Archive for the tag “winter”

15 Dec 2025

Comfort Flicks

A realization (perhaps a confession): Less daylight hours results in a tendency to lean towards comfort flicks. Some might seek comfort foods; however, winter means less walking opps and that means weight gain. Hence, I pop in a flick instead of flicking chips.

During the day I easily hunker down by the window and read, read read, but reading by lamplight is not as fulfilling, and now that it’s dark by four o’clock the need to pass the long evening is often remedied with screen time.

While always game for a riveting new series or film, there is a penchant for seeking an old favorite to relieve the ennui of winter. Here is a random list of some faves. Any on your own list?

Antman

Bride and Prejudice

The Big Country

The Chalk Garden

Charade

Emperor’s New Groove

Galaxy Quest

Holes

Hunger Games

The Incredibles

Jane Eyre (Timothy Dalton version)

Maltese Falcon

Megamind

Monsters Inc.

My Man Godfrey

Penguin Town

Sabrina

Sahara

Thin Man (the series)

To Kill a Mockingbird

Sneakers

Stranger than Fiction

The Thursday Murder Club (newly added)

What makes favorites? Any of the following elements;

Great acting (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Exceptional, creative story (Emperors New Groove, Stranger Than Fiction, Hunger Games)

Makes me laugh out loud (Galaxy Quest, Antman)

Escapism (Sahara, Bride and Prejudice)

Ensemble cast (Sneakers, Thursday Murder Club)

Classic (My Man Godfrey, Sabrina, Charade, Maltese Falcon, My Man Godfrey, Big Country, Jane Eyre, Chalk Garden)

Speaks to the kid in me (Incredibles, Megamind, Holes)

Just Because (Penguin Town–I can’t resist penguins)

What’s your go to for getting through the long months of winter?

Posted in Reflections and tagged ennui, movies, television, winter

28 Jan 2025

5 Comments

A Bit of a Puzzle

January 29th is going to be a puzzling day. Literally.

It’s National Puzzle Day. And we are finding puzzles have found their way into our lives.

I grew up with puzzles. My dad had a special table set up and would spend hours piece by piece putting together some scenic masterpiece. I wasn’t too interested in doing puzzles then and barely acknowledged them over the years.

When my hubs sprang his knee skiing it looked liked the long winters were going to get a more tedious since heading up to the slope would no longer be a viable option.

Of course I brought him books from the library. On a whim I brought home a puzzle because why not? There is a free puzzle exchange on the lobby.

As Hemingway said “One puzzle leads to another.” Well, he kind of said that.

We have now been puzzling for several years and we have come to realize there are some etiquette aspects:

Borders first. Creating the perimeter makes it easier to get the picture in perspective.

Sort pieces. A half dozen plastic picnic plates do nicely in separating out the many pieces into a manageable order.

Clean Hands. Yeah, learned that one day while eating my almond butter with honey toast.

No Pets. Cat hair. Dog hair. Not good companions with puzzle pieces.

Track Pieces. Drop a piece. Oh, oh. Better find it. Or at least mark “piece missing” on the box. Don’t forget to circle the place.

No hogging. Sharing is caring. Set a timer if needed. *Oh no, honey. That a general comment—no worries*.

Break down. Just like the last person to use the milk replaces the milk, the last person to finish the puzzle breaks it down and puts it in the box.

Those are the basics. Did I miss any?

Happy puzzling.

Hometown are faves. Liking all that detail.

Ugh. Sky. An unspoken rule—leaving the sky last is, well, ugh.

Posted in creativity, humor, memories, Reflections, Relaxation and tagged hobbies, National Days, puzzles, winter

07 Mar 2024

6 Comments

Reader Round Up: February

February usually wants to relinquish its wintery self with more yard than snow pack showing allowing daffodil buds to shyly poke up from the ground. This year’s February started along those lines and then in a fickle moment gave way to snow once again. For three days. Back to a snowladen landscape. I imagine the daffodils are confused.

More snow calls for more reading. Here are the five star reads for February.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Having read this fun twist on a murder mystery two years ago and having watched the adaptation (also written by Horowitz) twice, I gave the book another read, especially upon hearing the second Susan Ryeland editor/sleuth novel Moonflower Murders will be coming out in a filmed series. Horowitz’s humorous and clever approach to the mystery genre is a delightful change up and the fact that he can take his novel and make it even better as a filmed version is notable.

Children of the Gold Rush by Claire Rudolph Murphy

Images of the gold rush era usually bring to mind bearded men hunched over a sluice box diligently working in less than ideal conditions in hopes of striking it rich. While that may be true, there were also women and children who experienced the gold rush in their own way as they accompanied their husbands and fathers. The book is filled with photographs and stories of children who endured and even thrived during their gold rush days. This book primarily centers on the Yukon gold rush. The information provides a greater perspective of this aspect of history.

The Dream Peddler by Martine Fournier Watson

The title and premise is reminiscent of a Ray Bradbury story. A stranger comes to town selling dreams with the plot focused on the impact of these dreams. Yet, Watson takes a different turn with her story. The dream peddler arrives the same day a boy goes missing and it’s his ability to provide dreams that helps heal the ripples from this tragedy. Unfortunately, his presence stirs up agitation and misunderstanding and truths become veiled in ugly rumor. The author’s lovely, lyrical prose wraps itself around this unique tale of peddler offering dreams for a handful of coins.

Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker

Set in Montana as WWII starts, Ellen will leave the only life she’s known, that of a daughter of wheat farmers, to attend college in Minnesota. It is there she finds how different the world is from her isolated ranch life, and she finds love with Gil, a privileged young man. However, her eyes are now opened and she draws unsavory opinions about her parents and her Montana life as she sees her world through Gil’s eyes. In order to find peace once again Ellen will have to reconcile her views with the life she has chosen. Ellen’s quotidian life is flavored by her poignant insights and the author’s lyrical prose. A satisfying read in which nothing, but everything happens.

As I type up these reviews the sun is shining and the snow is slowly receding once again. No sign of daffodils yet. Time to go to the library.

Posted in Reflections and tagged Anthony Horowitz, books, GoodReads, Literature, winter

01 Dec 2022

14 Comments

Winter Wonderland Solution

If life gives you snow, make a snowman.

Posted in everyday expressions, humor, Reflections, Seasons and tagged Snow, winter

19 Jan 2019

11 Comments

Debatables Recap: An Ominous Outcome

The January Debatable proved a lively round of arguing. Mike Allegra appointed Jilanne Hoffmann as his proxy while he trotted off to a fellowship for work on his newest creative endeavor. Niggling wonderment if the fellowship is just a guise not to lose another round of Debatables traisped across my pathway of reason for not participating. I mean, I teach, grade essays, and contribute to my blog on a weekly basis… Y’know–just wondering.

This month’s topic of contention for readers to decide: Which scene is more ominous–Edward from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe meeting the White Witch in the winter woods of Narnia or Scrooge meeting up with the ghost of Marley one dark night in A Christmas Carol?

How could anyone not see the ominous aspect of this scene? That is one creepy lady. Beware, Edmund! Beware!

Jilanne proved to be a formidable debate partner. Even with sound logic and a solid grasp of what ominous really means from readers such CharlesBakerHarris , Chelsea Owens, and Courtney Wright, Edmund could not nudge past the last minute flurry of voting for Scrooge’s encounter with Marley. Even Mr. Allegra went the way of ghost protocol. [Really, Mike?]

Jilanne wins the January round, and she added her own style of quippery to the verbal sparring.

I know–doesn’t impress me as ominous, either.

If you missed out, you can backtrack and read our exchange here. You can even still vote–as long as it’s for Edmund, and as long as you know it’s only to make me feel better.

See you next month for a new round of Debatables.

Posted in bloggers, Debatables, humor, Literature, Reflections and tagged debates, Narnia, winter

11 Dec 2018

13 Comments

POM: “Approach of Winter”

I am not a fan of winter. I may have mentioned that once or twice. In fact, I confess, I am known to have at least one ridiculous emotional meltdown–a little kid unreasonable tantrum, when the first snow makes landfall. Yes, I am embarrassed. If they had a support group for Winter Lamenters Anonymous I would attend.

Once my tantrum is over I am resigned to winter. To not acknowledge that we are stuck with it for the next 3-5 months is added misery. I buy sweaters and sip cocoa. More books get read. I try to find the bright side to the dark days of winter. Nope, I don’t ski. I might be convinced to sled though.

For the most part I ignore creative acknowledgements of winter. Don’t sing to me about wintertime; I am not interested in chirpy little winter televised specials. Fine. Maybe the Olympics. So, I was surprised when I actually liked the poem that dropped into my mailbox that’s part of my subscription service. You do subscribe to a poem service, right?

This caught my eye since it caught how I feel about the onset of winter. It earned double appreciation points having been penned by William Carlos Williams–the doctor poet. Enjoy.

The half-stripped trees
struck by a wind together,
bending all,
the leaves flutter drily
and refuse to let go
or driven like hail
stream bitterly out to one side
and fall
where the salvias, hard carmine,—
like no leaf that ever was—
edge the bare garden.

Posted in American poets, Nature, poems, Reflections, Seasons and tagged Imagists, William Carlos Williams, winter

22 Jan 2016

2 Comments

POM: January Thoughts

January is that in between month. The newness of winter’s snow has moved into icy gray lumps at the side of the driveway. In order to not lose myself in thinking I’m stuck into a Narnian winterland, I try to see winter from different perspectives. I appreciate the idea of stubbornly clinging on to the past season of leafy trees and, of course, Whitman always has a new view to consider. There is also William Carlos Williams and his take on the first month of the year.

Winter Leafage by Edith Matilda Thomas

Each year I mark one lone outstanding tree,
Clad in its robings of the summer past,
Dry, wan, and shivering in the wintry blast.
It will not pay the season’s rightful fee,—
It will not set its frost-burnt leafage free;
But like some palsied miser all aghast,
Who hoards his sordid treasure to the last,

image: morguefile

It sighs, it moans, it sings in eldritch glee.
A foolish tree, to dote on summers gone;
A faithless tree, that never feels how spring
Creeps up the world to make a leafy dawn,
And recompense for all despoilment bring!
Oh, let me not, heyday and youth withdrawn,
With failing hands to their vain semblance cling!

Sounds of the Winter by Walt Whitman

Sounds of the winter too,
Sunshine upon the mountains—many a distant strain
From cheery railroad train—from nearer field, barn, house
The whispering air—even the mute crops, garner’d apples, corn,
Children’s and women’s tones—rhythm of many a farmer and of flail,
And old man’s garrulous lips among the rest, Think not we give out
yet,
Forth from these snowy hairs we keep up yet the lilt

January by William Carlos Williams

Again I reply to the triple winds
running chromatic fifths of derision
outside my window:
Play louder.
You will not succeed. I am
bound more to my sentences
the more you batter at me
to follow you.
And the wind,
as before, fingers perfectly
its derisive music.

Posted in American poets, Poetry, Reflections, Writing and tagged Edith Matilda Thomas, Poetry, Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams, winter

05 Apr 2015

14 Comments

NPM: #5: a winter sonnet

Sonnet to Winter

Emily Chubbuck Judson (1817-1854)

Thy brow is girt, thy robe with gems inwove;
And palaces of frost-work, on the eye,
Flash out, and gleam in every gorgeous dye,
The pencil, dipped in glorious things above,

Can bring to earth. Oh, thou art passing fair!
But cold and cheerless as the heart of death,
Without one warm, free pulse, one softening breath,
    One soothing whisper for the ear of Care.
Fortune too has her Winter. In the Spring,
    We watch the bud of promise; and the flower
    Looks out upon us at the Summer hour;

And Autumn days the blessed harvest bring;
Then comes the reign of jewels rare, and gold,
When brows flash light, but hearts grow strangely cold.

Although I am ever so glad winter is passing into spring, this sonnet reminds me that beauty can be found in the harshness of our coldest season.

image: EricBerthe/MorgueFile

Posted in celebrations, Poetry, Reflections, Seasons, writers and tagged Emily Chubbuck Judson, National Poetry Month, sonnet, winter

27 Dec 2014

20 Comments

Winter Wondering Land

Our region is experiencing the strangest winter. Usually the first snow hits around Thanksgiving and keeps increasing until even the snow aficionados are satisfied. Not this year. No snow outside. Nada. Nuttin. It felt more like Easter service than Advent Sunday service stepping outside of church recently. Sunny skies, a light, yet chillish breeze, a hint of better weather around the corner. I am not complaining. Not at all.

My idea of winter. See that touch of touch way up on the mountain? image: morguefile

Originally I grew up in the wet Northwest and snow at Christmas was an unexpected bonus. I even participated in the usual winter sports of skiing, skating, and sledding. I moved away and traded the dreary rainy winters for snowy ones. Change of pace? No, temporary insanity. Snow is definitely for the younger crowd. Growing older, having to deal with snow as an adult, the fun factor gets zipped out when one must zip into the expense of snow tires, the heave ho of shoveling snow, and surviving the tedium of four months of various shades and stages of this winter wonder as it passes from winter wonderland to icky icy mess.
Yet, Christmas is a bit more special with the lacings of snow. I’ll concede that point. Look at all those Christmas movies that require snow as part of their plot.
So, out of curiosity I hope you take my snow poll:
Show of hands, please…
“Bring on the snow!”
“No way, no snow.”
“Snow in the mountains only, thanks.”

Posted in Reflections, Seasons, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged memories, Snow, weather patterns, winter

Pam Webb