This odd weather pattern is creating confusion everywhere. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not complaining about our lack of snow. Each morning I am still able to scamper out to fetch my newspaper in my shorts, sandals, and little hoodie without fear of frostbitten toes, fingers, or slipping on icy or snow-covered surfaces. My gas mileage is better than normal for this time of year and I am certain that postal workers, newspaper deliverers, the UPS and FedEx drivers are all thrilled with having clear roadways and sidewalks. Motorcycle traffic can be heard on the highway that is behind our home and it is not uncommon to see young people out on their skateboards, scooters, or rollerblades.
This is mid-January.
I have friends and neighbors who routinely leave for warmer climes at this time of year, every year, and in some instances, the weather where they have "escaped" to is colder than it is here. My furnace must feel as if it (or I) is on vacation as it seldom has to run in order to keep the thermostat steady at 67 or 68 degrees during the day. With all of the sunshine that is flooding in the windows morning and afternoon, natural heat is created that even lasts through some of the night hours. Last night I spent more time throwing off covers than wanting to burrow under them. This is usually the time of year when Capt. SO spends most of his twenty-four-hour-a-day life shivering, adding layers, complaining about my body's elevated internal temperature and requesting that I put the flannel sheets on the bed. While I wouldn't describe him as reaching for bermuda shorts and short-sleeved t-shirts, he has not purchased any of those hooded blankets advertised on television......yet. Yesterday a group of retirees gathered to play nine holes of golf.
This is mid-January.
At some point, we all know that Mother Nature will have the last laugh and at our expense. Will it be a sudden and unexpected blizzard, thirty straight days of record snowfalls, the wettest spring and early summer on record, or the hottest summer in one hundred years? There is just no way that atmospheric payback will not occur. (Nice double negative, don't you think?)
Until then, I will continue to relish my winter flip-flops, shorts and tees.......inside and outside.
Ancora imparo
