I Hate Winter!

I'm not one to whine or complain a lot, and I generally try to keep an up-beat attitude. But I have met my match this winter.

I HATE COLD WEATHER!! I am positively miserable. I hate cold weather, I hate snow, and I hate the short hours of daylight that winter brings. I hate the mess that people and dogs track into the house. I hate the ice that invariably causes me to fall. I hate the threat of frozen water pipes. And I hate the mud that follows the melted snow. The new-fallen snow may be pretty for a short time, but I much prefer to look at it from afar, say, on a mountain top several miles away. I hate being house-bound either because of massive amounts of snow or because of bone-chilling temperatures.

I know there are people who don't like cold weather. But I absolutely despise winter. And this winter, my first in New Mexico, has seen record-setting cold temperatures. I'm not alone; this massive blast of arctic air hit people in 30 states. People are fed up with snow and cold, even in areas that are used to this kind of winter.

I never have liked winter. As a child living in the Chicago area, I used to watch the Rose Parade on New Year's day and dream about some day living in California, so envious I was of the people in short sleeves watching the parade in person. Then I was spoiled by living in California for 27 years, albeit in cooler northern California. I also spent three years in Texas. Both places had spates of 'cold' weather during winter, but nothing remotely close to the -7 we experienced in early February. Two towns in New Mexico had the lowest temperatures in the U.S., at 36 and 34 below zero. The gas company can't even supply enough natural gas to all the homes in the state, so thousands of people have been without heat for several days. I'm lucky, I guess, to heat my home with propane from my own (rented) tank.

I can deal with snow, as we usually don't get a large amount and it generally melts in a few days. But highs in the low teens? I hate it. The sun is shining brightly, and I keep thinking I should go outside for a walk. But it's too miserably cold.

Look at this picture of the Sandia mountains. It's beautiful, isn't it? Glorious blue sky, snow-covered mountains, a low cloud bank. Beautiful indeed, but just looking at it makes me cold.

I'm not depressed, but I have lost interest in exercising. My choices are either walking on the treadmill inside my (unheated) garage and being bored stiff, or walking outside in the cold and wind. Some choice.

I don't ski, snowboard, ice skate or snowshoe. Why would I want to engage in activities that take place in the frozen out-of-doors? I love being outside, but not at the risk of frostbitten fingers or face.

Now I understand why bears and other animals hibernate. If I could, I would hibernate, too. Wake me up when the temperature hits 60, please.