Isn’t it though? Not a day at the beach, for sure…no gentle sea breeze but a hard wind that doesn’t just whiff away the cobwebs of one’s mind but whips them around in a knock-down-drag-out to fling them like mini frisbees, landing who knows where. Rain at times…from just a spitter to a downpour. And cold enough to almost think ’snow’? Don’t you just love it? Hmmm…okay, I thought not. Most don’t…which puts me in something of a minority.
I LOVE this time of year…well, from now until around April’s end. Don’t care what the weather brings because, for sure, it will never be too warm, too humid and that’s the way I like it. The colder the better. Now, come on…isn’t there just a special comfort to short days, long nights, cold winds and precip? Okay…see, warm weather is very humdrum, days begin early and end late while, with all the hours of sunshine we try to figure out what we can do to fill them…or guilt ourselves because what we really want to do is sit curled up with a good book or movie, especially after working. And if we don’t feel it’s “such a waste to sit home” others are happy to needle us into thinking so. It’s hot…too hot. There are many who tell me this condition is much better than being cold. Aha! No it’s not! Look, bright and early in the morning of hot summer days we shower, dress, step outdoors and saturate…but since we are already wearing shorts and tank top or a paper thin dress there’s not much we can do about it but bake, and sweat…sorry…”horses sweat, men perspire and women glow…” LOLOLOL…GLOW!? Hah…yours truly glows alright…like a multi-logged fire banked up for a winter’s night and if I was to remove any of the already scant clothing worn in summer I’d be arrested. So would you….
But you see Fall, Winter, Spring…aaaahhh! Of course it’s cold, unpleasant to some…even nasty. But you can wrap up against wind and rain, three feet of snow. In layers of shirts, sweaters, jackets, mittens, battery operated socks we might look like the Michelin Man waddling to and from the car…at least if you slip and fall you know you’ll bounce, unscathed. And at day’s end there is the heartwarming feeling of knowing you’re headed home to the shades drawn, lamps lit, cozy fire (even if it IS one of those ‘instant ambience’ where the logs burst into flames at the flick of a switch) and just like an onion, layer by layer the quilting, the wool, the flannel, is peeled off. Sure you can keep going…guaranteed you will never get down to bare skin just a comfort level (with no criminal record). And food…this time of year hot food, comfort foods instead of cold salads and boredom. Well…ummm…yes, this time of year that could contribute to a weight problem but then under all the jackets and sweaters who’s going to notice? I bet there isn’t a soul on earth could actually tell you how big or small the Michelin Man is, right?
So then we come to bedtime…hot water bottles, electric blankets, duvets (of course you can use all of them if you need!) and cozily burrowed beneath a mountain of covers. Now, in our house that only applies to neck level. Face must be out, windows open wide and usually the ceiling fan still spinning. When the icicles begin to hang from chin, nose and ears sleep comes readily…no running to the fridge for a temporary blast of arctic air as there is in summer. Yes, even with the a/c.
Today I went out to run a few errands. Figured it would take me a couple of hours at most. The weather so perfect I forgot to come home, reluctantly pulling into the driveway some time after four. No jacket, just sweater and slacks. Hair so wind-blown looking like I’d been chewing on an electrical cord but feeling energized as I hadn’t done since last winter. It’s been a beautiful day!
