There is still snow on the ground from the “Blizzard of 2010” and another six to eight inches were added this week.  The snow in our yard is still beautiful, but the plowed snow piles along the streets and in the parking lots have become gray and depressing.   More snow is predicted for this week.  And it is not even midwinter; winter has not even been here a month.

The newness of the year is wearing off  and the resolutions are beginning to wane.   Spring seems so far away, and the activities that usually energize me, such as taking long walks, are not as energizing on icy sidewalks.

So it is time to plan some winter activities, instead of just counting the days until Spring (65).   It’s time to dust off the novel I wrote during National Novel Writing month in November and start revising it.  It’s time to tackle the backlog of scrapbooking projects and to finish the Lego Carousel that has taken over the kitchen counter.   It’s time to look forward to a new season of American Idol starting this week, the return of network TV after the “winter hiatus” and to snuggle up under a throw blanket with a cup of tea and a good book to read.

And to think about how much I will have accomplished when in 65 days I send out my First Day of Spring cards, greet the first crocuses, and welcome Wally, Clarence and Eddie as they emerge from hibernation, instead of just wishing that I could hibernate as well.

It’s November and as others plan for Thanksgiving I have decided to participate again in National Novel Writing Month where the goal is to write a  50,000 word novel in 30 days. This year I have decided to write my novel entirely on the iPad I received for my birthday. I’m currently up to 8,000 words. Although the mathematically inclined will know that I am behind schedule, the beginning is the hardest part for me, I’m still getting used to the iPad, and most importantly I’m having fun. And hopefully I won’t be fighting the swine flu this year as I’m finishing. Next 42,000 words, here I come!