Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A Winter Hour in Michigan

Large, dense snowflakes swirl to the ground outside our patio door. The house is silent--man, how I love silence--and I'm brainstorming a topic for today's blog.

Nothing.

I stare out at the gray sky, the white snow, the black branches of the bare tree out back. I glance down at our dog, curled up under two blankets. Reminds me how I layer my clothes each morning. First the T-shirt then the extra-fuzzy sweater. Under no conditions will I wear a scoop neck in January. Too cold.

Later, I brave the slippery, slushy drive to school. There's an art to driving without all wheel drive in the winter. If it's slippery, you don't always completely stop at a stop sign. You slow down to a crawl and if no other car is coming, you drive through, otherwise you'll likely get stuck. Also, when turning, you need to take your foot off the brakes and gas or your vehicle won't always make the full turn. You don't expect to be able to stop behind the car at the stoplight in front of you; sometimes you'll hit a patch of ice and end up more next to the car than behind it.

When we make it home, I say a silent prayer of gratitude. I shovel and my hair gets drenched from the snow melting as it touches my warm head. Then I come inside and am thankful I live where I do. There's something refreshing about monochromatic colors, a tense ride in the car, and an exhilarating shoveling session--at least until tomorrow when I'll look out at the gray landscape and sigh.

This basic, ho-hum day is perfect for the romance writer in me. It allows me to feel the frustration of waiting, the longing for something better, warmer, and brighter, and the gratitude of being alive--all vital to convey in a romance novel. If life sparkled every minute, I would not be able to write a realistic heroine.

So tell me, what's your weather like today?

Have a terrific Wednesday! And if you haven't heard, Keli Gwyn (one of my favorite people!!), just signed her very first contract with Barbour Publishing!! Congratulations Keli!!! Please stop by her blog (linked above) and celebrate with her!

30 comments:

  1. Our trees are laden with snow too! And yes, writing in the winter is the best. In the just dawning hours of morning - like now! :) I really don't mind winter - there are too many perks. :)

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  2. You paint a beautiful picture! It's so early right now I only know it's dark outside, but we haven't had a bit of snow this year.

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  3. We are snowy, cold and gray here this morning, and the trees look like they are frozen in ice so there must have been a flash freeze last night... driving will be fun here today as well.

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  4. It's looking like a sunny day here! In the sixties, I think. But I do love your kind of weather. I'd take moody and dark anyday. :-)

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  5. Wow, what an inspiring post. I'm reminded of a writing exercise. A romance writer like yourself "sees" the wintry scene as you describe with all its stark beauty. A person who broke her wrist from a fall on black ice (me!) sees it as a heart-pounding invitation to pain, an ER trip, and months of physical therapy. If we were writing a scene from these 2 different characters' POVs, we'd write VERY DIFFERENT descriptions. Interesting...

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  6. Love the picture, and the sweet words of this post. You made winter feel like a warm friend.

    It's important to let our characters get lost in the elements from time to time.

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  7. Very cold here today, but sunny. We've got lots of snow on the ground.

    On Monday I got stuck 4 times trying to get up driveways. The last one was my own. Yay for strong sons and snowshovels.

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  8. So true, that not all our days 'sparkle.' I like your sense of gratitude. The snow pile is 6ft high beside my driveway, but at least it is sunny!

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  9. Hi Jill,

    I'm originally from Michigan and STILL miss its beauty. Love your beautiful description of the day!

    I'm in Florida, and our cold fronts have lifted so it will be in the mid-upper 70's today, and humid. Ugh. I loathe humidity. You think shoveling snow wrecks your hair? LOL

    Enjoy your writing day.

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  10. The sky is spitting. Yep, spit comin' down.

    We had a huge snowfall last week and then an icestorm and now spit.

    It's really rather lovely. ;)

    ~ Wendy

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  11. Laura: I don't mind winter either, although I complain relentlessly! I wouldn't adore summer as much if I didn't have to make it through winter. :)

    Julie: The shorter days are another factor of winter--8:00pm in winter feels so different than 8:00pm in summer. Hope you get some snow!

    Kelly: I love it when the branches have a layer of ice. I don't love it when the road does! Good luck!

    Jessica: Let's trade for a day!

    Patrice: Oh, you gave me a great idea! We should both be characters in the same book! (Did you recently hurt your wrist? I remember last year--I'm hoping it didn't happen again!)

    Tamika: Yeah, our characters have to struggle and deal with bad days, so we do too!

    Erica: I'm not a fan of getting stuck. Thank the good Lord for strong boys and shovels!!

    Lynn: Wow! You had a lot of snow!

    Julie: Ha! Yeah, snow and humidity--not good on the hair!

    Wendy: Yuck. I like big puffy snowflakes, not spit. How long until spring??

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  12. We are supposed to get more snow today. I don't mind - though I wish I were at home to enjoy it instead of at work. :-)

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  13. Who knew that weather and driving could be conveyed so beautifully in writing! :) The weather is Durham, NC is actually warmer this week than it's been. High's in the 50's which means scoop necks are do-able right now. It is a welcome break from the cold for a CA girl like me!

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  14. I got cold reading this and was ready to go light my fireplace! Today it is cloudy and breezy with a high in the 50's, but on the horizon the cold front is in view which will plunge our temps to the teens tonight:)
    And I can't agree with you more about the weather and writing. One day I am seriously going to rent a cabin in the mountains in the winter and just write...guess the kids will have to grow up first:)

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  15. Today these is actually sun, for which I am very grateful. I'm hoping that winter won't set in to harshly before spring.

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  16. Beautiful picture! Thankfully the weather is mild today. For a few weeks we had brutal cold, so it's nice for the sun to come out for once.

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  17. I LOVE that picture! And I'm right there with you, a ho-hum day is fine with me too. I love that my characters are so normal, it's their 'rawness' that makes them shine.

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  18. Today is very cold. I love your descriptions of the driving. When people say they love snow, do they think of the car scene? I'm glad you can appreciale all of it as God's gift. Blessings on your winter day.

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  19. Melissa: I wish you were home too! So much easier to enjoy winter in the comfort of your living room!

    Angela: Thank you! And NC sounds lovely, even if you are from CA. I'd love to visit both again!

    Kara: Oh, I love your new profile pic! Very pretty! Go light that fireplace--for me. :)

    Elana: Sunny days are highly valued here, and I hope winter doesn't get too nasty either!

    Georgiana: Oh yes! I love it when it warms even ten degrees and the sun comes out.

    T. Anne: Rawness--great word!

    Nancy: Driving in snowy conditions can be an adventure, that's for sure! It takes a whole new skill set!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  20. Jill, this makes me glad that I live in West Texas...land of little moisture and moderate temperatures - usually. of course we do have dust bowls, pump jacks, and mesquite bushes dotting our landscape - not quite as pretty as those places that actually get moisture...

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  21. Thanks for the shout out, Jill, and for your kind words. Sorry be late to drop by, but this was an out and about day.

    I woke to clear skies and mild temperatures here in the Sierra Foothills of California, but when I descended into the valley it was overcast and dreary. I'm thankful we live above the fog belt and below the snow line. And I'm thankful for the seasons that provide such wonderful variety.

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  22. Hey, Jill! I must say I'm a little done with winter. I like one big, dramatic snow, then i'm ready for spring. We've had a little too much drama this year with the snow. Lots of school days missed. My kids will never get out of school for the summer at this rate.

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  23. I could picture you day. Perfect:)
    Today it will be near 80 and I finally get to sit out on my patio and feel that warm sun bake against my face. I've missed it.

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  24. Marcy: Texas sounds lovely! It's fun hearing how different January is for different regions. :)

    Keli: Something inside me melts when I hear "foothills" and "California"! I picture lush, green prettiness!

    Heather: I know! We had two snow days in two weeks. It throws me off!

    Terri: Do you know how nice it is to hear 80degrees?? Just knowing it still exists somewhere makes me happy!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  25. Jill, the Sierra Foothills of California are lush and green--from the first rain in October until the last rain in May. Then come our hot, dry summers when the grass dies off, leaving the hillsides bereft of green. Yes, everything turns a dull shade of yellowish brown. Those of us in the Foothills realize that's fitting. After all, we are the Golden State. =)

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  26. The snow is beautiful, but I can't say I really miss it! :D We did get a surprise snow a few weeks ago. It was very jarring actually, but inspiring too.

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  27. Cold, but no snow (that picture you found is gorgeous!). Great post.

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  28. I love how a post about nothing can be so beautiful. :) Lovely, Jill!

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  29. We have some snow and ice on the ground. Bitter cold temperatures require boots, a down coat, and many layers underneath. More of the white stuff will hit us on Monday. At least we've been hit with only one blizzard.

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