Cold And Hot

It's all over the news, most of the country is experiencing close to record breaking low temperatures. It's about 15 degrees colder then the average temperatures here the last couple of days. I hear about all the snow we are expected to get and am bombarded with pictures of people shoveling snow.

But that's January. It's COLD! currently it's 7 degrees here and that's at 10am! It went as low as 5 degrees last night. This might be an average January day in the Tundra of Wisconsin but even they would agree..............it's ARCTIC!!! At least in Wisconsin they get a deep freeze and it sticks. Here we get a freeze/thaw cycle most Winters. That's were it warms up enough during the day to melt snow and ice but freezes again that night creating more ice.

That's also what caused Josh to hurt his back. There was a giant patch of black ice on a shady part of the sidewalk on the way to the apartment from the parking lot. He has a grade one sprain on the neck so for this week he can't lift more then 5 pounds and has to be careful. It was a hard fall and he hit his head but didn't show any signs of concussion. At the doctor's yesterday it was confirmed that there was no concussion. We usually walk around the other side of the building where it's sunny when it gets icy but Josh forgot about that.

We were in the part of the state that got about a foot of snow. That's average for here. We get at least one snow storm averaging 10 - 12 inches a year. It snows more often then that but I believe the average snowfall amounts to about 4 - 6 inches. That doesn't stop us from going about our regular schedules. On an average snowfall we save extra time for cleaning off our cars but it's more annoying then anything else.

But I know how they must feel in South Carolina with their snow. When I was in my Freshman year of college down there it snowed for the first time in nine years. Kids were using garbage can lids like snowboards. For 2 inches of snow they canceled school for three days. I wanted to walk to the Student Center with my roommate to check our mail and she was scared the entire time. We got there and back safely but it was funny seeing her react to 2 inches of snow like we do for a foot of snow up here. But they didn't have plows and salt down there. They don't need it. It would be a waste of City funds to have it. That's why I wanted to go away to school at first, to learn about another part of the country. It's an experience I think of and talk about often. I'm glad I did it.

When it comes to snow we don't get it as bad as they do in New England but the only people you'll find in swimsuits are in the Polar Bear club. That was one thing I always remember about Winter. There was an old man we would always see running around town in very little clothing in the Winter. He clearly was in the Polar Bear club. He must have either moved or died because it's been at least two years but there are exactly two sights so common in my childhood I find them comforting. One was that man running in shorts and nothing else and the other is the older Asian man doing Tae Chi on the Bocci courts in the park by my parent's house. I always smile when I see them. It's one of those "you know it's a small town when ....." situations. Clearly, there isn't any Tae Chi going on when it snows.

I'm getting colder typing words like "arctic", "ice", and "snow". How about "snowman", "snowball", "snowflake", "sledding", "skiing", "ice skating", "ice cube", "icicle", and "mittens". These are the Winter words that make us colder. Now for the words that warm us up "fireplace", "soup", "hot chocolate", and "oatmeal". I'm warming up already.

It's the time of year where the bed is so warm and toasty it's hard to get out of it. It doesn't need to snow for us to appreciate a nice mug of hot chocolate. Cold cereal isn't as appealing a breakfast as a nice warm bowl of oatmeal. A sandwich is nice but some days are made for a bowl of soup for lunch. These are the days when cooking something for dinner that requires the oven to be on for an hour or longer sounds delicious.

Most of that list is about food. When the chill seeps into your body it's comforting to put something warm into your body. But my favorite way to get that chill out from under my skin is a hot shower. As hot as I can stand it. Hot shoulders usually mean I'll be nice and toasty for a while. Some people like to light candles for added warmth. We used to do that but then I got pregnant. We still have candles for decoration but don't light them anymore. Sitting by a fire in the fireplace is nice and cozy. It's a great time for bonding as a couple or a family. We used to do that sometimes when we were kids. When I look at the fireplace at my parent's house in the cold of Winter I think of those times.

This is why so many people prefer the Spring and Fall, at least in my area. While Spring and Fall temperatures vary widely, they also are not quite as cold as Winter and not quite as hot as Summer. In my personal past observations I have noticed that the colder the Winter the hotter the following Summer. We'll see if we hit the 100s again this year. The last time that happened Zach was one and we had a really cold Winter. It still snowed into April that year. It goes the other way too. Mild Winters have been followed by mild Summers like last year.

It seems like there is a limited amount of hot and cold to be distributed throughout the year. That sounds crazy but it started making sense to me last year when March felt exactly like February had. It was an extended Winter and colder then average the entire month. But I had been paying attention and wasn't surprised that June was a little hotter then average. Years when March is warmer then average leads to June being a little colder then average. These are examples that translate throughout the year. A hot September means a cold November. A cold Spring means a warm Fall and a warm Spring means a cold Fall. I haven't documented my findings but I am an observant person and this is what I have noticed. The Winter seems to be the deciding factor for how the rest of the year balances. That's because of transitions which are mostly so subtle they go unnoticed.

That's the funny thing about Winter. In areas like mine where it's cold we spend most of January and February talking about the warmth of Spring. We envision it finally being warm enough for short sleeves but the truth is it usually doesn't get that warm until mid-May. The Spring is usually warmer then Winter for sure but it's an average of highs in the 40s and 50s for most of April. March's average temperatures are highs in the 30s and 40s. What usually equates to "out like a Lamb" is temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s depending on the year and the previous Winter.

But thinking about Spring is one way to warm up. I am starting to get a taste of Spring already. You might remember I mentioned trying to force bulbs. In the fall I posted how to do it and it's working for me. My Hyacinth already has flowers on it and my Tulip is plumping up and will bloom soon. We have a little garden in our living room and all of us smile as we walk by. It's a taste of Spring that does make me feel just a little bit warmer. I have a couple of buds for my outside bulbs but they won't bloom until late March or early April. My Daffodils might bloom in mid-March if it's early enough but either way I'm about 2 1/2 months away from flowers outside. This continues to be a beautiful sight and a great reminder about Spring.

Josh go this for his birthday. I added the pine clippings. I think the pines make it look elegant

Zach's Tulip. His is a little smaller then mine but still growing and changing. Zach has been enjoying keeping an eye on it.

Our little table with the bulbs. It's so exciting to see that splash of pink.

And here is the still growing and blooming Hyacinth!

Here is my Tulip. You might be able to tell it's a little thicker then Zach's.

The Daffodil. I must admit there are a few surprises here. I have never had a daffodil so I didn't expect there to be more then one bud from the same bulb the first year. In future years there would be because of "daughter" buds but with Hyacinths and Tulips those buds come from their out bulb growing out of the original bulb. It's why they have smaller blooms in future years. I'm also surprised it's the last to bud. Last year the area was covered with Daffodils before the Pansies arrived in the nursery. I thought this would bloom first. It's a good thing my Spring layouts include one scenario where I get the Hyacinths before the Daffodils.

We all have our own ways to stay warm when it's cold outside. We all have a different temperature reference for when we stop saying "I'm cold" and switch to "I'm FREEZING!" But we all have times when we need to warm up and we all have found what works best for us. But this year take note of the complaints of the cold and see if a colder Winter means a hotter Summer. Maybe it's a good time to make Summer plans. because thinking about the heat of Summer will warm you up studies say.