It's Winter Everywhere

As many of you know, I will occasionally whine about the fact that I live in beautiful, sunny Florida...where 9 months out of the year it is hot enough for AC. Now in my defense I only complain in October and November when the AC is still going strong and the water sprinklers are working overtime. In fact, it is a beautiful, sunny morning as I write. Gabby and I are cozied up in the sun room; both of us in sweaters and under a blanket as it is 32 degrees here. The news is on in the background and it's all about the monster storms that are hitting the nation and yes, my hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia is getting hit hard. Currently it is 16 degrees there (but feels like 1 degree) and there is over a foot of snow on the ground and more coming today!! While I don't miss living with the day to day inconveniences of real winter weather, I can picture the beautiful snow scenes of various places in Parkersburg and wonder, since there is no school today, if they are ice skating on the duck pond at the city park and sledding between the shrubbery at the cemetery across the street??



Growing up in a northern climate I remember all the commotion that accompanied winter. In elementary school we had coat closets that rolled on wheels, the front side was a big bulletin board. The backside...a tangle of coats, gloves, hats, scarves, boots (yes, red rubber ones that slipped over our shoes), and lunch pails. We went out in the winter for recess...and I just wonder (the teacher in me) how in the world did 20+ second graders and one teacher manage to dress and get outside in under an hour?? I do remember in fourth grade coming in from recess to Mrs. Gibbs' classroom, and being the stellar teacher that she was, she had a built-in thawing time during which she read aloud to us. I loved listening to her read and when I became a teacher that was one of my favorite times of the day... of course I was reading aloud to red-faced, sweaty little kids and at times the gnats that followed them in from the playground!!



As kids, we were thrilled to get snow days!! My neighborhood was full of kids so we would build snow forts and stage snowball battles and sled down the hills in our backyards (Mr. Deaver's hill was the best)! Of course there was work associated with the snow. Lots of sidewalks at my house and very steep, winding front steps that needed clearing so the mailman could deliver the mail (yes, they walked back then). When I was old enough to drive there were lots of opportunities for adventure!!! Our back street was named Highland Avenue (appropriately so) and it was downright scary in the winter in a little Ford Pinto!! I actually carried a bag of sand and a shovel in my trunk to help provide traction for my lightweight car. At night when I got off work I would use a bic lighter to heat up my car key so I could unlock my door. And scraping the windshields....don't get me started!!!



I only lived in West Virginia a couple of winters after Nicole was born before moving to Panama City. But I imagine that the romance of winter is lost on adults who have children to get to school...work...errands...etc. Yes, I definitely think winter weather is the best friend of children everywhere and oh yeah...Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel!