Things Could Be Much Worse

I guess I shouldn't complain when the temperature dips and I get cold. Things could be worse, weather-wise. We've actually had a very mild winter, especially compared to winters I've experienced BEFORE moving to South Texas!

My sister Lacey made me very thankful yesterday that I live where I do. She lives in Southwest Missouri and she emailed me yesterday afternoon to tell me that although the temperature was in the upper 60's that morning, by early afternoon it had fallen to 20 degrees and it was spitting snow. Wind chills had it feeling like it was in the single digits! BRRRRRR!

So even though today was in the lower 60's and a bit windy, I still long for even warmer days. I prefer even hot, humid summer days to these cold and cool winter days. I look forward to days warm enough to play in the warm waves at the beach and laze in the sun.

I guess rather than moping about a summer that seems so far away I should be thankful I'm no longer in Northern Wyoming where I lived for a very BRIEF time, and experienced the most bone-chilling cold of my life. Marty and I lived in a teeny tiny town (Kirby) and drove 30 miles to Worland every day for work. We moved there in August and left before winter was even over. Relatives of Marty's told me that was an unusually cold and wet winter but I didn't care. I just wanted out of there. Out of there and back in warm, wonderful Phoenix! For 2 weeks straight when we lived in Kirby, every morning I got up the thermometer we kept on the window read at least 40 degrees below zero. 2 WEEKS!!!! I thought I was never going to feel warm again! Marty still laughs that during that time I came home from work and crawled straight into bed every day because the house felt so cold. One of those cold mornings Marty drug me outside because there was something I "had to see." He poured the coffe out of his mug...and it froze in mid air! I'd never seen that before! Now that is cold! I remember what a great mood all my coworkers were in when that 2-week cold spell broke and we finally climbed to zero degrees!

I celebrated the day Marty was offered his former job back in Phoenix and we decided to move back! We contemplated whether to move then or wait until spring and more predictable weather. We decided the sooner the better and left in March between winter storms and while the canyon was clear and the road over South Pass was passable. The day we left Marty took a yard stick out to the yard and there was an accumulated 26 inches of snow still in the yard.

That was the winter I learned to drive in the ice and snow. I'd never had opportunity to do so before. I moved to Phoenix right out of high school and never did drive in the snow when I lived in Missouri as a teenager. To make it even more interesting, I learned to drive in the snow in a 1967 Firebird. I managed to keep that car on the road, even if it did get a bit "squirrely" at times.

Even I can appreciate a good snowfall for sledding and the beautiful scenery, but only for so long. I guess that's why I enjoy South Texas so much. We did have a bit more winter last year here. There was an ice storm in January, 2007. It didn't last long at all, but I did get out long enough to get a few pictures of it, some of which I posted here. Here are more:

Stay Warm!!!