Cold

We use our fireplace a lot. It’s mostly been for aesthetic effect — until this past weekend.

It was freezing outside and the furnace was barely keeping pace. In mid-afternoon, I stacked a hge pile of wood in the hearth and a short time later it was roaring like a son of a bitch. Within a couple of hours, the temperature was up five degrees and my wife was complaining about it being too warm.

It really makes you wonder what we’re doing here?

I’ve always liked the winter and I spend more time outdoors than most people, but the last few seasons have been tough. It may not be time to look south, but I’ve caught myself glancing once or twice.

What I’ve seen of life down there doesn’t impress me. In Florida, many of the communities catering to retirees feel bleak and crowded. And a lot of people seem not to enjoy it.

We stayed at a friend’s condo once, right next door to her parents who lived in the same building. On morning we wanted to go to the ocean and asked which beach they prefer. They had no idea what to tell us, because they’d never been to the beach. Whoa, hold up: You live in a costal city in Florida and you’ve never been to the beach?

For now, we will continue to shiver, embrace the suck, and throw another log on the fire. Bundle up and deal with it. Moving south may feel like the answer, but at what cost? It seems less like a new beginning than the beginning of the end.

9 thoughts on “Cold

  1. South doesn’t necessarily mean Fl— ie Va, NC, SC. At what cost you ask? – taxes 1/3 of nys, gas prices consistently no less than .50 gal less than nys, 4 seasons, but longer warmer seasons…..

  2. 3″ poorly-groomed packed powder on my neighborhood roads here in North Bethlehem, with intermittent newsprint and soda bottles from those who couldn’t be bothered to wait until the morning to put out their recycling bins.

    14″ on the lawn.

    1. My recycling can, located next to the house, was toppled overnight. I think I got everything picked up, but who the hell knows?

  3. Jeeez – I have become my grumpy father… All that’s missing is a color-blind plaids and stripes clothing outfit, and bitching about the Phillies.

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