Black tea and Robert Burns

"Cauld blaws the wind frae east to west, the drift is driving sairly,
Sae loud and shill's I hear the blast - I'm sure it's winter fairly.

Up in the morning's no for me, up in the morning early!
When a' the hills are cover'd wi' snow, I'm sure it's winter fairly!

The birds sit chittering in the thorn, a' day they fare but sparely,
And lang's the night frae e'en to morn - I'm sure it's winter fairly."
-Robert Burns

I caught myself thinking of this poem today and how, after a storm blew in last night, it surely feels like winter now. There hasn't been much in terms of snow since the season began. A little here and a little there, but it's always been quick to go. While it's felt like some sort of pseudo-winter, I think perhaps now the sham has been replaced with reality. And, like Burns' line "up in the morning's no for me...", I could have easily stayed asleep this morning while the snow fell, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

My days of late have blended together much the same: up in the morning for work, sipping tea and reading in the afternoon, visiting with my grandmother in the evening. I find it a triumph when I can recall what day it is without thinking too hard or looking at the calendar. There's a certain peace to these cold, semi-lazy winter days that, even though I grumble through them sometimes, I wouldn't trade for the splendor of spring or the brilliance of autumn. They're quiet, predictable and ultimately comforting especially when tea, scarves and cardigans are involved!