Everyone,
Around this time of year, I start thinking about what’s going to happen over the course of the next six months – planning out where, when, and how I’m going to go about cold-weather travel and surviving another winter in the Mojave desert.
Fine, fine, I can’t really complain about the weather here, even in winter, since I know just how much some of you really deal with. We don’t get massive snows (or any snow at all, since I’ve been here anyway. Not even close), or hail or flooding, freezing rain, or hurricanes (thankyouverymuch), so there’s really not much ‘winter’ here at all when you think about it.
And for the most part, I keep my slim southern backside out of the coldest-winter areas during the coldest months. I love you guys, but I think you’re all crazy for slogging through hip-high snow for three to five months a year…move to Florida and we’ll play in February. Deal?…
It’s still a bummer for me, is wintertime. I hate to fall forward…it messes with my inner rhythm somehow, and I’m firmly convinced that I know what’s right. Dark should NOT come at 5:30pm, ever. And no matter what time it is, I know that even on the coldest and shortest days of the year here, someone – someplace I’d rather be – will be sitting on a sunny beach sipping a mimosa. The bastard.
There’s really only one redeeming thing about the colder months for me, and that’s that it’s the appropriate time of year to cook things in one big pot. Things like chili, red beans, vegetable soup, and all the other Kitchen Sink meals that seem too hot and heavy for summer stomachs. Cooking is a happy thing for me, and I can spend hours in the middle of the day baking things that I hadn’t planned to bake the day before. I also have a bit of an obsessive thing about having everything prepared, on time, at the same time. I guess I’m Big on Punctuality..
(And I’ll be trying out a new GF cornbread recipe to go along with the above-mentioned beans – if it turns out not half bad I’ll take a photo before we inhale it.)
Also, my birthday month is coming in October, which means that I’ll be turning another year older – something that is, as my friends know, always a happy time for me, as I am also Big on Attendance. Being still here rocks, and I’m looking forward to doing it more, and for a very long time. (If you want to help me celebrate 42 years of Perfect Attendance, my Amazon wishlist is HERE.)
Now I’m going to go into the back of the closet and pull out the coat that I know I’ll need sooner than later.
– Dana
BELIEVE me…if I COULD afford to, I would move to Arizona for 3 months every year because…WINTER.SUCKS.ASS!!!!
There is NOTHING pleasant about leaving the house at 5:30 am-returning around 5:30 pm when BOTH times are as dark as midnight. Add 2-6 inches of snow, and average temps around 25 degrees. YEAH! Winter needs to go to HELL!
Alexis,
I’d never suggest moving to Arizona, unless you’re a fan of heatstroke (or Las Vegas for that matter), but I hear that the Florida panhandle is beautiful this time of year.
Dana, don’t forget California. We do not get snow except in the mountains. It’s pretty mild here. We’ve been in a drought for several years now, so we are hoping and praying for rain this winter. I don’t like snow or freezing weather, but we need snow in the Sierras for the spring run off. There is nothing like home cooked hot meals during the winter months. Reading is also a fun favorite for me during the winter. Maybe you can recommend some books on your blog sometime.
Anna,
I ALWAYS recommend “The Liar’s Club” by Mary Karr – it’s a great memoir set in the very same area I grew up. A great read!
Texas is a great place to spend the winter, especially South Texas. I hear they have a Spanko that has never been tamed by any spanker anywhere. Sounds like a challenge that is right down your alley. Of course it’s a risk to go up against this Spanko, it could be embarrassing to come to your home state and be subdued by a transplanted Texan.
VBB,
Texas Winter Mosquitoes are the worst – why is it the only place in the country where the bugs get WORSE in cold weather? Ugh…ya’ll should move to Vegas (I hear there’s a spanker there who could take the VBB down a few pegs).
oxxo