Freezing is the word of this month already. Thankfully, we have no water or snow to deal with ice, but we are holding our breath to see what happens this weekend. Just be safe and keep warm.

Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past month. Big balloons go out to Hazel Chrebet and Augustus Fisher, who celebrated Jan. 3, and to Aliyah Bennett Maria Oliveira and Acacia Lima who all celebrated Jan. 4.

You can definitely see the difference in town now that January has arrived. Here is how you know it is mid-winter in town: it is darker as the Christmas lights are gone, you can get almost any parking space in town, it has been cold enough to have the scallop boats still on their moorings, it takes you longer to shop at the Stop & Shop because you are running into people you have not seen all summer and fall, houses are darker and closed for the winter, shrubs have burlap on them to protect them from snow and cold damage, there are no lines at Granite, when you drive down the road you can see all the houses that are new in the woods now that all the leaves are gone, the butter on the tables is still hard, the geese are feeding in the fields at Morning Glory, Morning Glory has it soups and salad bar back, the mail lines are much shorter, the snow shovels are now on the back deck or right up front in the garage, the Stop & Shop has snow melt in grand display by the register, people are asking for recommendations on shows to binge watch.

Winter is here but every day is getting a little longer.

Don’t forget to check out the library for their programs. They have great ways for people to get together and, of course, many books to read. Don’t forget if you can’t get to the library and have a CLAMS card you can have access to all their books by downloading Libby on your phone or iPad. I have it and love it as I can read something whenever I want. If you have trouble connecting to the app, the workers at the library are very helpful to set you up.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.