Bred to Bare

I am confident I was bred to bare the cold.

For starters, I smile for the first half of my walk to the subway in the a.m., and yeah, I am usually defenseless against the cold tear that falls at about 3/4 of the way to the subway stop, I still enjoy those rare brisk moments to and from and subway and I enjoy this first season of colder weather all that comes with it.  And yes, I a very grateful that I do not work outdoors.  God bless those that do in these temperatures.

When I'm scoffed at after exclaiming my love for all things NYC, I say, "Okay, well let's talk in six months.  I might change my tune," I say I'm 'one with the cold' to friends and family familiar with my recent move to the northeast and familiar with the climate thereof.  Knowing that I come from the 'Golden Coast', where the weather is "always sunny in California", I imagine have felt some worry about how I would respond to these temperatures; if I would survive.  But I friggin' love it!  I look forward to the refreshing air that greets me upon exit from my apartment building in the a.m.......my breath totally visible.  That used to always kill me as a kid.  When I could see my breath.  It was as though I was making it snow or something.  I was always over-exhaling when temperatures dropped at home - which was a rare occurrence for it to drop cold enough to see one's breath - or when we were up at the cabin.  Oh man, Arrowhead was the best place to show your breath, at night, when it really got cold, as in, down in the 40-50s.  That's what I used to think was cold.  Now that I have experienced single digits, I have a totally new definition and standard for what cold temperatures is.

I also remember always being so fascinated when the backyard bird bath would freeze over, and I would often tap at the ice to see how thick it was.  It was rarely, if ever, thick enough not to break through.  And when it actually snowed in little 'ole La Verne?  When it snowed - this had to have been in the '80s because we were little girls - we got out our sippy cups and attempted to catch some snow and freeze it in our freezer, only to find a sod ice cube at the bottom of our cup, after checking hours later.  That just about killed me.  Silly childhood fun.

Sometimes the dew on the grass used to frost over, but it wouldn't stay that for long what with the warm California morning sun.  And that's about it for any 'cold weather stories from Cali'.

But I was always that friend who had the most coats, scarves, beanies/hats, and gloves. And I was always the first to request that we go up to the cabin so that we could take advantage of the cooler temperatures.
I love layering, and my B.I. full-length down coat, I love fleece and pleather and cable-nit sweaters.  I love radiators and steamy man-holes, I love heating the apartment with baking or cooking, I love fires and candles, cold weather drinks, soups and stews, and most importantly, I love winter! (and yes, I even love that winter lasts six months in NYC).

So that all confirms it.  Born to bare the northeastern cold.

Please now take a moment of silence for those lives lost in the recent polar vortex occurrence.