My landlady controls the heat for my apartment complex. It’s great because I never pay more than $60 every month for both gas and electric. However, she is over ninety years old and starts turning on the heat in October and doesn’t turn it off until around April. It’s great knowing I don’t have to worry about it when it’s snowing outside with a windchill of over fifteen degrees.
But it was 59 today. Yeah, 59 in January, I’m as shocked as you are. To put in perspective, it was 6 degrees on Monday and will be 36 tomorrow. Don’t like the weather in New England? Wait five minutes. So I’m sitting on the couch naked and sweating while there is snow on the ground. If it stays like this in the morning when I have to go into work, I’ll forget to put on a coat until I step outside and remember it’s not summer yet.
The changing weather always makes me want the opposite. I talked a lot about wanting to go skiing this summer. Now I want to go on a cruise. But with the heat in the house I have other tabs open in my browser on destinations to Siberia. I may only want to go there so my chocolate bar doesn’t melt while I eat and type!
Ah but I shouldn’t complain. I have heat all the time while other people are out on the streets cold and hungry. A little sweat never hurt anyone.I get to look out my window with hot cocoa and see winter wonderland for a few hours as it is untouched. The dog park down the street and the cherry blossom trees that line it and the surrounding streets always look beautiful no matter the season. I live close enough to the beach to see sea foam freeze as the tides roll in and create this beautiful paradox I have never seen anywhere else. I’ve been lucky enough to see the Atlantic Ocean create a layer of ice over snow over sand in Maine during a blizzard. This time last year I was riding a horse on the Mediterranean as the sun set over France.
Winter for me has come in a lot of shades of cold and not so cold. I prefer the snow, I will never not think it is beautiful to see everything covered in a white blanket and see only the green of the pines and smoke coming from the chimneys into the blue sky. I’m a New England girl born and raised, Norman Rockwell has to be proud of me every now and then.
This winter hasn’t seen a lot of snow, only 3 incredibly small falls so far, but it is still young. There’s plenty of time to see more. Until then, it’s still cold enough most days to bundle up with a blanket and a foaming mug of chocolate and a good book or to dress warmly in boots and scarves and peacoats and walk around downtown. My fingers are crossed it stays that way through Saturday so I can use my day off to actually get outside a bit. Until then, it’s cozy slipper time!
My Life as Laur 