Living with Winter

For Florida, it’s pretty cold. There aren’t tons of winter clothes available in this state, so, for the week or so in the early part of each year when temperatures actually drop down to the 30s, most Floridians wander around with bewildered, slightly irritated expressions on our faces, frozen to the bone by the wind that cuts right through our thin shirts.

Tonight’s one of those nights. I walked out to my car and felt as though bits of ice were forming on my arms. My dog Sprocket (who recently had a haircut, poor thing) hides in the electric blanket and refuses to go anywhere else unless it’s absolutely necessary. The cats, Coretta and Othello, are equally as snuggly.

There is one benefit to the uncomfortable cold – though the weather here never has enough manners to at least bring us a single snowflake – and that is that we can see our own breath. For a few days each year, Floridians return to the thrill of being seven years old and comparing icy breath with their friends. Since it happens so rarely, it’s a fun event for us each time.

Or maybe just for me. ☺

In any case, tonight I’m wrapping up with blankets inside and pets and writing.

What is living with winter like in other parts of the world?