What’s So Bad About February?

Oh, how I loathe February.  The snow is tiresome.  Snow boots are a bother but a necessity, since I fear icy patches, where I might take a spill.  My parka is soiled with patches of dried salt, and I don’t bother to remove it.  At this point, I no longer care.

“I need to run to the bird seed store,” my husband reminds me.  “Don’t we have enough at home already?” I ask.  He doesn’t listen but instead drives to the local shop to pick up more wild bird seed.

He returns to the car.  “See what they gave me for free?” he says excitedly, handing over a rectangular box.  Oh look, it’s a Thermodynamic Drinking Bird – “a personal heat engine in a handy duck shape.”  Just what we needed.  In times like these, I like to quote Spencer Tracy in Father of the Bride…

“We were never blessed with such bounty!”

Our next stop is to the grocery store, to pick up a few things.  I sigh from boredom, picking up my book to peruse on this colorless day.

A quote on page on page 37 makes me pause and think.

“If you are ever bored or blue,
stand on the street corner for half an hour.”

Maira Kalman

Of course, she’s right.  I make it a point to stop focusing on my glum attitude and instead take note of what’s happening around me.

An ambulance glides through the intersection, its siren blaring loudly.  Someone is on a gurney inside, heading west to the hospital one mile away.

We pass a newly built Andy’s Frozen Custard, boasting a six-foot frozen cone in front of its doors.  The custard reminds me of whipped marshmallows, with an almost pearl-like sheen, tempting passers-by.

In the Jewel parking lot, cars maneuver among high banks of dirty snow.   Walking through the lot, intricate paths make us avoid frozen patches and drenching puddles.  Impatiently, we wish for spring.

A young man and his wife walk toward the entrance of the grocery store.  He lingers, allowing me to walk in after his wife.  Chivalry and manners aren’t dead.

Inside, the store tells us we’re not alone in our thoughts of springtime.  There are fresh flowers.  Cantaloupe.  And jelly beans.

After paying for our purchases, we start to head out the automatic door, when once again I run into the same gentleman.  He waves his hand.  “After you,” he insists.

I smile back, using my eyes to express my gratitude.  Pandemic masks are like that.

Back in our car, I think of my daughter, who waits at my home.  She stopped by this weekend for a short visit.  We will re-heat the chicken tacos I made last night.  She asked if we can watch an old Columbo movie together.  Of course, I say Yes.

Bird seed.  Chivalry.  Cantaloupe and jelly beans.

Icicles, snowmen, and sleds.

Chicken tacos and an old movie.

And I ask myself… really, what’s so bad about February?

Thank you for reading — PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST