Winter Fling

Winter, is my favorite season. Most people hate the cold and the extra layer of clothing. I love it. Coat, hat, scarf, mitts and all the other cold weather accessories that is cumbersome if you thrive at 60 degrees and higher. As for me, I love the comfort that these bring, particularly the warmth of a pure down quilt on blustery nights; along with a hot toddy, and the sounds of smooth jazz on the radio.

The foliage is plentiful, especially in Yonkers, a city that sits on a hill and is devoid of clustered tall buildings and crowded streets that is common in big cities. You can smell the air here; especially when it is brisk outside; the air smells of freshly washed crisp cotton sheets drying on an outside clothes line. As if it had jagged teeth the cold air gnaws your skin, even under the thickest of coats.  When you exhale, your breath hangs in the air like helium filled cotton before it quickly dissipates and another has come and gone in its place.

I love walking down Riverdale Avenue; this time of year the sidewalks are lined with barren trees that seem to be talking to one another about summers past, when they were all dressed up and had nowhere to go, content with the simplicity of their existence; to look pretty and provide protection from the sun; they’d bask in the glory of lending to God’s creatures a place to stay and play and if some were more fortunate, they gave of its fruit too.

Riverdale Avenue is not marred by people or shops; if you go for a walk early in the morning or late in the evening on any given winter day, you can walk without coming into contact with another soul for several blocks. When you do pass someone, you eye each other, first, suspiciously then inquisitively; each thinking “What’s on your mind buddy?”

Walking along Broadway is just the opposite; the streets are full of people, shops, and restaurants galore. During the winter you encounter people snuggled under layers of clothing; walking with hands jammed in pockets, their heads down, and tucked under as if looking up and ahead is a direct challenge to the wind to swipe at their faces, and nip at their ears.

Still, walking along Broadway has its own appeal, if you look east you can see some of the houses that sit atop a hill and if you look west you can see the backdrop of the Hudson River.

So, during our two week hiatus from school, come visit Yonkers. Bundle up, because, ole’ man winter is getting ornery.