Six Months of Winter

I always used to think that our seasons were nicely divided up into four quarters. Summer was hot. Spring and fall were mild aka sweater weather. And winter was for coats. But the more I live in Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana, the less I believe this. As fall set in, then October began, it was incredibly cold. In 2020, I remember March mostly being warm because I worked outdoors in it, but this year March was still quite cold. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that we have 6 months of winter instead of 3, which is both helpful in recognizing weather patterns, but that means I’ve added three months of cold to my yearly amount of cold.

I’m cold adverse. In the summer, at my mom’s house, I find myself taking frequent breaks to go outside into the warmth to escape the chill of the air conditioning, at my house I keep it warm enough that I don’t have to do that…unless there are other people there with different needs, then I suffer in the artificial cold. I’m always seeking heat and hiding from the cold, which generally works ok, until I’m in our 6 months of cold weather.

It’s not nearly as cold here as it is in Chicago, we typically get an inch or two of snow, but, in some years, we have gotten our share of blizzards and ice storms over the years. Some years we have a white Christmas, and a white Halloween, and a white Easter, other years we are left wishing for snow all year long. There are warm days among the cold that I enjoy, but when it doesn’t get warmer than 50 degrees for more than several days in a row, it feels taxing on my system.

All that to say is that it’s cooler than I believe it should be, but I should still go outside and wear a jacket. Then again, I remember plenty of New Years Days celebrated out of doors. I consider 50 degrees warm when other days have been in the 30s or below, but I consider 50 cold when it’s been in the 80s. It’s all relative and it’s all cold to this outdoor lover.