winter wonderland

[Goonie]

...it was their oak doing some self-pruning...

Looks like scraping the ice off the windshield will be the least of the worries there.

 

[Meadbh]

Great picture, Calmloki! I hope that's not your car!

 

[calmloki]

Windshield is in good shape. maybe driveable - they have to get to San Diego on the 5th and usually drive. Oh - NOT my car! Tippytoed back from Salem last night and plugged it into the garage!

 

[bruce1]

BAH HUMBUG on Winter! Friday I spent in the house watching it snow and blow. Yesterday I spent moving the $#@! and on my knees between the tractor and the snow blower replacing the shear pin three times. Today it is blowing 40 mph and the forcast says up to 60 later. Snow is again up to the center hubs on the Buick and halfway to the doorknob of my workshop. The dog (St Bernard) only stayed out for three minutes.



Bruce

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

broken wrist? there's gotta be a dirty joke here about being single with a broken wrist. but instead i'm just gonna say hope you heal soon.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Great photos, Calmloki. Gosh, I miss freezing rain! Did I ever tell ya about the time way back last century when I drove home to visit my parents on Christmas eve. Took the 4-lane freeway, stayed in the slow lane (where the cars turned the ice to slush) all the way. No one passed me in 70 miles.

 

[barker]

My wife had a lot of SAD symptoms in the winter when we lived in Connecticut. We moved to southern Arizona and she feels much better throughout the year. Winter down here is a cloudy/rainy season, but being in the desert, it's still sun shine most days.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Windshield is in good shape. maybe driveable - they have to get to San Diego on the 5th and usually drive. Oh - NOT my car! Tippytoed back from Salem last night and plugged it into the garage!

God, these pics bring back memories. Think it was the winter of 1986. Wife and I went to a New Years Eve party and when it was over, went outside to find an inch of ice all over. I was too "stupid" to drive so she had to drive three miles home on the ice. She doesn't like to drive on dry pavement so out new year started out bad. Next day me son-in-law brought out two chainsaws and we spent the next two days cutting ourselves back to civilization. Nobody went to work for three days. Ice and freezing temps. This was in Kalamazoo, MI. Those were the good ol' days. Don't miss it a bit. Today, I'm in Tampa, FL and have to play golf tomorrow. Just saw the forecast of 83 degrees.

 

[Dreamer]

I keep saying that I have no idea why anyone lives where there is snow. This is a free country and one can move where ever they want. Hopefully, once DH retires, we will move to where the sun shines year round. Unless, my DD and her DH and my beautiful grandbaby move back here and then I guess I would have an idea of why a sane person would live where it snows.

Khan, I am sorry about all the trouble that you are having. I hope that you do get one of the lamps and that it helps you with your SAD. I wonder if my DH has the SAD syndrome. He definitely does not like winter anymore.

 

[unclemick]

I keep saying that I have no idea why anyone lives where there is snow. This is a free country and one can move where ever they want. Hopefully, once DH retires, we will move to where the sun shines year round. Unless, my DD and her DH and my beautiful grandbaby move back here and then I guess I would have an idea of why a sane person would live where it snows.

Khan, I am sorry about all the trouble that you are having. I hope that you do get one of the lamps and that it helps you with your SAD. I wonder if my DH has the SAD syndrome. He definitely does not like winter anymore.

Snowmobile drag racing, cross country or downhill - surely we have a few winterphiles who post here.

There is this 'character' at the doughnut shop(retired railroad) who loves to winter trap for fur.

heh heh heh - .

 

[Martha]

I keep saying that I have no idea why anyone lives where there is snow. This is a free country and one can move where ever they want. Hopefully, once DH retires, we will move to where the sun shines year round. Unless, my DD and her DH and my beautiful grandbaby move back here and then I guess I would have an idea of why a sane person would live where it snows.

Khan, I am sorry about all the trouble that you are having. I hope that you do get one of the lamps and that it helps you with your SAD. I wonder if my DH has the SAD syndrome. He definitely does not like winter anymore.

Most people don't move for any number of reasons. Family. Friends. Familiarity. Health Insurance.

 

[Goonie]

I keep saying that I have no idea why anyone lives where there is snow. This is a free country and one can move where ever they want. .........why a sane person would live where it snows.

Snowmobile drag racing, cross country or downhill - surely we have a few winterphiles who post here.

Heading into my 52nd year here in north-central IL, I still enjoy all 4 seasons...including the 1 that involves snow! I couldn't even imagine living somewhere where they don't experience fairly clearly defined seasons. Having the snow and cold in the Winter, helps me appreciate the hot & humid 'dog days' of August! As the hot & humid 'dog days' of August help me appreciate the snow & cold of January (and this Winter, December).

Then Spring brings the first glimpses of floral beauty, as the crocus begin to pop up through the light covering of residual snow, and the trees and shrubs begin to bud out and blossom.....all against the grayness of what was Winter!

After a nice and usually moderate Summer, filled with an over-abundance of floral & faunal displays, Fall approaches with crisp, clear nights, and the gorgeous hues & colors of autumn foliage!

And besides, in a much more basic approach, without the snow & cold of Winter, there'd be NO snowball fights, snow angels, snow forts and/or castles, tobogganing, sledding, or other similar things for kids...young & old...to enjoy!!! And nothing quite compares to [-]getting smacked[/-] smacking somebody 'up-side' the head with a snowball...which around here has normally devolved into an all out neighborhood snowball war!!! Now THAT is what real living is all about!!!

 

[hankster]

Although we grow tired of the cold and snow when we have an especially brutal winter like this one, we can't imagine living anywhere other than the Pacific Northwest. Our kids and grandkids are here, our circle of friends established over 25+ years, and the fact that this part of the USA is so appealing to us for all but a few months out of the year. We can hop a jet and take a week or two break from the cold several times during the winter. For us, that makes it tolerable.

 

[Meadbh]

I keep saying that I have no idea why anyone lives where there is snow.

Because that's where the job was. But after ER.......no!

 

[unclemick]

I can still remember bogying out of Boeing parking lots to Snowqualmie in time to get a fair amount of night sking before 10 pm? during the winter in the late 60's.

heh heh heh -

 

[Purron]

I can still remember bogying out of Boeing parking lots to Snowqualmie in time to get a fair amount of night sking before 10 pm? during the winter in the late 60's.

heh heh heh -

In 1966 we had a big snow storm here in the DC area. We made snow forts, sledded, generally had a great time! A big snow still makes me feel like a kid because we rarely get them around here. All wonder and excitement.

 

[Dreamer]

I have never liked the cold or the snow on the roads. However, my DH used to feel the same way as Goonie. He could not imagine living anywhere that there was not 4 seasons. The last couple of years, he has complained about winter. He was diagnosed with Depression a couple of months ago and is now on a couple of meds for it. He did not like it when my DD, her DH and especially our grandbaby moved to another state. I am also wondering if he could have SAD though, since he is much more active in the summertime. He was complaining so much about how quickly it gets dark at night and he might as well go to bed. He seems to be doing a bit better now, probably the meds.

I realize how hard it would be to up and move far away from here. We have lived here since 1986. I would like to be able to be a snowbird or at least take a few trips in the winter time.

 

[Goonie]

I would like to be able to be a snowbird or at least take a few trips in the winter time.

Even though I mostly adore Winter, doesn't mean I stay for every single day of it! I normally go south somewhere for a week or so in December...[-]this[/-] last year ('08) we went to San Antonio for a week of warm weather.....low 70's....while it was cold & snowy here at home. And then every February we head to Florida for 2 or 3 weeks, to enjoy the warmth & sunshine before the IL Winter loosens it's frosty grip.

Both the December and the February trips are helpful.....the early one eases us into Winter....and the later one eases us out of Winter and into Spring. A 'cold' Florida day in February, is better than a 'warm' February day in Illinois!

Doing it like that, we get the best of both worlds.....all 4 seasons, plus a couple of breaks from the cold & snow of the frozen north, to enjoy the warmth & sunshine of the south!

 

[NW-Bound]

Because that's where the job was. But after ER.......no!

It's very true that if once you get detached from a paycheck, the choice of where to live really opens up.

The problem is that if you have strong family ties, it's not that easy to uproot and move. Otherwise, I would have moved from AZ to the East Coast for quick hops across the pond to the Old World that I love.

 

[Koolau]

I always used to get depressed, beginning about mid fall. I always assumed it was because I knew winter would soon follow and winter in the midwest is miserable.

Maybe it's because I experienced winter in the midwest that I hate winter so much. Enough snow to be "pretty" or useable for snow activities is usually enough to paralyze our old area. It's always the same. 2 to 6 inches of snow then drifts the county roads closed, and makes travel through town a nightmare. Any more that 6 inches is guaranteed to snarl everything for days to a week or more.

If it doesn't snow, it's cold, windy, wet, miserable. If there is any saving grace to winter it's that really cold temps. will dampen the bug population the next miserable summer.

Oddly, the midwest, in my opinion, has miserable summers as well. It's hot, humid, and miserable. So parts of spring and fall aren't too bad. Other than that, it's miserable.

I have explored the south, southwest, northwest, and even the USVI looking for weather that is rarely miserable. While you can trade one type of miserable for another in these areas (compared to the midwest) none have consistently non-miserable weather of one kind or another IMO.

I finally found Hawaii and knew I'd found the closet thing to non-miserable weather I was likely to find. (I've heard that the Cook Islands, in the southern hemisphere are even better, but I like the idea of staying within the USA.)

Clearly, no place is perfect and there are downsides to any location. But for my personal sanity and enjoyment of life, I think I've arrived. If what I was experiencing back in the midwest was SADD, then it has not recurred since moving. Not even the monsoon season we're in now can dampen my spirits very much. YMMV

 

[Nords]

Maybe it's because I experienced winter in the midwest that I hate winter so much. Enough snow to be "pretty" or useable for snow activities is usually enough to paralyze our old area. It's always the same. 2 to 6 inches of snow then drifts the county roads closed, and makes travel through town a nightmare. Any more that 6 inches is guaranteed to snarl everything for days to a week or more.
If it doesn't snow, it's cold, windy, wet, miserable. If there is any saving grace to winter it's that really cold temps. will dampen the bug population the next miserable summer.
Oddly, the midwest, in my opinion, has miserable summers as well. It's hot, humid, and miserable. So parts of spring and fall aren't too bad. Other than that, it's miserable.

In my case it was growing up in Pittsburgh, and you can cross that one off your list too.

I finally found Hawaii and knew I'd found the closet thing to non-miserable weather I was likely to find. (I've heard that the Cook Islands, in the southern hemisphere are even better, but I like the idea of staying within the USA.)
Clearly, no place is perfect and there are downsides to any location. But for my personal sanity and enjoyment of life, I think I've arrived. If what I was experiencing back in the midwest was SADD, then it has not recurred since moving. Not even the monsoon season we're in now can dampen my spirits very much. YMMV

Same here by virtue of the Navy's worldwide relocation-assistance program.

Unfortunately (fortunately?) human bodies appear to adapt to almost any climate-- sort of a biological version of the hedonic treadmill. My parents-in-law grew up in the Bronx and spent another 30+ years in Annapolis. They're quite accustomed to brutal winters & summers. Yet when they moved to Hawaii (after a decade of Jan/Feb visits), they spent their first year here complaining about the blazing sun and blasting heat. Their first winter here they visibly relaxed and basked in the tradewind comfort and enjoyed the cooling gentle rains.

By next summer they'd stopped complaining about the sun & "heat". By their second winter they'd started kvetching about the bitter cold and the incessant downpours. So now they're back in Annapolis, happily complaining about the brutal winters & summers again.

I hear the same story from locals. When they're growing up here they can't wait to leave the rock. After a couple Mainland winters & summers, no matter where they experience them, they can't wait to come back. And then we can't comprehend why our kids are so desperate to leave the rock.

During our tropical climate extremes, if I should happen to break out in a sweat or chicken skin, I remember my summers in Charleston SC and my winters in Holy Loch Scotland... and I smile.

 

[deserat]

Ahh - growing up in AZ we used to wish for rain Now I'm in a small town in Germany and it hasn't broken 30 degrees for quite a few days - HOWEVER - I've found that if I get outside and move around for at least 30-40 minutes, the rest of my day goes well - if I don't do that, look out - BAD MOOD.

Hawaii - what I remember telling my husband when there is that the temperature, humidity, everything was perfect....couldn't think of any other word. We were there in June - I loved the 'open' lobby of the Hale Koa - understood it worked in the 'perfect' climate place.

I personally love mountains and Switzerland is particularly awesome in that respect - I don't mind the snow - HATE ice...so I guess we'll compromise. This year due to my knee issues, we will be going towards more beachy places - snorkeling, swimming and history jaunts - fun can be had anywhere, I believe.

 

[Dreamer]

Hawaii does appear to have pretty perfect weather. It is a beautiful place. However, I could never live there. It is too far from my family and family is one of the most important things to me.

 

[W2R]

Hawaii does appear to have pretty perfect weather. It is a beautiful place. However, I could never live there. It is too far from my family and family is one of the most important things to me.

Winter temperature is not my only, or main criterion in selecting an ER location, either. There are a multitude of other factors that we have considered.

 

[Amethyst]

SADD
Freezing Rain
Falling on the ice and harming essential body parts (and when, one day, osteoporosis sets in, not even daring to go out)
Dirty Snow
Frozen Crust on top of layers of half-melted snow
Yellow Snow
Multicolored Lumpy Snow (anyplace where dogs are regularly walked...what is that stuff some people feed their poor dogs, that results in bright red or yellow p**p?)
Dirty slush
Dirty slush splashed all over me by motorists
Motorists driving 3X as fast as sanity calls for, because they've got 4wheel drive, which is useless on ice

These are just a few of the reasons why we want to live in 2 places when I retire! If we can't see our way clear to living in 2 places, we'll look for one place, that is sunny, but not too awfully hot.

(In our case there is very little family to consider...indeed, it could actually improve the small number of family ties, if certain persons learn we have someplace warm to stay in the winter).

Amethyst