As I type this the temperature hovers around 6 degrees with the windchill dropping it into the negatives, snow falls lightly. It was even colder this morning. Still I will admit it I prefer the cold to the hot. I feel I can make an honest judgment as I have experienced both in their extremes. An interesting thing about Minnesota is that the weather people typically say whether the temp is positive or negative, because it is not rare. I have experienced negatives in the double digits before the windchill, you don't even want to know how cold that feels with the windchill.
On the other hand I have lived in the heat as well. Having lived in southern Georgia where the temps stay in the upper 90's from May-late September. Where the temps rise into the 100's and the humidity is so thick it feels like you can not breathe. Where a friend visiting from Benin Africa made this comment "This is Africa hot"
So why do I prefer the bone chilling, hair nose freezing cold to the hottest days of summer? Because no matter how cold it gets you can always add more layers. The opposite can not be said for no matter how hot it gets. My heating bills are still lower than the air conditioning bill which is not a luxury but a necessity in heat like that. And I can easily create warm moments in a cold climate but never really mastered creating cool moments in a hot climate.
I've taken up knitting and crocheting - my mother taught me and between her gifts and the talents of my hands one is never far from a blanket or sweater in our home. I like snuggling up under blankets and reading to my kids. I like that they play in the snow (which never melts because it is too darn cold) and then we have hot tea and cocoa. I prefer this to the stickiness of the heat - who wants to snuggle close and read in that kind of weather?
Even going outside - I can dress warm and manage from place to place here. We wear layers, buy good clothes and move fast (the cold motivates you to move quickly to your next stop). When I went outside in Georgia I still needed to be clothed and even if I could have gone in just my bathing suit I know I would never have been able to get cool in that heat.
So on days like this when I can feel the chill even inside my nice warm house I am thankful. I am thankful I live in the cold. I am thankful for my heater. I am thankful for my home and for the craft of my hands and of the women of generations before me. I am thankful for the warm moments that you can easily create even in the coldest of climates and moments.
Peace,
Tenn
December 7, 2005
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I so agree! I grew up in Utah and now I live in Houston, which I believe to be as miserable as Georgia. It started snowing in Utah yesterday and I'm so jealous!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a homeschooler, but I love your blog because it helps me to motivate, inspire, and encourage my children with their learning.
Thank you!
Oh, I totally agree! My husband is from northeastern Mexico where it's horribly, scorchingly hot June-August. It is dry there which helps some. High humidity is so nasty. I'll take the cold over the heat any day. The heat makes me extremely irritable--I'm another woman. Also, I can't imagine living in a climate that didn't have 4 seasons. It would never feel like Christmas without snow!
ReplyDeleteBut not everyone feels that way. My husband told me that he heard on MPR a story about a charitable organization from Denver that went immediately to Louisiana post-Katrina. The were at the Astrodome offering people rent-free apartment for a year, a car, and a job. They had no takers until things got really bad there. Why? Everyone said it was too cold in Colorado.
I have to disagree with ya'll. I'm in the lowcounty of South Carolina, and we have the same weather you were talking about in Georgia. I do wear my swimsuit as much as possible, and I carry around a squirt bottle to spray myself off, creating a cooling sensation. And of course, the house is air conditioned.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm cold, my fingers and toes ache. I hate that feeling! The heat is relaxing.
I do not like the cold. I'm cold right now in my 73 degree house and I feel like my feet are freezing off. I much prefer the springtime here in Georgia much more than the summer though, but I couldn't handle the cold.
ReplyDeleteMy son says he wants to move to Detroit or New Jersey and be an animal cop and live where it snows. He's only seen snow a few times. I told him I'm staying right here during the winter so he'll have to come and visit me when it snows up there.