Here’s a little jewel for you. I love winter. There, I said it. A lot of people around here, especially
in my age group (and definitely people older than me) all seem to complain and gripe about
snow and cold weather…I know, I know, them bones ache and my knee hurts when it storms, too
(due to a pool injury years ago…that’s a funny story for another time)…and maybe I am getting
a little long in the tooth, but I mean, I love winter.
Why? For a couple reasons.
(1) I’m a weather nerd
Yes, I love storms, clouds, rain, wind, snow, hail (when my car isn’t out
in it)…all of it. I’ll be the first to admit I’m no real fan of tornadoes that get a little to close for
comfort, but there’s still an obscene thrill that crackles down my spine like heat lightning when I
hear those sirens go off and the sky overhead is a roiling cauldron of gray-green anger. When I
lived in Florida I’d track hurricanes — all of them — by getting the coordinates from the hourly
updates and plotting them on maps to trace their tracks…
It’s been a fascination of mine since I was knee high to a grasshopper (translation for you Gen Z
noobs, that’s a long time ago). Some of my earliest memories are of watching the rain and storms
in my old house. Delaware wasn’t and isn’t known for severe weather (not like
Texas…hoooowee did we get some good storms there) but I can remember sitting in my tree fort
listening to the hail bounce off the roof and waiting for a break to run back inside during a pop
up summer storm. Good times.
(2) In the winter, there’s very little bug activity
Yes, I hate hate HATE insects. They drive me crazy. Every fall, when the hornets and wasps start their annual pre-hibernation/die off boost in
activity I’m overjoyed because I know it’ll all be over in the next month or so. No more buzzing
around food or faces, no more stinging, no more annoying flies or mosquitos or gnats…no more
ants crawling in and on everything…and as a result, the spiders tend to take a break too. I
absolutely LOVE winter for this reason.
(3) I hate being sweaty
I don’t have a condition or anything, I just appreciate being dry. There’s
not much on this earth that will get me irritated faster than a damp, wet shirt stuck to my arms or
back. I hate that wet squelch sound when you move around or get up and walk. In the summer
I’ll go through a lot of clothes just because…gross. My favorite counter to people saying just
wear less clothes is you can only take off so many clothes and you’re still hot and sweaty. In the
winter, I easily just throw on a sweatshirt or a coat and I’m warm and toasty and dry and happy.
Humidity in places I’ve lived (looking at you, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas) is a real downer,
too. Nothing like walking out your front door to go to work in 98% humidity and FOOM, you
look like you took a shower by the time you get to your car. Give me either hot and dry or cold
and dry any day of the week, as long as it’s dry air.
(4) Snow
Love it or hate it, it’s damn pretty. I personally love it. There’s something about an
impending snow storm and how it drives everyone to stock up and hunker down and pull back
into the safety of home and hearth to wait out the flakes that appeals to my prepper side. Maybe I
was a castellan in a former life. I really enjoy getting a nice crsip line on my driveway when I
use the blower, and Mrs. Richardson enjoys getting in and out of the house with little fuss (she’s
always cold, so she’s no fan of winter). Our kids love the snow as well, though our oldest is
starting to take more after mom and relish snuggling with a book and a blanket instead of
walking around the majesty of a winter wonderland and feeling the invigorating bite of Arctic air
on the face and in the lungs. I like it brisk, baby.
So…I gotta know. Do you like winter? Are you sad to see the snow melt and realize that’s the
last time you’ll see the artist’s landscape for the next 6-9 months (or less, depending on where
you live)?? Let me know! I want to see if I’ve got peeps to back me up on this or if I’m just a
nutjob howling into the (hopefully cold) wind!