‘Frost in the tipi’ (again). The “moon of frost in the tipi” was how the Sioux people described the first month of their year, when it was bitterly cold on the Great Plains.

Our own “January” honors Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors. Because we must pass through a door to reach a new place, Janus became the god of beginnings, and of the Roman month “Januarius,” the “month of Janus.” For the Etruscans, whose civilization was overthrown by the Romans, the word “jauna” meant “door.”

Given the last two weeks of January 2005, I vote for the Sioux’s designation. From January 19 through 29, seven mornings were below zero, the coldest ones at minus-8.7 degrees on January 22, and minus-13 degrees on January 28. Lake Ariel, I’m told, hit minus-20 degrees on January 28!