As December ended and eyes turned to the beginning of 2022, there was hope in the air and a renewed optimism of the spirit.
What a disappointment January was and so now I look to February to be an improvement over the past 31 days. Again, there is hope but perhaps not as much optimism — my spirit is being torn asunder by machinery.
February has always been my favourite month of winter. It is, after all, my birth month, a time of great joy my parents always told me, although my siblings weren’t quite as enthusiastic. In addition to birthday parties and coins hidden in homemade birthday cakes, February has other attributes to make it a worthy month.
My month has a day devoted to ground hogs and other assorted burrowing rodents. An early spring or late winter are their options and wherever they burrow, they live up to their mythical weather-forecasting abilities, often compared favourably with pig spleens, The Weather Network or television personalities attempting to explain storm patterns while blocking the view of the radar map.
The month of February is also a month for lovers. The date of February 14 is designated for the folks who purchase or receive greeting cards, flowers, chocolates, diamond bracelets, ugly ties festooned with red hearts, spa days, cinnamon candies or marshmallow-filled chocolate shapes on a stick.
There is also a holiday in this month dedicated to the Family. Called Family Day, the holiday will be observed Monday, Feb. 21, providing a long weekend for family activities. In some families, perhaps the day of lovers will be delayed a week so there would be a double-whammy celebration. Add in a school holiday of five days and wow — so much family time. “Love me tender, love me true, if we make it through this week, will we still have a love that’s true?” Food for thought!
Although some will complain about the weather in February, what we endured in January was beyond ugly and that brings me to my previously mentioned dislike of January. Our furnace konked out during those -40 nights with a windchill; our cellphones died and had to be replaced; the photocopy machine in my office died, was repaired and died again 10 days later, before the month’s end; the refrigerator is freezing hard-boiled eggs stored in the door and lettuce in the crisper; the stove’s oven registers 100 degrees lower than the temperature reported on the touchpad; and a computer somewhere sent us a bill via regular mail for an amount that had already been paid via an online arrangement.
Grrrrrr.
So come on February. I’m counting on you to step up and live up to all the nice compliments I have provided on your behalf.
Having only 28 days also means three days less than January for our machinery to cough up a bolt.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
