A Winter Walk

After taking not one, but two naps today (!), I was ready for some fresh air and exercise. The temperature is cold, but was not terrible as it did reach the lower 20s today. The above picture is a tree in our front yard. Maybe next year we'll put lights on it so it will look even more like a Christmas tree!
I was nice and bundled up for the walk. The streets were quiet and I enjoyed spending 30 minutes walking through the neighborhood.

We have a small hill on the way out of our neighborhood. It's amazing how walking up even a slight incline makes me so much warmer! We have gotten some snow every day for the last few days. It's fun to see how much accumulates. I'm enjoying living in a place with snow!

Cold Weather First

The other day when I got gas, I had something happen that had never happend in Alabama. My fuel door wouldn't open. Upon examining it, I realized that it had iced itself shut. With a little persuasion chipping out the ice with my keys and a gentle whack for good measure, the door soon opened up just fine.

In case you were wondering - it's cold here! With highs tending to reach around 20 and lows often below 10 (and even -24 one day last week!), the weather is like nothing I've ever known. But, so far I'm not minding it too much. I just don't spend much time outside. The last time I was outside for more than a couple minutes was sledding a couple weeks ago now.

The same family is planning a night sledding this Friday night. I'm not sure - the high is 33 that day and the low 21, so it's definitely warmer than its been. They're going to have a bonfire and I'm sure it will be fun. We just have to decide if we're up to the cold.

Winter Weather

Before coming to Ohio, I never really considered what it would be like to live in an area where winter weather is of any concern. Sure, we had little scares occasionally in Alabama where there would be dusting of snow, school would be cancelled and all the milk and bread would be sold out. But honestly, during the 14 years I lived there, the roads were never really bad.

Sure I heard about places with snow, but how bad could it really get? I didn't think about how often it actually snowed and how driving could be affected by the weather. Rain may make driving difficult, but it's nothing like snow - especially when it's icy sleet or falling really fast.

According to the locals, we don't yet have really cold winter days. As I look at the ten day forecast, I wonder what real winter will look like. Already it's rare to go more than a couple days without seeing some snow falling. True, it does occasionally get warm (now defined in my brain as above 30!), and the snow has yet to accumulate, but how cold will it get?

As I learn about winter weather, I still think it somewhat fun to see the snow falling down. Weather up hear is more interesting - you never know when it will affect your drive home. Staying home due to the weather is something new that will sometimes give you an extra evening home. I've learned that snowplows and salt are wonderful and that the drive to work is typically not bad. I've also learned the term "two-hour delay" which happens whenever the roads are a little icy and schools open late. I don't like the feeling of my car sliding on the road, but so far have not had any major problems. We haven't yet had more than a few inches fall at once. Tonight, we supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow. I haven't yet made a snowman but maybe this weekend? . . Stay tuned!