Sunday, December 11, 2016

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

13 comments:

  1. Driving in it sucks and seeing it at the ends of March also sucks, but I like snow...I find it pretty especially at night when there seems to be a dusting of diamond dust on it. Aside from tobaggoning, I don't do any winter sports either.

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  2. Good thing you have a snow blower, Denise! I'm not a winter person either, anymore. Didn't bother me when I was young and downhill skiing was a regular activity for a couple of years. My mother had a serious case of Raynaud's disease (I have a milder case, just enough to make me uncomfortable in cold weather), which is why my parents ended up in southern California. (The long distance visits always cost a fortune!) Wish I could afford a winter home there. Florida is a lot closer and cheaper, but somehow, not attractive. Plus, it's humid, which is also uncomfortable (and we can't afford that either). Bitching about the weather is a sport in these parts, yes? Fun and also cathartic. ☺ BTW, it's been snowing for a couple of hours here and will likely keep on all day. Yuck!

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    1. Bitching about the weather is a true art form

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  3. I hate winter. I've mentioned it so many times on my blog that my readers probably just laugh and ask "so why does she live on the edge of the New York State snowbelt?" Well, it could have been worse. When my husband joined the Air Force in our youth, he volunteered for Sault St. Marie, Minot ND and an Air Force base in Maine. What was he thinking? I dread the slippery season now. Yes, bitching is a sport here. But every year, we are still here, and I don't even have grandchildren. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. I love your response. They used to have finance conferences up north every other fall. One year it snowed in late September the day we were returning home. At least now I do not have to drive in it. Just have to have the driveway cleaned for my son to drop off Charlie.

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  4. Go ahead and complain about it; been there, done that, wrote the book, but only for 8 winters in Montana. I was younger than so I didn't mind shoveling the snow (we had a snow blower, I just couldn't get the hang of it). It was good exercise and a feeling of accomplishment to look at the shoveled area :) However, I didn't like driving in it, I was always cold. Yesterday was 72 degrees and today the same with higher forecasts in the days to come. Its our payback I guess for the 114 degree weather in summer. I'm not complaining.

    Stay safe!

    betty

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    1. My oldest lives in Texas and thinks 60 degrees is cold.

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  5. I don't like snow either! Thankfully I have two big healthy teens living with me that can earn their keep by shoveling if we get it that bad. We don't get the snows like we used to. I have only had ice dams on my roof once and it was so scary to wonder what was happening up there. Good luck and I'll hope the radar is wrong!!

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    1. Well, I cleared about six inches of snow an hour ago. It is tapering off, but when they plow the street I'll likely be blocked in. Doesn't help that a neighbor has four cars parked in the street.

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  6. I hate winter and snow too. I hate to be cold, I'm terrified to drive in snow, and I hate how slippery and messy it makes everything. They say we have a chance for our first winter weather event (isn't that a nice phrase for a snowy/icy mess?) this Friday/Saturday. I'm really hoping it turns out to be nothing because we're supposed to be having family visiting from out of town, and I don't want to have to cancel because of the weather.

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    1. My mother-in-law flew in one year for Thanksgiving and flurries turned into two feet of snow. She had an extended visit with us.

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