Is not like January in other places.
You can go to the beach in January in California. And not all bundled up to walk the damp sand watching the storm-whipped waves and thinking gray thoughts. (That’s January on the beach in Washington.)
No, here you can go to the beach to sit in the sand and eat a picnic lunch and watch kids splash and surfers paddle and birds dive and the sun sparkle on the water. Which is exactly what I did last weekend. It’s a fine way to spend an afternoon, let me tell you. I was wearing long pants and long sleeves, but hey it still feels like a day at the beach. I got that bleached-out, tired feeling from sitting in the sun, which I suspect we paler folks are more susceptible to. 
I even got some sand in my hair. I deliberately left my shoes on, which I know is not very beach-y behavior, but the beach was just one stop in my day and I have this weird dislike of taking my socks off and then putting them on again when they are all stretched out and tired. I thought about wearing sandals to avoid this situation but wearing sandals in January is just too much for my Northern self to handle.
(I did see a woman on the bus today in flip-flops, which seemed like a bad choice because today was actually a little bit brisker.)
The other news of January is that I have planted some seeds! So alas the blog does still have a garden bit left. My brother gave me a wonderful and very thoughtful Christmas present: a Chia herb garden. That’s right, the folks who make Chia pets also sell plain old pots to grow herbs on your kitchen windowsill. But it comes with the patented Chia Growing Sponge, which so far seems fairly exciting in that it’s less messy than dirt. Anyway here’s the Day 1 shot of the little herbs all ready to sprout to in their mini bag greenhouses. If all goes according to plan I should have basil, chives, dill, and cilantro at my disposal very soon.
In other news, I’m trying to figure out where to go for spring break. This would not be so problematic if there weren’t so darned many places that I would like to go!!!! The main contenders seem to be Mexico, Washington D.C., Louisville KY, New York City, or home. I think DC will probably win out, especially if I find a good way to combine it with Kentucky to visit my cousin. But I can’t help feeling a little sad that I have the opportunity to go back to Mexico and I might not take it. Hmmmmm. Same is true of home, of course, which is always a welcome destination. I probably can mull it over for another week or so before buying tickets.
