Commuting to Richmond in the 90’s during February was the worst part of my life. I hated driving in the snow. After work once, I actually got a flat tire at the bottom of the Westminster Highway on ramp. Standing in my dress and heels in the blowing snow beside my disabled station wagon hoping someone other than an axe murderer would stop, was a lowlight of my life as a working mom with three kids under five.

If you don’t like waking up to a temperature of 14 degrees in your living room with the wind blowing against your windows and waves thundering against the rocks beneath you then you were quite right to have gone south to warmer weather. Is fetching wood with a temp of -2 outside and a gusting wind not something you want to do? Probably best you chose to escape.

It is definitely winter here. No doubt. February is always the coldest month in this area of the west coast. If there was a time to escape, it would be February. But if you can’t leave, it is definitely the month to be tucked inside beside the fire, with a full pantry and a good book or two.

We are both fast readers so when weather like this sets in we go through our books quickly. Yesterday, we read the latest Harlan Coban book, Don’t let go. It was okay. An easy read. Not his best.. Today, I am reconnecting with John Sanford…and the Holy Ghost. Neither of us are in the mood for deep meaningful reading. We just want to relax. Kind of like vacationing on the beach with a good book in the sun without the

beach or sun.