Fairytale
Fall has been like Cinderella this year, enjoying itself at the ball, taking its sweet time, rewarding us with crisp fall evenings and warm days, while I vacillate between the choice of pants vs. shorts or long sleeves vs. short (always choosing wrong). But midnight is nearing, for fall is now in a gigantic hurry to leave. And the only reason it can’t is because I’ve got a death grip on its leg. Plus, I’m begging.
It’s raining right now and the sound of it hitting the skylights at work is soothing and reassuring, and reminding me that IT’S NOT SNOWING YET, THANK JEEBUS. This weekend, we’ll put away our summer flowerpots, move our unused patio furniture, store our garden hoses, shut off the outside water, place the ice scrapers and jumper cables back into our trunks, and pull the snow blower from the dark back corner of the shed.
And soon we’ll put plastic on our windows, and I’ll start wearing gloves and layers of clothing, and I’ll chug hot chocolate by the quart, and the cold will seep into my bones that not even the hottest bathwater can penetrate.
And then it will be November.
Cheer me up: What’s your favorite winter activity?
I actually love snow. I love snow tubing. I don’t ski or snowboard so zooming down a snowy hill on an inner tube is just bliss.
Comment by kirida — October 22, 2008 @ 2:19 pm
No surprise here: RUNNING. I love winter running. LOVE IT. I even loved it when I lived in Minnesota. Though I once almost froze my face when I ran at -7 degrees (temp, not wind chill). Not my smartest decision.
What you said about a chill in your bones actually made me COLD just reading it.
Comment by erin — October 22, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
Making myself into a blanket man! I love me some blankets.
Comment by slynnro — October 22, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
WTF is up with fall this year? It’s been SO COLD around here, and that is very unusual for Oct. in the south.
But in the winter … I love curling up by the fireplace with a good book and some football on the TV.
Comment by moo — October 22, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
My favorite winter activity is drinking hot chocolate (the REAL kind) and sitting by the fireplace.
Also, from a born and bred Southern girl…how do you put plastic on the windows?
Comment by LA — October 22, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
Man, you even make the misery that is winter sound good. We had our First Snow last night. It is cold enough that it sticks. Damn. But – it is only about a quarter inch, so I suppose it barely counts.
Favorite winter activity – BAKING COOKIES. It is not the healthiest of choices.
On a healthier note, I really do love snow-shoeing. If it isn’t windy.
A.’s answer is easy: He LOVES to go ice-fishing. LOVES. IT. [sigh]
Comment by Artemisia — October 22, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
I love taking the kids sledding.
It hailed here yesterday. HAIL. What the heck?
Comment by Nowheymama — October 22, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
LA, they sell window insulation kits that include plastic you cut to fit your window, with special tape that attaches the plastic to your window frame. Once you have it up, you trim any excess and use a blow dryer to shrink the plastic so it’s tight. If you do it right, you can’t even tell there’s plastic over the window. (Until the cats start batting at it, that is.)
It makes a HUGE difference if you have older, drafty windows.
Comment by Shauna — October 22, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
It has been SO cold here in the mornings! I leave for work around 5:45 and I’m wearing about 5 layers and STILL freezing! Then I come home wearing one layer in the afternoon. It’s CRAZY! However, my favorite winter activities are knitting while watching a movie/tv and my other favorite is attempting to run in my 50 layers of clothing I’m wearing (I need to buy me some better cold weather clothing).
Comment by sarah — October 22, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Win…ter? Winter? What is this winter of which you speak? I haven’t had one of those since we lived in Denver. We get like a week of freezing-ish weather and that is IT. Not even worth it to bust out the sweaters. I’m jealous of you folks with your actual seasons, central Texas is basically year-round summer with a bit of spring thrown in.
Comment by nonsoccermom — October 22, 2008 @ 3:19 pm
My favorite winter activity…well when I lived in Erir, Pennsylvania it was skiing….now that I live in Chicago my favorite activity is spring cleaning…means I survived another winter.
Your bit about the snowblower cracked me up….about 3 years ago we moved to Kansas City….when the movers unloaded the snowblower one of our neighbors asked “What kind of fancy roto-tiller is that????” When we told him it was a snowblower he laughed at us and told us that it was way too big for the kind of snow we would get there. Now that we are back in the “north” we will get to use it again
Comment by Becky — October 22, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
Sorry should read Erie, Pa….
Comment by Becky — October 22, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
I love a lot of things about winter like hot chocolate, a warm fire place, playing in the snow, going hiking on cold early winter mornings, soup, warm bread dipped in said soup (shhh don’t tell the etiquette police, please!), pulling out comfy winter clothing like bulky sweaters and coats and big wooly socks, and the smell in the air. Like you I am generally ready for winter to be done well before winter is ready to be done!
Comment by Christina — October 22, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
I loved the ending, “And then it will be November.” Sad, but true.
I am not looking forward to winter. The snow, the cold, the bundling up of myself and two children. But, for the boys’ sake I will don my winter garb and head outside to at least build one snowman this winter.
Other than that you can find us at The Eagle’s Nest (not the bar mind you!), Maple Maze or possibly Edinborough.
Comment by Me Today — October 22, 2008 @ 8:20 pm
My favorite winter activity is hanging out in my Westy in the Florida Keys. Specifically: Sandspur Beach at Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key.
Comment by Ellie — October 23, 2008 @ 8:33 am
Hm. Does hibernating count?
Comment by Jess — October 23, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Bah. Winter. They are predicting snow for this weekend. Not much, but still…it’s the beginning of the end.
My favorite winter activity is ice skating…especially on the open rinks all over town (I swear there’s one in every neighborhood up here) and near my parents’ house. Much better than the actual buildings…unless it’s -30 outside. Then I like to curl up under a blanket and read or watch trashy TV. With a nice hot chocolate/peppermint schnapps.
Comment by Becky — October 23, 2008 @ 10:07 am
my favorite winter activity is taking a walk during the first snowfall of the season, when it’s still pretty and nice and refreshing to feel it hit your cheeks (and before the 19th snowfall of the season where i experience a lot more hate).
i think i have to plastic up my windows in my bedroom – they don’t close properly, and it’s about 20 degrees colder in there than the rest of the house (and the heat won’t kick on, because it’s not cold where the thermostat is). the cats don’t attack / claw through it and render it useless?
Comment by Alice — October 23, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Alice,
The cats will sometimes bat at it, because Abby wants to lick the condensation off, but once she realizes she can’t, she gets bored pretty quickly.
Comment by Shauna — October 23, 2008 @ 4:08 pm