Samhain \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Winter Moon<\/p>\n
They leave. \u00a0This is the time. \u00a0Lois, our cleaning lady, poked her head in and said, “Good-bye. \u00a0See you in April.” \u00a0Mark and Elizabeth leave on the 29th for Grass Valley in California. \u00a0Many others are already gone to Florida or Arizona or New Mexico or Mexico.<\/p>\n
We call them snowbirds, though it should be nosnowbirds, since they fly away at dropping temperatures and clouds of frozen moisture. \u00a0The reasons they go are diverse, I imagine, but cluster around icy roads, slick sidewalks, the uninviting nature of cold air for being outside.<\/p>\n
It makes sense. \u00a0At a certain age, one I’ve reached, driving on roads and navigating sidewalks slick with ice and polished snow can be scary. \u00a0To get outside requires more thought in dress and more intention. \u00a0Just going out for a stroll can mean preparation. There is, too, the lure of a different place. \u00a0The beaches of Florida, the culture of the Southwest and Mexico. \u00a0A way to break up the year, give it a punctuation when work no longer provides it.<\/p>\n
Still. \u00a0I love the snow, the cold, the quiet, the coming of the inside season. \u00a0The holiseason makes a good deal more intuitive sense with distinct seasonal changes, seasonal changes I find crucial to my own spiritual practice. \u00a0Putting the garden to bed, letting it rest for a season plus also feels right to me. \u00a0I would not want to continue my gardening season past the end of September, early October.<\/p>\n
No. \u00a0We’ll stay. \u00a0Here. \u00a0In Andover.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Samhain \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Winter Moon They leave. \u00a0This is the time. \u00a0Lois, our cleaning lady, poked her head in and said, “Good-bye. \u00a0See you in April.” \u00a0Mark and … Continue reading NoSnowBirds<\/span>