I Hate Winter

I hate winter.  And this is not the first time I have said it.  I am not a 'snow' person.

I cannot imagine what life would be like if my mother's family had not left International Falls, Minnesota and moved to Cleveland, Ohio and eventually Detroit many, many moons ago.  Just glad I am not part of the family that remained in Fort Frances, Ontario.  I mean, how do folks put up with the cold and snow worse than we have here in lower Michigan?

I have a neighbor who moved down here from Marquette, MI (it's way up in the upper peninsula) several years ago to be closer to children and grandchildren.   We've discussed problems with roofing and windows in bad weather.  I cannot imagine staying and dealing with them.  But here I sit in Michigan watching it snow and hoping not to have ice dams on the roof.

I used to say that I would move to a state with no personal income tax after retirement.  Weather wasn't even the consideration.  But then a grandchild came along.  And unlike some friends I have, I do not relish the idea of traveling across the country every month to see family.  As a matter of fact, one cousin, who moved to warmer climes in retirement, moved back to Michigan to be closer to the two kids still living here (the other two: one is in France, the other in England, with little chance of returning home, which is why she is on her way overseas next week for the holidays).

I try to remember ever enjoying snow and can only think of one outing that was fun.  That same cousin I mentioned used to live on the east side of town.  Back in the early 1960's they were extending the construction of I-94.  She lived near the freeway and it was winter.  The land had been dug out for the freeway and there were the side walls all covered with snow.  Her husband suggested that we grab the kids and the sleds and go sledding.  And we did.  Along with lots of neighbors who had the same idea.  It was great fun.  One snow fun memory for 70 years hardly seems worth putting up with the bad weather.

Back in the 70's when I was working at the hospital, everyone would get ready to go on ski trips.  Not me.  I had fallen on the ice and broken a leg in 1968 so I was not interested in attempting anything that might cause another accident.  Especially since one of my friends had broken her hip on a previous ski trip.  One of the folks I worked with was not joining in the discussions and I asked her why she had opted out of the trip since she was a regular attendee.  She said she hated winter and she hated snow and was wondering why she felt she always needed to join the group skiing and decided she just wasn't going.  Well, it sure made sense to me.

Estimates of today's snowfall are for 6-10 inches.  I must say that Doppler radar is rather daunting at the moment.  I clean my own driveway as I have never had luck with any of the companies that promise to clear snow in a timely manner.  Someone has to be last on the list and it seems it was always me.  I checked the snow blower several weeks ago to make sure it will start, so I am all set to go.  Set, but dreading it.  And yes, I could live in a condo, but condo fees around here are ridiculous and I am rather frugal with my money, so I guess I will just deal with the snow.

And b---- about it.

February 18, 2014