It’s Gonna Be A Long Winter

/ Diane Henders

Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when we question our sanity in living where we do.

Saturday was nice and sunny with temperatures in the high teens (that’s low 70s for you Fahrenheit folks), and Hubby took the motorcycle out for one last ride. Sunday we had six inches of snow and last night the temperature was -27 with the wind chill.

We knew winter was coming. We’re not shocked.  But the longer we live here, the more we start talking about other places we could live.  The problem is that other than the cold and snow, we can’t think of a better place.

Well, okay; the cold and snow and the fact that there are large animals here that would like to eat us. Grizzly bears and cougars and such.  They’re not really an issue in the city, but when we’re out at our garden in the country, they’re a threat.

Hubby and I considered and discarded a few options.

Tropical beaches have a special allure when our world is cold and white, but then there are the problems of jellyfish and sharks and undertows and red tide and hurricanes and tsunamis, which are probably of negligible concern to the people who actually live there, but they seem pretty scary to us.

And most places with warm tropical beaches also have giant bugs. And the giant bugs often occupy houses where we might want to live.  This is an issue for at least one of us.

I grew up in a farmhouse that was infested by big black crickets all summer long, and crickets eat everything. Including your underwear in the laundry bin.  I had crotchless panties at an age where I couldn’t imagine why anybody would want them.  So my bug tolerance is slightly higher than Hubby’s, but I still have no desire to cohabitate with bugs.  Ever.  Again.

Then there’s the whole snake issue. Here in Canada even our venomous snakes are polite.  We only have four kinds, and they’d all prefer to avoid humans if possible.  They keep to themselves in a few small geographic areas, and even if you manage to find one and convince it to bite you, you probably won’t die.

Not like some of the warmer climes where you can take your choice between being fatally bitten or fatally squished by a mind-boggling variety of reptiles. I’ve heard Hawaii doesn’t have snakes, but then again, they’ve got volcanoes and lava flows.  One way or another, something’s gonna sneak up and swallow you when you least expect it.

And if you go really far afield, there’s a whole ‘nother set of man-eating critters licking their chops. Oh, with tropical diseases thrown in as a bonus.

Having exhausted our discussion of alternate places to live, our kitchen table conversation swerved to this:

Hubby: Wouldn’t it be nice to just put all the big predators on an island somewhere so we wouldn’t have to worry about them?  I wonder who’d win in a fight between a grizzly bear and a lion?

Me: Cage match!  I’d put my money on the grizzly.

Hubby: How about a grizzly bear and a polar bear?  Polar bears are bigger than grizzlies.

Me: Yeah, but polar bears only hunt wussy stuff like seals and humans.  No claws or teeth or anything.  Grizzlies are mean mo-fos.  They kill other bears.

Hubby: Hm.  Yeah.  How about…

*discussion continues*

Yep, only three cold days and already cabin fever is setting in. It’s gonna be a long winter.

Please help us out: Where’s the ideal place to live?

34 thoughts on “It’s Gonna Be A Long Winter”

  3. When we were younger we actually considered moving to Canada. Didn’t follow through, followed construction instead. We’ve lived in several states, all have good and bad. The older we got the more we had to consider health, climate, etc. For me, I have to be close to trees and water. I guess that was one reason for staying in the South. Well, that and the fact that hubby is a born Southerner and getting a Southern man out of his element is rare. I was born in California, was used to the ground shaking often. The heat and wind and the blandness got to me in Texas, but to be fair that was just the area. A lot of Texas is quite nice. The Carolina’s were very scenic but there again, the area is to be considered. Hubby being a welder we had to be near the shi yards. (oh yeah, still missing the letter on the keyboard!) Not a lot of scenery there for sure.
    Alabama would be my last choice ever but here we are. Timing I guess. I will say, over all the climate here is better than anywhere else I’ve lived. Some heat in the Summer and some freeze in the winter. Neither one lasts too long and is broken with nice weather in between. Just the occasional Hurricane and even then you have several days to track it and make your decisions on what to stock or to leave. With retirement and our ages now it’s affordable and easy to adjust. I think it’s a cra shoot (LOL) either way.
    Saw the chart on the book! WhooHoo! Good work gal. Your back must be better, certainly ho e so. (I have GOT to order another keyboard!)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Oh, man, that pesky ‘p’ must be driving you nuts! I don’t think I’d be able work if I needed a ‘p’ that badly. 😉

      Isn’t it funny that you ended up where you thought you’d least like to be? Friends of ours just bought in Arkansas, which surprised me a bit, but the prices are so reasonable right now it just made sense. We’ve got a lot of exploring to do!

      My back is finally on the mend (I hope). Still some spasms now and then, but at least I’ve been able to put in some quality time on Book 9. It was practically bursting my brain trying to get out, so it’s a relief to finally be able to write! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. We’re thinking of the Texas Hill Country when we retire in a few years. Somewhere near Kerrville, probably. A few miles west, maybe, on the Llano (pronounced YAH-no) River. Some friends have property on the river, and we spend a weekend or two every year down there. It’s getting harder and harder to find a reason to come back home every time we go.

    Rolling, limestone hills, oak and cedars for as far as the eye can see, maple trees, too! Lots of non-carnivorous wild life. An hour from San Antonio where cultural and culinary overload can be had if you like. The Alamo. The river walk. Major health care centers for when you get decrepit. Mild winters that barely get down to freezing, warm spring and fall, long growing season. Warm, humid summers. Okay, okay, hot.

    Probably the best part of deal is that y’all would be only three hours from us here in Midland. In Texas, that’s practically next door. So y’all could drop in for a weekend, and I’ll feed y’all killer steaks and chops until you tell me I just gotta stop.

    And when we’re through eating, we can go shoot something!

    Let us know when y’all are coming down to look around. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • You had me at ‘culinary overload’. And it’s a not a safe assumption that I would actually get to the point where I’d decline steaks and chops. 😉

      I didn’t even know Texas had hill country – it sounds beautiful. I’ve only been down around the Brownsville/McAllen area where it’s flat. Clearly, more research is required!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • As the saying goes: “Texas. It’s like a whole ‘nother country.” We certainly like to think so. Lots of geography to choose from. If you’re serious about moving to a place with saner winters, give it a look. Lots of good locales to choose from.

        I did up some pork chops last night for supper; six inches across and an inch thick. Finished with garlic butter on top. Melt-in-your-mouth tender.

        Our guest said I should just forget about the college professor gig and open a restaurant.

        Wherever y’all decide to move to, it really should be close enough that y’all could drop by for a meal now and again.

        And there are those steaks…

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  8. So funny to read this today, because just last night, after watching the local news and seeing our temp would go from the 60s to the 30s, I thought, why am I living in a place that gets cold and snow? So I pondered warmer climates like you did. But then I thought of bugs and other creatures winter allows me to skip, and I decided Ohio isn’t so bad. How funny we both had these same thoughts around the same time. Now, if I start getting your sexlexia, I’m going to be really worried…

    Like

    Reply

  9. Oh I am with you Diane. At this point we don’t think we would move permanently somewhere else but gradually increase our time away in winter as our work worlds allow. We have friends who spend the winters in Arizona and Mexico. My brother lives in California. those are all good spots to start. 🙂 Mauii is fantastic too. meanwhile we are carrying n with the research.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Gosh, it sounds miserably cold! Even growing up in the S.W. of England was relatively mostly snowless. However, living in Redwood City California (on a peninsula) we have weather deemed “Climate Best By Government Test” on our city sign from the 50’s I think.
    So Sunday we were hiking the hills in shorts, Monday scuba diving Point Lobos, Carmel, and can drive to the Sierras and Lake Tahoe (beautiful) to ski and snowshoe in the winter. You can live in the fog in San Francisco or on the coast, or the sun here or in San Jose or the East Bay. So spoiled! Not to mention driving a few hours to Yosemite an option.
    Bad news is that it is not a cheap place to live, but you are in a permanant vacation area! Sorry to brag, but feel lucky I ended up here back in 1980, & now can never leave! Seasons schmeasons, we do have maple trees and the occasional frost….😎

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Wow, that does sound close to perfect! But aren’t you kinda straddling a major earthquake zone? I always think of summer wildfires when I think of California, but I guess they’re confined to certain areas. Hmmm, maybe we should check it out. More research is required… 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Yes we are close to the San Andreas fault, & lost one wine glass in the ’89 ‘quake🍷 – I think tornado / hurricane areas are scarier! No fires here or bad insects except termites, and it is a dry not muggy heat.
        We love Arizona & New Mexico ( but not in the summertime)☀️ & I guess S. Mexico too far for you

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        • I guess one wine glass in 25 years isn’t too bad. 😉 I don’t think I’d like termites, but all in all they’re probably one of the less disturbing bugs as long as you don’t let them get a foothold. Mexico would be too far for us, and I don’t think we’d be comfortable there anyway – we’re very spoiled by our law enforcement and safety up here.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  11. According to your criteria: No bugs (to speak of… Wetas and Cicadas – harmless!), no snakes, no big meat-eating monsters (okay, sharks), no nasties at all. Lovely moderate climate, not too hot, snow only on high altitudes, breathtakingly beautiful! Official language: English (sort of)
    Oh well, some volcanoes and the odd earthquake… I didn’t say it was perfect! Did you guess it? New Zealand. (We’re going again in February)

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.