Blue Monday: Winter Blues

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself, please head on over to her blog.

I hate to have to say this, but ... it's winter. Words to send terror through my being. I may have mentioned (one or twice) how I hate winter. If I haven't -- well, I'm mentioning it now. And I apologize to all you cold weather enthusiasts -- I just really never have warmed to winter. (Hee-hee.)

We've been having an awful lot of rain here in central Texas this winter. (Yeah, rain is also not one of my favorite things.) Not enough to bring Lake Travis up to its normal levels, but much more than usual. It's also been much colder than normal all during January. But the last few days have been blissfully sunny and a little warmer -- although still too cold for my liking. I do love the intensely blue skies we get, this time of year, though. Don't get to spend as much time out in the sunshine as I'd like because of the red cedar that's going crazy all around us right now. Haven't had as much trouble with that this year, but I do remember what it did to my eyes a couple of winters ago:

Ah, yes! Alligator skin! Call me the lizard lady. OK -- I can't blame the wrinkles on the cedar. But it was definitely the cause of all the swelling, itching and redness -- which lasted for several months and nearly drove me out of my tiny mind. So when the cedar turns red, I retreat indoors and stay there until it starts turning green again. And that's only a month or so away. Well, at least I should get a lot of reading done. Assuming my eyes don't swell shut again.