Mome reads Mommy, My daughter's way to spell it when she was younger... It stuck. My son calls me Mome... just like it looks. I now sign all my notes to them "Love, Mome". It's our inside secret and makes them smile. I always want them to smile.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Too Much Snow for School and Too Cold for a Fire

Being a Michigander and now living in Virginia I'm amazed at what people think is "a lot" of snow and what they think is "cold". It hasn't gotten cold here. Sure, temps have dropped to the teens at night, but I'm not outside in the middle of the night so I don't feel it.

Schools have been closed because the roads were icy and they couldn't get the parking lots and sidewalks cleared. I get it. It's a safety issue. I remember as a kid listening to the radio every morning in the Winter and hearing all the rural school closings. It was rare that us Capitol City Public School kids got snow days. I'm glad I have friends who have lived other places that can laugh with me while others stay home in "panic" mode.

Natives of Virginia are also very susceptible to cold. My In-Laws demand that everyone wear slippers when they come over because they insist the floors are cold. I like to go barefoot. Especially since they keep the thermostat at 78.

Friday Hubster was going to get fire wood on his way home to build a fire, then decided it was a bad idea. He said "It's too cold for a fire." Something about the fire sucking all the heat out of the house. If 30 is too cold for a fire, what is the acceptable temp to build one without "losing heat"? He ended up caving (3-1) and went out to get the wood. The kids and I slept in front of the fire, which Hubster thought was a bad idea for the reason mentioned above. He also thought we'd freeze once the fire went out. We were all very cozy and no one complained of being cold.

When we were re-doing our foyer and bathroom floor I toyed with the idea of putting tile in the bathroom. My MIL insisted it was a bad idea because it would be too cold on our feet in the winter. She was also against the wood floors we did have put in for the same reason, and she warned of the water stains that would develop when even the smallest drops got on the floor.

We're not even in the far south. I wonder how people in Florida react to cold weather. I'll bet most don't even have Winter "gear". Or maybe they do, and they pull it out and bundle up when temps get in the 50's.

7 comments:

  1. I have spent winters in South Fl and yes 50s is freezing down there....shoot 60s are cold there!! And I don't get the whole "suck the heat out" thing....WTH is that supposed to mean? I think it must be something that his parents said (that makes no sense) and that Andy now believes!! LOL I love a good fire in the winter...just wished we had a fireplace instead of this stupid wood stove, it just isn't the same :( And this Virginian doesn't stay home in "panic" mode...I stay home cuz I don't like to drive in the snow and ice and since most people around here don't know HOW to drive in it but insists on doing it.....for my own safety as well!!

    Rikki

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  2. LOL! My sister-in-law lives in Virginia now (we're Wisconsinites) and always laughs and tells me stories about 'getting snow' and what happens... Always fun for me to hear!

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  3. I remember living in Arlington VA, when the entire city of Washington and all the Northern VA schools closed because of 3" of snow.
    Your in-laws sure wouldn't like to stay at my house with all laminate flooring and thermostat set to 65F.
    As far as Florida residents I'll give a short story.
    In 1968, my ship(out of Norfolk) visited Miami and Key West in Feb. A friend on board from Hollywood FL remarked about all the dumb Yankees on the beach and in the water. No Florida native would dare be on the beach in such cold weather. Temp was 78F.

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  4. I think it may have something to do with changes to the liability rules or something like that. For schools around here in the southwestern part of Missouri are closing with way less on the ground than what I can remember it would take for them to close down back when I went to school around here. In fact, many are canceling classes ahead of time just on account of the forecast, which I can't remember ever happening "back in the day."

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  5. I personally think anything below 60 is too cold and Ive lived in colder climates the majority of my life and I still can never get use to the winter weather. Ever. I think it may just be me. I don't even like to have AC on in the summer because it's too freakin cold!

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  6. I live in the south, and I cannot stand a temperature to get below 60, either, @Tellie. I know people all over laugh since a dusting of snow can shut everything down, but we don't have as much money invested in the stuff to keep roads clear. Last year, there was quite a bit of snow in the south, and they did not think the salt and stuff would make it through.

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  7. I have spent winters in South Fl and yes 50s is freezing down there....shoot 60s are cold there!! And I don't get the whole "suck the heat out" thing....WTH is that supposed to mean? I think it must be something that his parents said (that makes no sense) and that Andy now believes!! LOL I love a good fire in the winter...just wished we had a fireplace instead of this stupid wood stove, it just isn't the same :( And this Virginian doesn't stay home in "panic" mode...I stay home cuz I don't like to drive in the snow and ice and since most people around here don't know HOW to drive in it but insists on doing it.....for my own safety as well!!

    Rikki

    ReplyDelete

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