I remember hearing my grandmother complain about the snow when I was about eight years old. She said, "I don't like snow." I couldn't believe the concept of not liking snow! You remember how it is when you're that young; you look out the window in amazement at the first snowfall of the season. Even though it's usually only a dusting, you still hope that enough snow accumulates so you can make a snowman or go sledding.
As a child, I loved playing in the snow. I frequently went sledding on the hill in our backyard and I cut snow caves into the snow drifts that lined our sidewalk or driveway. After I married and we became homeowners, shoveling the driveway was never a favorite chore but when I obtained a snowblower, I felt a sense of raw power whenever I used it! I looked forward to blasting snow out of the driveway. I became proud of being a northern U.S. driver who could handle heavier snowfalls, especially in one of the prime lake effect snow areas of the country? Six to 12 inches of snow? Piece of cake! We loved to laugh at the southern cities that pretty much shut down if there was an inch of snow.
My tolerance for snow and cold weather began wearing thin by my mid-40's. Perhaps a large part of the reason was because I replaced my mini-van in 2007 with a Dodge Caliber. Kind of a cool car, but it doesn't handle the snow as well as mini-vans do. So I became impatient with the poorer snowplowing results in the City of Rochester, where I work. Kudos to my hometown of Greece, NY, where snowplowing efforts are usually stellar! But I still had to drive on city streets to get to work.
As a teenager, I remember loving hot humid weather in the summer. One particular trip to New York City as an 18-year old stands out to me because there was no air conditioning and I remember laying in bed feeling sticky. I loved it! I can't imagine anything more sweltering than New York City in the hot summer.
Many family vacations were in Florida. We often spoke of the "blast of heat" we'd feel as we stepped from the plane to the jetway upon our arrival at Orlando airport. Most people we know didn't like the summer Florida heat, but we embraced it. We looked forward to the almost-daily afternoon thunderstorms that are prominent in central Florida.
I visited Las Vegas on two occasions during the summer months. I saw temperatures as high as 110; it's true that a "dry heat" seems more tolerable than a humid heat. One of my favorite memories of Vegas is standing at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel in the evening and feeling the hot breeze come through.
When my daughter spent some time living in Florida, I humorously feigned jealousy that she got to spend so much time in warm weather while us northerners had to freeze. It appears that recent years have taken a turn, however. We began tolerating the hot weather less than in the past. With some unusually hot weather here in Rochester this year, the novelty may be wearing off. Whereas I used to embrace a 90-degree forecast, as the summer wore on I began looking forward to 80-degree days. 80 seemed to be just about perfect.
I used to feel depressed when summer ended. Not anymore. I feel like I'm enjoying the Fall season in more ways than I can remember. I pay more attention to the colors and I've enjoyed some new Fall clothes that I had purchased. I've also decided I need to change my attitude about the Winter. It's been said that you can't always control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. I'm getting older and this is where I live, so I need to be more accepting of the climate and my aging body. Even on cold Fall days, I heard people complain. For once, I'm not complaining anymore. Instead of thinking about the cold, I just think about the nice warm clothes I have. Attitude!
Now that Winter has passed, I am fully enjoying the mid 60's Spring days we've been having!
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