Hey folks, welcome to the new whine/general topic thread. Feel free to use this thread to discuss anything that is on your mind. Caregiving- related stuff, life after a loved one's death, your own emotional wellbeing. Whatever..........anything on your mind.
I don’t especially like the cold weather. I love warmer weather and sunshine.
If I could live anywhere in the world it would be on a sunny island near the beach with a nice breeze blowing while I sip a refreshing drink.
We designated November to be comedy movies and shows month, Which my husband needs after our youngest and I put him through spooky October.
I’m ok with March because I enjoy the sunny evenings. And birds are singing! We have seeds and peat pots ready to start. It’s an optimistic month. We’ll likely have a few bouts of snow and freezing rain in April so no outdoor planting until mid-May.
June and July are my favourites. Bring me summer!
You are right . There are fun ways to spend the winters indoors. I have noticed also that we do seem to see the adult children more in winter , cook, bake watch movies on the weekends. I do enjoy the slower pace , just hanging out together .
I think March is the toughest month . By then we want spring .
Online education has dampened the thrill of “Snow Day!”
Right now my bird feeders are bustling with overlapping juncos and returning spring birds. I still get excited the first time I hear Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs and American Toads!
We frantically cram all we can into summer.
There’s still 4” of snow but I’m already planning this year’s
(after having been suspended a few years due to COVID-19 and my mother’s needs) live music and karaoke dance on the lawn see old friends make new friends eat too much enjoy a day in the country camp if you like pool party and bonfire.
Sadly, the blah four weeks of January usually feel longer than the four months of summer. But we do appreciate the seasonal changes.
Interesting, the perspective that people have in regard to weather and seasons .
My husband had various opportunities to move to warmer climates . We couldn’t do it.
Although I no longer love snow as it gets more inconvenient to shovel the older we get , I would sincerely miss the definite changes of seasons. I would sorely miss when the leaves change color , how the color of the sky changes as well .
We have gone south on vacation a few times at Christmas time and the kids did not like seeing Santa’s on the front lawns with palm trees, 🤷♀️
Winter can get cumbersome and I long for Spring now . But I know and anticipate a show of fragrant flowers will be emerging soon along with baby lime green leaves . Sometimes I can’t decide if I like better , the Spring sea of lime green or the multicolor collage of Fall leaves.
The holiday season marks the beginning of Winter . Spring makes everything seem new and fresh . Summer reminds me of when the kids were young and home from school . Besides Fall’s colors ,there is the crisp fresh air and November sky that also has various color changes day to day .
But it’s all I’ve ever known . I totally understand how the winter would not be appealing . It can drag on . It is the reason so many retire to Florida . I guess it’s a trade off . I put up with winter because I do like the significant differences of the 4 seasons . It seems to pull me closer to nature and I find that comforting .
We did move “ south” to Pennsylvania from Long Island , NY 18 years ago . It was the compromise for an opportunity that was too good for DH to pass up . The weather and seasons are mostly similar to what we were used to .
I do miss being able to drive the car onto the ferry and in no time we are in Connecticut , on our way to anywhere in New England . The kids loved the ferry ride , it was part of the vacation to enjoy unlike an airplane .
When DH and I were dating , the ferry ride was sometimes the date. We would bring along our packed picnic meal , parked the car at port , bought tickets for walk on passengers for the ride, never getting off on the other side , to return again when the ferry turned around. We called the ferry our yacht.
I could go on and on about how I miss going to the beach anytime I wanted and how it changes with the seasons as well . We do miss the smell of the sea breeze .
I always struggled with organized religion . But in trying times when I needed to feel closer to God, I would drive to the beach by myself and sit where the ocean meets the sand , for me that’s where God was . It was constant. The water a constant . The waves come and retreat , but they always come back again.
With my sister ( and best friend ) in hospice right now , I could really use my solitary moment at the beach altar.
I have been to New England on vacation to see the fall foliage. It was absolutely beautiful, as if God took a paintbrush and painted all of the leaves red, orange and gold. I loved our trip.
The thought of moving there terrified me though. I didn’t think that I could handle those long New England winters! So, my husband didn’t interview with the engineering firm.
Now, I sort of regret not trying it out. I have never lived anywhere outside of New Orleans.
I think it’s easier for people to adjust to a warmer climate than for us to adjust to a bitter cold climate. I could be wrong. I’m sure there are some exceptions. My daughter loved living in Colorado. She adores the snow and mountains.
Maybe you didn’t say the exact time frame. I just remember that you said that you had moved away.
I forgot that you moved away that soon. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
We see the empty shelves when there is a warning of a hurricane. I think people do panic about having enough to eat. I don’t think they necessarily eat more during a storm.
Having said that though, New Orleanians have been known in the past to evacuate vertically and having hurricane parties until the storm passes.
Our city is below sea level so if people don’t evacuate they will visit friends or relatives that have a second floor due to flooding in many neighborhoods.
What did you do in upstate NY when the winter storms hit? I have a friend that grew up in Maine and she said that people are use to the long winters and being snowed in.
You were there for your mom for a long time. Experiences like you had of losing a father so young, causes a young person to mature very quickly.
It is interesting that many people are shy by nature but when they find themselves in a situation where they have to speak up, they somehow find the ability to do so.
When I was very young I was quite shy, not necessarily around people that I was close to, but with strangers. I seemed to outgrow my shyness later on in life.
Well, when it did snow here in Wash D.C., we would get heavy snow which caused a commuting nightmare. I remember the Federal government would have stagger hours for going home, so not everyone would be dumped onto the roads at the same time. And it would still take them hours to get home.
Another issue was ice. The snow would start to melt causing water to stand on the road, then refreeze overnight. With a SUV-4 wheel drive we would have all 4 wheels spinning. Now a days the State/Countries use a brine on the roads to keep the water from freezing.
And without snow this winter, I miss see on the local news the empty store shelves any time the local news would be calling for snow. Oh the public panic. I always wondered, did people eat more when it snowed?
Just opened the window to get some fresh air in the house.... oh my gosh, someone somewhere is cooking brisket, smells soooo good.
Also an introvert, I prefer to sit back and watch.
"You should not let setbacks crush your spirit."
I am aware as I get older that living alone is not the best for me. My brain/body need more human IRL interaction. An occasional trip to the stores helps but doesn't do it in the winter when I isolate due to the cold.
That is all.
"Never let a day pass by without laughter."
"If you want to get sympathy, cry. But if you want to get results, hustle."