Hazy Shade of Winter

HOW APROPOS.

What do you like most about cold weather? What do you like the least?

Did I mention that apropos is one of my favorite words? I'll have to actually sit down and make a list one day, but it would be pretty long.

In North Carolina we didn't ever have REALLY cold weather, but we got enough to satisfy me, because I don't care for it too much. I don't think it ever got below 20, and if it was 20 (or, God forbid, in the teens) it never lasted long. We rarely got snow, usually sleet or wintry mix a couple of times a winter, and if we did get snow it would ice over and make it impossible to drive. Now, I have yet to experience the famous New England winter, so I will have to go with my experiences to date.

I like cold weather because it makes me more fashionable. No one has a problem with you wearing multiple layers when it's 30 degrees outside. There's no need to worry about, say, shaving your legs, or having a tan, or looking fat, because everyone is totally hidden under all those clothes. And since I'm pale and super-body-conscious, I like that. I also like being able to see your breath when you exhale, and I like snow in moderation. I like running the heat in my car and keeping it nice and cozy, and I like building a fire, except now we don't have a fireplace.

Autumn is probably my favorite season. I like when the leaves change; it gets cool, but not cold; it's football season...but then when you get into winter, there are some drawbacks. First, daylight savings time kicks in, and it gets dark really early. Up here, it gets dark at 5:00. Also, a lot of snow and/or ice make it difficult (and unpleasant) to go places, and to be perfectly honest I don't like being cold. I could hibernate through the winter and be fine, provided I was stocked up on food and stayed someplace warm. Bears have the right idea.

In short, I'm not looking forward to the winters up here because it is going to be COLD. On the bright side, I have an awesome fuzzy hat and the baby has an adorable snowsuit. We'll see what happens.