February 2010 in North Texas

I’ll have to admit February is not one of my favorite months.  There is a highlight right in the middle of the month, Valentine’s Day, but other than that I am glad it is the shortest month of the year.  Here in North Texas there are more dark gloomy days than bright ones and the rain arrives every week.  It seems as though we just get one storm moved off to the east and the next one is right behind it.  It’s not even so much the cold, although this February we have had plenty of lower than normal temperatures, it’s the lack of sun!  I can take a cold, sunny day but have trouble when the brightness of the day stays hidden behind a heavy blanket of gray clouds.  The hiking trails here at the state park where we are spending the winter have been closed indefinitely due to the rain.  Any foot traffic on the trails, now turned to mud would cause irreparable damage to the fragile prairie grasslands.  The popular off road bicycling trails have been closed and deserted for months and not expected to open back up any time soon.  The lake is lifeless and uninviting with not a boater in sight.  Every so often an intrepid visitor will head down the road towards the shore with a kayak in tow but almost certainly returns within a few minutes.  Ankle deep mud along the banks, another rain caused hazard, would make putting a canoe or kayak into the water an unpleasant mucky project.  For now I am day dreaming of summer activities and passing the time reading, writing and walking the park roads with the puppies.  Hold on, I just remembered that the fishing pond, crisscrossed by raised wooden walkways has been stocked with trout this winter.    Maybe Andrew will come out and we can brighten up this cold bleak afternoon with a little trout fishing!