January in the Ozarks by Phelicity I live in the part of America called the Ozark Mountains, but we're not actually in them any more, just close. It can be furry cold here in January. I'm glad I haf a long fur coat on all the time! Sometimes we get lotsa purrty snow, all crystal white and sparkley! Snow makes a dirty old city look clean, and a hilltop in the woods look like a fairyland! When it's so cold outside, the door to my porch has to stay closed! I don't like the view as much from our other windows, so I miss watching the back yard. But the best place fur a kitty this time of year is right in front of the fire. We don't haf a fireplace here, so my Auntie BamBam plunks right down on top of the heat vent and stays there all the time. My sisfur Mewsette hogs the couch corner under the warmest lamp. So, like I said, it's a good thing I haf this fur coat. But I get the best snuggly warm, cause I crawl under the covers wif Meowmie at night and sleep all warm and cozy! She's furry good about not disturbing me. There's other ways to stay warm, too. When we lived in the woods, we had a woodburning stove. Meowmie spent lots of time in the winter outside splitting wood, and there was wood piled up all over. It was purrty messy, too. And sometimes purrty smokey, if Meowmie put a wet log in there. One time she smoked up the house so bad she had to stoop way down on the floor to find us cats. Smoke rises. It wasn't so bad on the floor. But that old stove was the bestest thing to take naps close to! We girls just loved it! Sometimes I got carried away and stuck my whole head under there, till Meowmie fished me out. Come to think of it, my auntie and sisfur cats hogged the closest warm spots back then, too. It's good to haf a Meowmie who makes quilts in the winter, too, cause there's quilts all over the place, big ones and little kitty-size ones, all beautifully decorated wif kitty fur. So I don't mind winter and January. In fact, I like it. I'm lucky to haf a good, warm home, and it's a cozy, snuggly time fur me.