Thursday, November 20, 2008

It's getting rather chilly in northeastern Wisconsin. I wouldn't mind so much if the chill wasn't accompanied (or rather, caused by) the wind. I happen to live in a wind tunnel. I guess compared to other areas of town it's a relatively new development (if by "new" we're talking in the past thirty years). It's close to the freeway and several businesses, and apparently trees didn't make it onto the blueprints when this area of town was being planned. I mean, there are trees, just not that many. It is remarkably more windy the fewer trees there are. Thus, I live in a wind tunnel.

It makes for some unfortunate hair days.

However, it doesn't rain as much once it gets this cold/windy/unnecessarily miserable. That is a major plus. Rain makes for awful hair days.

So, bringing this all back to where I started, it's freaking cold out. A quick check of my hometown newspaper reveals a forecast of 60-degree sunshine for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next... Flippin' California. Of course, it's not always 60 degrees and sunny in NorCal in November. No, I remember the days when my bedroom was used as the "overflow refridgerator" because it was so stinking cold. (It's true. Pity my frozen, teenage self.) There were a couple winters where it actually snowed. (Not in my room. Outside. Outside the house.)

I haven't decided which I prefer - a winter where it might snow once or twice (and may or may not stick), or a winter where you might have one day when it doesn't.

I keep digressing. It's cold. As I try to be more and more eco-friendly, green, or whatever catch phrase you want to use there, I try to use things like the heater less and less. I have sweaters and shirts with long sleeves - I can layer! And I have tons of blankets - I can burrow! Each morning I wake up grateful and slightly amazed that I was not crushed in my sleep by the sheer weight of all my blankets.

I am fairly certain that freezing temperatures are unnecessary until after the official start of winter, and even then it's iffy. Why not wait until January?

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