Brrrr!!

To reiterate what every other Texan said on facebook today, yes, it’s COLD!!

We don’t see sub freezing temperatures here for more than a day at a time and usually not more than one or two days each year. I laugh at people in their parkas when the cooler temps first hit. You see scarves, hats and boots when it’s dipping below 60 degrees. Comical really. I scream and yell at the weathermen at the mere mention of snow. Seriously, my family can attest to this. It bugs me to no end that they will get all these poor little Texan children’s hopes up. They say “snow” and even put it on their forecast (!!) and these poor kids think they will be sledding down a hill in their neighborhood. Never mind the fact that we don’t have a hill to slide down or a sled to use, but a kid can dream! And they do. Then, I get to be the bad guy the next morning when I say, “no, it didn’t snow and yes, you have to go to school.” BOO.

Now, with that said ... Today, it's cold and I’m finding myself thinking that perhaps I should own a winter coat. I mean a real coat and not these super cute, but very lightweight CAbi jackets I own. ;) I can layer like no one’s business, but somehow when my car reads 18 degrees on my way into work, all these layers just aren’t cutting it. It occurs to me that the reason we look and sound so funny to our northern friends and family when we complain about the cold here, it’s really because we are just so ill equipped to know what to do with these temperatures. I mean people up north own things like snow blowers and put snow tires on their cars. They understand what it means to shovel a path in the backyard so their dogs can find a place to do their business. I bet they own coats! Down here, we stay inside when it’s too cold. I put off going to get groceries till it warms up .. or until we run out of food. After all, as the saying goes, “if you don’t like the weather in Texas, stick around awhile and it’ll change.” So true! And by this weekend, we’ll be above freezing and my longing for winter wear will have passed.

For now, though, I’m sitting here at my borrowed desk at work. I’m cold and dreading going back outside to get home. I think that not only do I need a coat, but maybe some gloves. And a hat. Could someone bring me a coffee? That’d be great :)