Winter 2013 -- Waiting

Waiting Out the Winter

New Year's Day 2013

In his preface to his 1964 short story collection, _Waiting for Winter_, John O'Hara -- the mid-Twentieth Century American author famous for such titles as _Appointment in Samara_ and _BUtterfield 8_ -- noted that he wrote willingly and easily during the long, dark winter months when the cold and gray out of doors forced him to remain in his study ... but stirred his imagination most deeply.

Such is not the case for me.

On the coldest, wettest days I wrap myself in wool. My furnace is blasting. My body remains chilled. All I want is to sleep, and wait for summer. When the clouds occasionally break and the yellow winter sun weakly warms my room, I remain in my bed, my skin sticky under the blankets, cherishing the warmth... much like my cat, Charlie, a lazy old boy who is currently snugly curled up on my wife's lap.

Such times are not conducive to any writing.

And so I wait.