Written on a cold, rainy day in February.

February is hard. I have bad dreams. Almost everyone I know has died in my dreams this month. Yes, even you. Yes, even me.

Today - cold, rainy, and dark - makes me want to crawl under the covers and hope for a better tomorrow (the forecast doesn’t look hopeful). Lou feels it too. Everything is a contest of wills today. Getting in the bath, getting dressed, getting in the car. He woke up from his nap and immediately demanded Dora. We don’t watch television in the afternoon, but exceptions are the rule on a day like this.

February in our town is even harder. We ate at McDonalds for lunch, and I’m still feeling ill (note: fast food always makes me ill – I am like a delicate flower). We went to McDonalds because there really aren’t any better options, and we needed to get out a bit. I like the taste of McDonalds, but I don’t like the accompanying feeling that my digestive system is failing. I dream of a quaint little café with a toy corner. There’s a great, authentic Thai place in the town we hoped to move to, and the spicy and sweet dishes could have brightened a day like today.

You may think I sound depressed, but it isn’t the case. On the whole, I am optimistic and happy, and I have much to look forward to. This uninspired mood hits me every February, when the last eternal stretch of winter becomes oppressive. It is not sadness or despair, but rather a hazy void; an impression of suspended animation. You believe that spring will never come.

But spring always does come, doesn’t it? At first we are afraid to believe, but eventually the bitter cold stays gone, and lo, the flower buds aren’t killed by a cold snap. They bloom, and then life picks up its pace again.

So here’s to a speedy spring.

Le printemps est au fond de nous, même, si parfois le vague à l’âme nous étreint lorsque l’hiver s’attarde.

Bientôt, refleuriront les roses.

En France, j’en ai même cueillie une, le jour de Noël !
Le printemps a un peu perdu la tête cette année !

La rose d’hiver
Confite en sa gelée blanche
Embaume décembre