Dear Readers,

As the excitement, chores and bills from the holiday crush move into your family's rear view mirror, and there are no more NFL games on TV until the Super Bowl, it’s time to hunker down and enjoy winter. For the benefit of our friends who flee Boothbay and Wiscasset, for the (not so) sunny Southland, here are a few of Uncle Joe's tips to find wintertime bliss.

First: In a wonderful pristine environment that is both homeopathic and gluten free, go outside and shovel snow. Tip: Mittens are warmer than gloves. You don't need gloves to grab a show shovel. This is a great way to get your heart rate up to the red line when the cardiologist begins to sweat that your health insurance may not cover his bill.

Second: Take regular walks — outside. Creepers, the metal and rubber creations you pull over your boots are mandatory. They allow you to hike down an icy path with out doing a dance step that resembles Curly, Moe and Larry auditioning for the American Ballet Theater's Corps de Ballet. Long johns and snow shoes are optional in some cases.

Third: Check the weather and worry — a lot. Many of my friends get lots of exercise by walking down the basement stairs every couple of hours to check the level in the oil tank. Worrying about running out of, and contemplating the price of, oil also helps to bring your heart rate up to the line mentioned in tip number one.

Added benefit: Watching the grave predictions of the smiling TV weather casters is good for your soul as you will have a tendency to utter the name of the Almighty, a lot. Ditto for news stories about how propane supplies are dwindling and prices are on an upward geometric curve.

Four: Eat comfort food. Lots of it. Shepherd's pie, mac and cheese and tuna wiggle are recommended dishes. Apple and blueberry pies are also good for the soul. I am told all these foods are calorie free when the temperature is below 32 F. I know this is the same as zero degrees Celsius. I do not know what that translates to on the Kelvin scale. Note, these statements are not guaranteed by a government agency.

Five: Go to the St. Andrews Thrift Shop and buy a jigsaw puzzle. For a buck or two, you can spend several weeks pondering a thousand or so tiny pieces that may, or may not, turn out to resemble the photo on the cover of the box.

Six: Worry and wonder. For those that are into politics, worry, just worry. Republicans ruminate about President Barack Obama. Democrats carp about Gov. Paul LePage. For Independents, just the thought of the Maine Legislature in session will likely make you hide under the bed. ’Nuff said. For foodies, it is always fun to spend the afternoon paging through cookbooks. As you attempt to lose a few pounds, they are the equivalent of food porn.

Seven: Forget all I have said in the last few paragraphs. Just sit back in your easy chair, read a good book, and just savor the thought that in about a month, the Red Sox pitchers and catchers will report to spring training camps.