to be home when the street lights came on. That was the always rule. No school the next day meant we stayed up later than usual. We got to watch nighttime TV. After I went to bed, I’d read. My mother never checked to see if my room had gone dark. I’d read until I started falling asleep. Sometimes the book hitting the floor woke me up then I’d turn off the light.

I loved school vacations.