Grateful

So, most of you are aware of the fact that I have a tendency to complain about California's lack of a true winter. I grew up with four glorious, distinct seasons: a hot (but not sweltering, live in the pool unbearable) summer with big blue skies; a crisp, colorful autumn with cold mornings and pleasantly breezy afternoons; a cold winter with dry air and light snow; and a rainy/sunny, 60s and sunshine kind of spring. I love that weather pattern, and I miss it. Especially once the Christmas decorations are up, I always get sad that the chances of snow are pretty darned slight. I love the hum of the furnace, the warmth of a wood stove, a cup of cocoa in my hands and a pair of SmartWool socks on my feet--something about all of that transports me to a better place in my mind.

But this morning I see its between 18-25 below zero with windchill where my family lives. Mind you, this isn't normal--usually the winters there are fairly mild for that far north. But every 5-10 years, a week or so of that type of thing shows up. And if you've never been in that kind of weather, let me tell you it is MISERABLE. Any thought of leaving the house causes great mental pain, let alone the thought of hanging out on the playground for 15 minutes at recess (yes, they still sent us outside--we northern kids have to be tough). Don't wear jeans. They get stiff and cold and that makes it feel as though they've frozen to your legs--which doesn't actually matter so long as you're outside, I guess, since if you were dumb enough to wear jeans you can't feel your legs, anyway. If you live in a trailer (which my family did when I was little, and my brother lives in it with his family now), its pretty much a given that your water pipes will freeze (and, then, possibly burst) and you may be without any heat besides your wood stove. It makes for a rough week.

So here are some of the things I'm grateful for about winter in California:

*I don't have to chop, haul or stack firewood (as a kid, we had an entire shed dedicated solely to firewood, and then another closet-sized room in the house whose sole purpose was holding firewood)

*I don't have to bundle my kids up in sweaters, two pairs of socks, a snowsuit, a heavy jacket, gloves and a hat every time I leave the house.

*My car starts every morning, and I never have to knock snow off of it or find something to scrape the windshield with (because for some reason, the scrapers made specifically for this purpose would always wander off). I also don't have to waste gas by starting my car 20 minutes before I leave in order to make it a bearable temperature when I get in.

*I never accidentally melt clothing made from artificial fibers while trying to get warm next to a stove (every one of you Montana kids has one of those stories, right?)

*More than not, my car tires grip the road firmly all winter, and do it without studs.

*I don't have to carry chains in my car.

So there are some advantages to this lack of a winter.