Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A Blizzard Alright!

SHIP'S LOG:

     There is something very beautiful about standing outside at night in a heavy snowfall. Everything is muffled and, if there is no real wind, I could stand outside forever, or at least until I begin to loose feeling in various places. One of the down sides of having divested myself of so much personal property for my trip back in 2010 is that back then, I really didn't see the immediate need for winter clothing. True, I ran smack into one of Florida's coldest winters but who knew?  For awhile, I had to go to bed wearing everything I owned and brought with me just to keep from freezing.  That "cold snap" eventually passed, but the lack of winter clothing remains.

     I am in no danger of freezing but extended periods of outdoor activity are things I dread.  I never did like the winter all that much to begin with and as I have "aged," I have grown to like it even less. In the summer, I can always get cool, but in the winter, I can never get warm enough.  Every cold draft can always find me and usually does.

     With this in mind, I am looking out over a foot of snow with temps in the teens, lower with the wind chill, and the forecast that they will only drop. I am also looking out over the foot of fallen snow that I have to shovel. Well, not actually shovel, but rather snow-blow.  Still, I have to be out in the weather and that I hate.The only consolation is that once again it is a light, "Dry" snow. God for shoveling, bad because it won't stay put. The winds, which are also forecast to be formidable, will blow it all around no matter where you shovel it. Odds are that some, if not most will end up right back where you removed it. I find it strange that the same wind won't just blow it all of the driveways and sidewalks.

     Got an email from the people at Team St. Martin. These find folk run a real estate company in the American Virgin Islands. They have been trying to sell me places for years since I did what I thought was a discreet inquiry some 15 years ago.  They never send the emails during the summer, only in the winter and especially when the weather up here is brutally cold and snowy. The must check the weather forecasts before they send them out. It is actually a pretty smart advertising and marketing strategy. And I hate them for it. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!