Chilling out

Lively December, dressed in its splashy reds and greens and scented with evergreen and Eastern spices, has thankfully passed. The quiet month of January has begun. I welcome the misty gray of the cold mornings and the quietude it brings to my brain. Like the squirrels nesting in the trees, I enjoy being in, listening to the hum of silence or the mewling of my cats or the music of my choosing from my tinny old CD player as I regroup, renew. Mugs of steamy tea, coffee and cocoa, finding more favor in this month than any, keep my hands and heart warm. And by this third day into the year, I find I have some new stuff to play with. The well chosen Christmas gifts that I only gave a perfunctory thank you for on the family days have been carefully pored over and are being enjoyed. January. The coolest month.