My January vow to live in the present has taken a beating this last while. I’m planning a new novel, expecting a revision letter soon on another and fielding enquiries about possible spring author talks, so I’m very much looking forward. Besides that, February isn’t the easiest month to endure. It’s cold and rainy here on the Island. Today, the wind is so bitter that people are bundled up in hats and scarves and furtively whispering about the possibility of snow. The birds have deserted the pond. Even the dogs don’t want to linger outside.

But being outside inevitably brings me back to the present. And with the snowdrops blooming around the neighbor’s tree, and a field of crocuses putting on a show just down the block, the present is a good place to be. Because, yes, even February has its charms.