28 days of Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for warmth.  It's been cool, dreary and rainy outside for almost a week now.  We did have a 1 1/2 day break with sun and warmth, but then we headed back to the cold and wet.  I am fortunate enough to be sitting inside our house and it is nice and warm inside here :)  I am a creature requiring warmth.  I love the sun, I enjoy sitting in the sun and just soaking up the warmth.  Sometimes when I am gardening there may be a chill in the air and I will just sit in the sun and let it beam down on my face, kissing it softly with it's delicate warmth.  One of my Danes is quite like me in that matter, you can look out and see Calypso sunning herself to warm up.  She also sleeps with a blanket over her most every night, yes, it is not uncommon for me to "tuck" her in at night making sure her blankie covers all of her body.  We live in the northern end of  "the South".  Zone 7 for you garden buffs.  Most of the time it is more than warm enough for me (there is a saying around here for me -- if it's not 80, mamma's not happy).  In the winter the cold sometimes bothers my arthritis that has set in from my past injuries.  When that happens, my dear hubby likes to "crank" up the heat to warm us back up.  We have wood heat, so we keep it nice and toasty in the house during the winter.  I don't care for cold, I can never have on enough clothes when it gets cold.  You have to put on so many layers for the cold that it is hard to move.  I just picture that little child with it's arms sticking straight out and it's legs stiffly  non-movable because of all of the layers on.  I remember being a child and my mom "bundling" us up to go outside.  You can hardly walk!  And you had better go potty BEFORE you start dressing!  No thanks, I prefer warmth.  A layer of clothes and perhaps a sweater is fine, a jacket is okay.  Things grow during the warm parts of the seasons, these things warm and brighten my soul.  They make me smile.  When it is cold out, everything looks dead.  Browns, grays, blacks, dusky blues are the colors you see.  The cold has it's purpose, it makes me over joyed to see the warmth return!  I love to see the first blooms of my Hellebore (aka Lenten Rose) in February, or the daffodils in March.  The sweet peaking of the crocus from beneath their shelter of the decaying leaves of the winter.  Yeppers, there is no question in my mind, I appreciate the winter cold and rain and snow (I guess), but only so that when spring and warmth returns, I Thankful for it even more.  In the meantime, I will try to emulate nature and warmth in my cards and other media.  Have a nice warm day inside!  I know I will :)

Blessings,