Come on Spring

[Fred588]

Even though the days are now getting longer, winter just began a few days ago. I don't like winter. The last of the tomatoes and the last of the pea pods from the Studio gardens were both eaten today. There are a few radishes and bok choy but not for much longer. Come on Spring.

[MadMax359]

i know you are totally sincere in this sentiment

but you live in Arkansas, right? try January in, say, upstate New York, and maybe you'll come to appreciate an actual winter

but... you're right about spring on the way!

[Fred588]

i know you are totally sincere in this sentiment

but you live in Arkansas, right? try January in, say, upstate New York, and maybe you'll come to appreciate an actual winter

but... you're right about spring on the way!

I know of what you speak in regard to upstate New York. The first piece I ever got paid for writing was a story about spending a week training with the United States Luge program. That was the winter before the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and it was in Lake Placid. One morning it seemed rather cold when I went to the car and started it. That afternoon the manager of the hotel, whom I had seen watching me as I started the car, told me he was very surprised my car started. On the Farenheit scale, it had been -34 degrees. Practice was cancelled that day because it was too cold.

[MadMax359]

my frame of reference is growing up in North Carolina, we'd get a few days of cold weather but it never lasted

then i moved to New Jersey and the first few winters seemed awful; i had never seen snow stay on the ground for weeks, and before it melted we'd get a fresh few inches--- i wore layer after layer

but over time i got acclimated... so when i retired and moved back to NC, i now gaze in wonder when it's in the low 60s and people here are bundling up in heavy coats and wool hats

and i know that NJ was NOTHING compared to what you're talking about!

[Fred588]

my frame of reference is growing up in North Carolina, we'd get a few days of cold weather but it never lasted

then i moved to New Jersey and the first few winters seemed awful; i had never seen snow stay on the ground for weeks, and before it melted we'd get a fresh few inches--- i wore layer after layer

but over time i got acclimated... so when i retired and moved back to NC, i now gaze in wonder when it's in the low 60s and people here are bundling up in heavy coats and wool hats

and i know that NJ was NOTHING compared to what you're talking about!

I know what you are talking about. I used to laugh at students (in northern Louisiana) who would wear heavy parkas with hoods, and gloves, when it was in the 40s. Here in north central Arkansas when I work outside if it is 54 or warmer and not windy, I wear a t-shirt and a trunks-style bathing suit. I do wear fairly heavy boots but that is about avoiding an ankle sprain (and maybe snakes) and not staying warm. I am pushing 72 - maybe when I'm 82 it may be different.

[Duncan Edwards]

I loathe winter for all kinds of reasons. From December 1 until March 1 is winter for me and I spend every hour waiting for it to end. Nature is relatively benign where I'm at and we've had 65F+ weather for the holidays so far but the days are short and dark. There's no hope for naked muddy girls running around. Actually there's not much of that anymore anyway but at least the chance exists when the weather is agreeable. Third week of March is always first time to mow the lawn. One of my favorite days. Waiting...

[SabbieMobili]

Even though the days are now getting longer, winter just began a few days ago. I don't like winter. The last of the tomatoes and the last of the pea pods from the Studio gardens were both eaten today. There are a few radishes and bok choy but not for much longer. Come on Spring.

It's 77 right at now in North Central Texas, and yesterday I believe we topped 80. Much as I appreciate warmer weather, temps like this in December tend to invite catastrophic weather here like some of the rest of the nation experienced recently. We had an F0-F1 here in Jan. 2006 just as I was coming back into town from a Christmas trip out of state. It followed me paralleling the highway home for about 20 miles, but missed me.

Some plants have awakened here in just a couple of days due to the unseasonable weather, are desperately trying to reproduce, and now my nose is watery and my eyes are stopped up.

Oddly enough, I spent the first half of October on the Red River (the one down here, not the one in N. Dak, MN and Canada), and several nights were much colder then than what we're experiencing now overnight here. MUCH colder, he said, regretting that he hadn't brought a heavier sleeping bag.

Just a reminder: only ~363 more shopping days until Christmas, something like that.

[Fred588]

Afternoons have been from 70 to 77 the last few days and there ought to be one or two more. But next Monday and Tuesday mornings the forecast is for lows of 17. Sheer evil!

In reply to Duncan the impossibility of encountering naked, muddy women is becuase you do not have an indoor mud pit.

[Duncan Edwards]

In reply to Duncan the impossibility of encountering naked, muddy women is becuase you do not have an indoor mud pit.

That would be nice. It's just that I'm more a fan of the great outdoors. Makes things much less of a problem between me and the wife.

Looking at some local weather history, it seems that some of the the coldest weather we experienced occurred when I was born. Not surprisingly, slightly more than a year later, the winter weather was record warm and sunny for my oldest sister's birth. This is likely reflected in our respective personalities as I am the cynical curmudgeon and she is the endlessly happy cheerful one. Probably only a coincidence since I don't see tornadoes, earthquakes, and flaming hail when my youngest sister arrived.

[Fred588]

In reply to Duncan the impossibility of encountering naked, muddy women is becuase you do not have an indoor mud pit.

That would be nice. It's just that I'm more a fan of the great outdoors. Makes things much less of a problem between me and the wife.

Looking at some local weather history, it seems that some of the the coldest weather we experienced occurred when I was born. Not surprisingly, slightly more than a year later, the winter weather was record warm and sunny for my oldest sister's birth. This is likely reflected in our respective personalities as I am the cynical curmudgeon and she is the endlessly happy cheerful one. Probably only a coincidence since I don't see tornadoes, earthquakes, and flaming hail when my youngest sister arrived.

Just make sure no mud is tracked onto the floors and carpet.