Snowed In by Rambling Raven
By APOOO • Jan 11th, 2010 • Category: Rambling Raven •
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Snowed In by Rambling Raven
I wish I had something new and exciting to blog about, but I don’t. Not this week, anyway. It has been just too dang cold to do much of anything this winter. Here in Chicago, we are use to the cold and the snow, yet we mostly hibernate indoors and wait for the next big thaw. I normally dream of vacation days in Florida around this time of the year but Florida is battling its own frigid weather along with 99% of the country. The only state that has not had to deal with horribly cold weather is Hawaii.
So since Florida is more than likely out of the question, I have found myself enjoying:
Hot toddies and Irish cream coffee. Well my throat has been a little scratchy. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it
I have been living on the telephone over the past week. When you can’t get out and enjoy time with friends and family, it is the next best thing.
I have been cooking more. I usually don’t cook a lot since I live alone but with the weather being so horrible I like the warmth that the oven helps generate. And I have been taking the opportunity to experiment with new dishes. A few days ago I made lentil soup for the fist time…mmmmm…tasty.
Cable and my DVD player is a life saver. When the snow is blowing and the temperature is 8 degrees, sticking in one of my favorite movies help me to take my mind off it all. And it feels great to snuggle under one of my favorite blankets.
Reading is always a welcomed activity when I can’t get out. I have actually started to read a few of those books on my “to be read list.”
I have been journaling everyday. Journaling during this time helps to break up the cabin fever that sets in sometime.
Exercising has helped also. I usually get off track with exercising during the winter months but this year I am determined to not let the weather deter me. Instead of taking a walk or going to a gym, I pull out the old exercise DVDs. Not only am I doing something good for myself, I’m also helping the body to stay warm.
Just so I can get out and socialize I have been inviting friends to movies and out to dinner.
And when in Rome do what the Romans do. For the first time this winter I actually got out there in the cold and tried my hand at sledding and ice skating. Sledding was fun; it reminded me of being a kid again. I wish I still had the energy of a kid because thirty minutes was more than enough for me. I will not tell you about the ice-skating. It was my first time and I sure hope no one has photos or video of that travesty. It was fun but I was more on my backside more time than I was on my feet. Great exercise but painful in the end, literally.
Battling the winter is never fun but at least there are a few things that I have learned to do to help pass the time a little better.
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In Florida, even frigid is not frigid. Although severely colder than norm, the temps, at least to this former New Yorker, feel more like the first days of a northern spring, when there’s still a coolness to the air but the sun is bright and the mid-day temps are pleasant.
So come on down!
PatriciaW´s last blog ..Reader/Writer Tidbits — January 9, 2010
Patricia around this time a year coming down to FL sounds like a little slice of heaven…now in July…I wouldn’t be able to get out of there fast enough trying to find a cooler climate…lol.
Good for you getting outside and doing something fun. I want to plan an ice skating trip with the girls. Haven’t done it in years so I will probably be on the floor more than anything LOL
These last 2 weeks in Jacksonville have been cold to this northern girl. We have had so much citrus at work because people are bringing in oranges and grapefruits off of their trees so they will not freeze and go to waste. Dropping below 32 at night and my car covered in frost was more like Jersey than Florida.