Coffee, An Orchid Show, And A Long Cold Winter

Recently, the winter cold seemed particularly biting. It had seeped into my very bones, making every cell in my body shiver and do it's own version of the cell jive to stay warm. It was particularly bad the evening some friends of mine and I attended an orchid show. I was originally going to stay home and keep as warm as possible, but I really wanted to spend some time with my friends as well. When my friend Sara invited me over for supper before heading over to the show, it clinched the decision for me. Food always clinches the decision for me, particularly when I don't have to make it! The delicious stew she made just seemed to hit the right spots. It warmed me up from inside out. Okay, now I was ready to tackle the cold. It was bitter, but I soon discovered the joy of heated seats in Sara's car. What a beautiful feeling. Heaven at that moment was a heated car seat! I don't know who thought up the idea, but kudos to them!

We made our way to the orchid show, and to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not really an orchid kind of person, but when you go to a show like that and see the breadth of variety and blooms, it takes your breath away. There were so many different types of exhibits, and interspersed in between was art work featuring orchids. My friend Karen's piece won one of the first place spots. Orchids seem like a rather standoffish and sophisticated flower. They are like a painting in a museum, asking you to look but not touch, to appreciate and marvel at a comfortable distance. They are an unusual and unique variety of flower, and I thought that the show really showcased them well. The colors, patterns, shapes and displays were extraordinary. It was a troubadours call "Ladies and gentlemen God is in the house!" He's always in the house, and out of the house, and all around, but what a beautiful display of His creativity and glory. Who else could clothe these flowers so beautifully, and in such varied and unique hues? Each petal a painting unto itself.

After the show it was time to fellowship over hot cups of coffee. 

Coffee with friends I have found to be another great way to get through the winter. Have lots of coffee times with friends. It's my new winter goal. Coffee and conversation. The two C's. Necessary, when the other C (cold) threatens to take over your life. As always in Alberta, we tend to talk about the weather - a lot! That evening was no exception. I shared with my friends my bed time ritual of  turning on my heating pad, and curling up in bed with it. It's an addiction now. There's no going to sleep without it. The humidifier goes on with it's drops of essential oils perfuming our room (much to my children's and husband's disgust), and the heating pad is set to high, and of course our electrical bill shows s clear spike in use! I live in terror of the next bill!

Can you imagine what the earlier settlers had to live through? If I, in the comfort of a warm home, surrounded with modern conveniences, can still sit here and whine about the cold, what must they have had to complain about! I think they were a whole lot heartier than myself, both physically and emotionally resilient. I remember reading all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books as a child and loving them. It is only now as an adult that I can appreciate the true strength and stamina of the characters in those novels. When one thinks about the novel The Long Winter, based on an actual real life experience, to recall the story of a town hit by blizzard upon blizzard, stranded, the railway stopped, with little food to get themselves through the winter, it gives you pause. It makes you realize that we really have little to complain about, but complain we do. I know that I do!

Instead of hibernating the winter away in front of my t.v. and snuggled under my blanket, and wasting all those precious hours, I've decided to take a more proactive approach to winter. That does not mean that you will see me on a ski hill any time soon, but you might catch me out having coffee, or taking in an Orchid show, or maybe having friends over for a game night. Spending time with people, instead of glued to the t.v. set. The only interaction being reactions to the shows as opposed to each other. What did those families of old do when they were cooped up during a blizzard? Maybe they talked, cooked, laughed together, worked together,  or perhaps even played games together. Maybe they made up skits to entertain one another like the daughters of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, or maybe they sat down and painted and drew, or imagined and dreamed. I don't know if they sat passively, they probably didn't have time to do so. I really don't know. But I think I will take a leaf out of their life stories and try to do something useful and interactive. Lethargy is easy to slip into and hard to pull out of. I think I'd rather participate in life than have it slip by only having been an observer to it.

There I go meandering again! It's a bad habit of mine. Back to coffee and the orchid show. It was a great evening. I'm glad Sara's food lured me out of my cave. If it hadn't, I would have missed getting closer acquainted with a beautiful species, and not had the fun of sharing winter warming rituals with friends, and the simple joy of sharing lives.  What's t.v. compared to real life. Life doesn't stop when the weather cools down. It keeps going, and I think, so will I.