January is often said to feel like a never ending month; after the excitement and busyness of the holidays and winter in our area, it does feel long.
This January certainly lived up to that reputation around here. It was a brutal weather month. We finally had sunshine this weekend; prior to that we had 16 days in a row of measurable snow. Our county got over 50 inches of snow in January with 80% of that happening in those 16 days. We also had frigid cold, setting a cold record of negative 19 degrees one day.
Schools were cancelled for a whole week in a row, then another day the next week. Because it was so cold, salt wasn't working to de-ice the roads, and the constant snow was exhausting for the plow drivers. We were mostly staying in, but here's a few pictures I took on a day I had to get out.
These roads were no fun to drive on!
This is our street, our house is just over that little rise.
I've been whining about the snow, and being sick of not getting out, but then my friend Dianna, over at Joyful in His Presence put up a post about enjoying the beauty of it, and appreciating God's power over weather, which made me think I needed to adjust my way of thinking too.
So here's some positive things!
I'm thankful for a nice warm house and not losing electricity.
I'm thankful that I'm retired and can stay home if I want! What a blessing to be able to just stay in and look at the snow.
I'm thankful for occasional spots of blue sky!
I'm thankful for the beauty of the season
I'm thankful for people who do fun things in this weather. This colorful igloo was being made on a road not far from us.
I'm thankful that God is a God of order, and that season follows season - so Spring will be coming and I will be happy to see it.
Happy February!