One has to chuckle watching the news and weather on TV after living 55 years "back north." Temperature was predicted to go below freezing and you would think it were Judgement Day.
The thermometer on our back porch says it dropped down to 31.7. I do not know why but it never fails that the temperature in our neighborhood is usually 6 degrees warmer than the airport. I fell for the alarm - and last night I went out and turned our 6 outside faucets on to a trickle. I even let the sprinkler system come on in the middle of the night to "protect the pipes." This morning - I had icicles on the faucets - and my plastic-bagged Democrat had a candy coating like an eclair.
The news on TV was exclaiming that our citrus crops made it through the night - and Florida was spared another crisis. With hurricanes - tornadoes - drought - taxes - insurance - clearing land for malls - and OJ - we have added another disaster to our list.
News back North from my sons calls for a foot of snow in Syracuse and temperatures approaching zero in DC. Somehow the rest of the nation does not feel our "pain."
On New Year's Day - I went to a morning brunch party wearing shorts - only to be greeted by a crowd of people arriving in parkas on a 50 degree day. Don't even get me started about the contrived "wind chill factor" Nancy Dignon likes to throw around to make us feel even colder than we deserve.
For 55 years - I woke up in the "taiga" - the Great White North. On days like today - I was awakened by a call from the principal telling me we were having school off again - and I had to give up another beautiful day in June - to make up for this "unpaid vacation." To make matters worse - I had a bunch of driveways - sidewalks - porches - and decks that I was too cheap to have professionally cleared. My vacation day ended up with sore arms and back.
On the day after Christmas - when Lulu and I were lonely because we just put the kids on planes north - we drove to Alligator Point and walked on the beautiful white sand with temperatures in the 60s. We felt pretty smug that we lived just 45 miles from such a wonderful beach on the Gulf. In our 4 mile walk - we may have seen maybe 6 other people. One can truly get jaded quickly in the land of sunshine and no income taxes.
Lulu and are I sitting in front of the fire at noon - keeping an eye on our electronic digital thermometer outside - and deciding who will get a shower first and use "the best towel" on towel heater. Woe is life in sunny Florida - even if it is only Tallahassee.
No comments:
Post a Comment