Fall is here in resplendent colors and cooler temperatures. The mountain behind my house, Blue Mountain, is full of those oranges, reds, browns and yellows. It is everything I was told it would be, and more! And now I'm watching the weather on a daily basis to see when the temps are going to get even colder, and even asking everyone when it might snow for the first time.
And you wouldn't believe the stares and astonishment I receive from most of those I talk to. "You actually want it to get colder?" Or, "Are you crazy? You really wnat it to snow?" And, "You'll be sorry about ever asking those questions when winter does get here!" So, in the interest of setting the record straight, let me try to explain:
I was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1946. And I lived there for nearly all of my life (aside from a few months collectively in Colorado and New York). That is 66 years of sunshine, my friends! I actually watched it snow one January in downtown Ft. Lauderdale - a few flakes that melted almost as soon as they touched anything, but snow nonetheless. Oh, I've been in Greeley, Colorado in the winter, for a little over a month, and I saw some snow out there. I also saw some snow in NYC the two months I worked up there.
But the reality of the situation is that I have never lived in a northern climate. Visited, yes. Lived, no. And so, here I am, in Palmerton, PA. Snuggled against the mountains, with a ski resort a few miles away. There are signs telling me that I cannot park on my side of the street on every 2nd Thursday of the month, so that the snow plow can come and clear my street. And here it is, the middle of October, and lows for the next two weeks are in the mid- to low 30's.
I digress - I am positioning myself as a nut-job here because I am actually looking forward to this winter. I want to know what it's like when the temperature outside drops down to 10ºF! I want to know what it's like to sit in my living room and watch the snow fall outside. I want to know what Blue Mountain looks like with a white blanket. And I am hoping, supposedly against hope, that we will have a white Christmas this year. I'm told that it rarely happens here.
Yes, I'm from Florida, and yes, I want to experience a real winter! And yes, there is a good chance that, come spring, I will rue the day I ever asked for winter. When the ice on the sidewalk takes me down, I may curse winter. When I cannot get dressed warm enough, I may hate winter. When the snow turns to slush and the salt on the streets turns to black mud, and I have to drive through it all, I may despise winter.
But, you know, I have never had any of these experiences, so I will just have to go through this first winter in Pennsylvania and find out for myself. I will definitely do a reprise of this post in April or May, and maybe then my tone will change. But I have one thing to say about winter - I have spent the last 66 years in Florida, and I have personally been through a whole lot of hurricanes. Wiki Andrew if you want to see the last real nasty blow I was in. Charlie and Francis messed with my daughter's Florida wedding, and destroyed Captiva Island. So, Pennsylvania, bring it on! Give me your best shot! Let winter begin. I've got my heavy jacket, I've got my thermal underwear, I've got gloves. I've got my stocking cap.
And lastly, I've got retirement - my secret weapon. If winter gets too harsh, I have an answer: I'm just not going outside! We'll stock up the pantry, and make sure the broadband connection is working, and I'll just stay put until March!
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