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February is for lovers???

Ever wonder why February is the month for love? It certainly couldn't be because of the lovely weather. I took this picture in my back yard on Monday, and I don't know about you, but I don't see anything there to inspire romance. It probably isn't just because there was once a fertility festival that took place in in that month, either--although there again, why February???

To be perfectly frank about it, February is the time of year when love is the very last thing on my mind, and as a time for conception, it basically sucks. Think about it. Children conceived in February would be born in chilly November with the rest of the winter to survive as an infant being nursed by a mother who, particularly in olden times, probably isn't getting her full daily allowance of anything nutrition-wise, and sunlight (as you can see from my gloomy photo) is sadly lacking.

That being the case, I think February might have been chosen simply because there's nothing better to do, and nothing in particular going on. You're stuck in your house/cabin/castle for the winter, and if you're ever going to prove you love someone, that's when your love is put to its most severe test. I get really crabby in February, and if my DH was ever going to give up on me, it would probably be on Valentine's Day or shortly thereafter.

He's stuck it out with me for more than thirty Februarys, however, and he proves his love in so many ways. He puts wood on the porch so I can keep the fire going so we won't freeze. He feeds the horses for me when I can barely drag myself out of bed. He is happy with anything I feed him because he knows he's lucky to be getting anything at all. And, last, but certainly not least, he still loves me even though I never lost the weight I gained at Christmas and gives me candy in spite of that fact. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Perhaps February is the month for love because it's the time when we first get an inkling that Spring might, indeed, be on the way. A week or so ago, I left the hospital one morning and got my first whiff of Spring. The snow was melting, and there was that certain something in the air that promised better things to come. Later that week, it actually rained instead of dumping more snow on us, but now we have the mud to contend with.

But the mud will eventually dry out and then I can plant those vegetable seeds I bought a few weeks back when I was feeling quite desperate. At least there were green, growing things printed on the packages. March is coming on Monday and Spring will officially arrive in just 23 more days.

I am SO ready. . . .

Comments

  1. Cheryl

    I love the post but everything is reversed here in Australia and for us February is hot and humid and for us autumn is March 1st and am I looking forward to it I am really over the heat.

    I think it would be nice to celebrate Valentines Day when it is cold and you can snuggle up together in front of a fire here we have the air con on and no energy because the humidity has taken it from us LOL.

    The mornings have had a touch of coolness in them the last couple of days and the nights have been a lot better for sleeping YAY. I do love the change of seasons.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  2. Cheryl, truer words were never spoken about the month of February. Sometimes we don't see the sun for weeks. I'm already tired of winter, and just holding on before February starts.

    But in my neighbor's yard, despite more snow for longer than I ever remember, the brown mulch suddenly bristles with dark green daffodil tops. March and Spring will be here soon.

    Speaking of babies born in November, did you know the fewest are born in February--when food and fuel supplies would have been at their lowest-- and the most in September?

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  3. Interesting post, Cheryl! I have a lovely daffodil weathering the warmer days, the colder days, the freak ice and snow. It's a reminder that spring is just around the corner, and every day I come home I smile at my solitary daffodil. And frown at the dandelion sitting right next to it. :)

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  4. Cheryl- I also had a "Spring" moment about a week ago. It was the end of the day at work, and the sun was just starting to set, there were puddles on the ground instead of ice patches and I heard a few birds chirping. It was lovely. I'm definitely ready for green grass and flowers in bloom!

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  5. I have worked in the baby delivery field for decades and we know EXACTLY why more babies are born in the autumn months - because there is ONE thing to do when it is cold and a couple is stuck with each other! A surefire remedy to that crabbiness is sweet loving! LOL! And MM, that is another reason why fewer babies are born in winter - conversely, couples are more active in the spring to summer so less time for sweet loving. :)

    Your post is great, Cheryl. I am so NOT a winter gal and can't wait to see the flowers blooming and sun shining. Overall I feel far more romantic in the spring.

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  6. Hey Cheryl, great post! Having grown up in Hawaii, where we do not experience severe changes in whether it's hard to relate to some of the things you write about. Even having lived now for many years in CA, I do not experience snow and while it can get pretty cold it is nothing like what your winters are like.

    But February has been a brutal month for me even without snow. And I too am looking forward to warmer days when it doesn't get dark till 8:30p.

    23 days and counting!

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  7. I say we need to put on our Big Girl Panties and deal with this. This too will pass. I can't see the grass, or the Wishing well yet. The bird baths are still buried. But I hear the Birds singing their Spring songs. a pair of Cardinals were sharing seeds already.
    But It's still snuggle time. Put another LOG on the Fire Cheryl. Let's get a good Burn going. You know what I mean.

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  8. February in Wyoming is tough. We always get a few unseasonably warm days that lure the flowers out of the ground, and then we get a foot of snow dumped on top of them. It's so sad!
    I loved the part about the little things your husband does for you. That's what love is all about - not candy or flowers!
    Although I could use some flowers about now...

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  9. Good post, Cheryl. I admit I am not a winter person. I don't like to be cold. But I do love Valentine's Day and sounds to me like you have a sweetheart for a husband!

    Amelia

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  10. Lovely sentiment, 23 days till we can sneeze our little noses off, cough up a lung or two, and, well in case you didn't get, I have ALLERIGERIES!!! I usually have them 24/7/365 but Spring is the worse! But I do admit it beats snow up your wazoo!

    Cheryl you have such a way of looking at things, I do love to read your blogs.

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  11. Out here in CA it's more rain than sun a lot of days. I remember one Feb. where our flooding ended up on national news.

    But then, rainy days mean staying in and cuddling. Although during the day that means puppy cuddling.

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  12. HI Cheryl!

    I liked your pic!! But then, I like gloomy and cold days. :) Perfect for snuggling up with a blanket and good book. lol (among other things to do. *wink wink*)

    We didn't celebrate much of a Valentines Day. With my restricted diet he couldn't bring me my fav treat- aka anything dipped, smothered, or stuffed with chocolate. SO, I said let's pass this year. I'll make it up to him next year. lol

    It's been raining here on the west coast, which is nice b/c we needed it desperately, but the flooding part ain't that much fun. I had a shoe full of water by the time I got back into the car after dropping kids off. Not cool!

    LOL On the winter babies! My daughter is a December baby. *heehee* I guess it's obvious what I was doing!

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  13. GOOD ONE, Cheryl!

    I think you are onto something about making Feb. for lovers because there's nothing else going on. :-)

    Or is there? The week before this one, we had a run of lovely sunny days and all the trees burst into bloom. This week it's been another non-stop storm-fest with the wind and rain beating all those blossoms to the ground. But hey! There WERE blossoms, and Spring is on the way!

    But I still wish I could fly DownUnder and visit with Helen for a couple of weeks. ;-)

    AC

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  14. Sorry, but I LOVE February!!! It could have something to do with the fact that it's the month I was born in (and ask people around you when their birthdays are - it seems like a lot of people are born in February; makes me wonder what's going on in May!). Birthstone is amethyst, a pretty purple, so that's nice. Valentine's Day - hand out those chocolates and spread the endorphins! The bills from Christmas have already hit, so you don't have those to dread, and April 15 is still a long way off so you don't have to worry about taxes.

    And there's always the possibility of snow, which is just gorgeous as it falls.

    I'm loving me my February!

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  15. Well, it seems we have some mixed sentiments about February. Me, I'm just always glad when it's over! Today was better, though; it was pretty cold, but there hasn't been a cloud in the sky all day. Too bad I was asleep for most of it!

    As for more babies being born in certain months, I made a point of getting pregnant in October. Having been a late December baby myself (and you know what THAT means!) I wanted SUMMER babies, and I got two of them. In fact, their birthdays are four days apart!

    I think I would like February a lot more if I truly could snuggle up in my cabin and ride it out, but I've never had that luxury. I have to get out and drive through the mud and the snow and the slop, but fortunately, it's a short month!

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  16. I really don't care for February much either Cheryl. :) Living in nroth central Montana in February is hell. The temps go up and down we get snow and sun and mud and cloudy days and it's only the middle of our winter! We've still got March, April and a bit of May to get through before the snow is done.

    But like you said... there's nothing better to do. Maybe it's a good time to stay in and snuggle? :P Too icky outside for anything else. I like October best for romance myself. Maybe that's why I was an October bride... when it just gets cold enough to walk a little closer together...

    And here's to the men who put up with us eh? :D

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  17. Actually I kinda like February as a month - had a November baby to prove it! And for those who don't like it, at least it's short!

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  18. Geeze! And I thought I had it bad here in Indiana! I FEEL for you, Rhi!

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  19. Cheryl great post! Husband and I were married in February 12 years ago, and I always joke that it's pretty much the only thing to look forward to in such a dreary month!

    Tawna

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  20. I never thought about it before, Cheryl, but yes, I guess Valentine's day is a great way to brighten our Februarys!

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