Oh, winter ! How I hate thee, let me count the ways !

TheWriter

TheWriter

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So we've been making fun of Days of our Lives and the wardrobe department lately. Especially when it comes to the appropriate attire when stuck in the cold. And let me tell you : the light jackets, even leather jackets, the sleeveless dresses or blouses, the bare legs, the high heels, this is so far off what I wear these days. Though I do wear a leather jacket : but underneath my winter coat, so that I'm not as cold.

You see, here in Quebec, we've been having temperatures around -15 to -20, even -25 Celsius, not counting the wind chill factor (5 to -4 Fahrenheit, sometimes -13) since early January. And let me tell you : I for one am fed up ! :angry: I hate the cold, I hate winter, I hate the snow.:angry: I guess in that sense, I'm not a true Canadian. We have this reputation of loving winter, here. :rolleyes: Yeah, right. Not me.

I'm sure some of you out there feel the same way I do (I'm looking at you, Boston and the area). So am I the only one ? Let's vent together. Let's share stories, anecdotes of when we fell on the ice (those are always funny :sarcasm: ), anecdotes of being stuck some place because the car won't start, etc.

And have any of you out there ever moved because you hated winter ? If so, do you regret it ? Inquiring minds want to know. :) Or at least, I want to know. Because I'm thinking of moving myself. To Florida ! :) If only...

Let's encourage each other that Spring is indeed coming. Or is it ? :cry:
 
I normally love winter, but am so over it this year. Give me temps in the 20s F with nice little puffy snowflakes.
Nope, our temps will be below 0* F for the next few days. Plus 6 inches of snow coming Saturday afternoon at a rate of more than 1 inch of the white stuff per hour.

I was backing up my car Monday to turn around where my driveway and the neighbor's come together when my car slid sideways on the ice. Yep...right into the high snow bank that was left when my driveway was plowed. It took a half hour of shoveling (that I'm not allowed to do) and ruining my good kitchen mat from in front of my sink (to provide traction under a spinning front tire) before I got the car to move.
 
My big problem with winter is the lack of parking spaces and snow removal! We only have one parking spot in our complex so my husband and I have a plan on what day we use it so one of us has to look for street parking. I get it Mon-Thursday, he gets the weekends.

The days are getting longer and that is promising!
 
We heat our home with a coal/woodstove and I'm pretty sure I broke a finger last night when I smacked it between two pieces of wood. My reaction was quite R-rated. Stupid cold weather! I'm in central PA, and while we haven't gotten a lot of snow yet, this weekend is going to be ridiculous cold and windy. I can handle 20s-30s and snow, but single digit temperatures plus wind makes me seriously contemplate moving.
 
Ah, the tales. In January, I was going to town, backed out of the garage (I have a sedan, and 2 rear snow tires), the car seemed to have a problem with the snow, but I managed to get it turned around, as I have a slight hill to go up, so need the running start from the garage. Only got half way up that incline, tried to back down, got stuck. Walked back to house, hubby came out with a shovel. Had a flat tire! Ended having to call a tow truck...$150, to tow car to town.
Then, a couple years ago, was going to church, the day after my son-in-law passed away, snowing hard, ordinarily would have stayed home, but was having the mass said for him, wanted to be there. After about 7 or 8 miles, snow too heavy, road not plowed, decided to turn around, go back home. Would be worse later. Only went about a 1/2-3/4 mile back, the car hit an ice patch, spun out, did a 180, then across the road into the ditch on opposite side, right in front of a truck towing a huge flatbed. Thank goodness barely any traffic, and even though in area with no cell service, got thru to 911, and was told firmly and frequently to STAY IN THE CAR. must say I was worried about a car hitting that same spot of ice and landing into me, but after about a 1/2 hr. a cop arrived, another 1/2 hr. the tow. Everyone really nice, and got me out, turned back in the direction of home. Think I drove so slow, as was so worried it would happen again. LOL (Heck, I have slid into snowbanks on my own road......a fact of life in snow country.
 
Once, I got stuck in Montreal during a huge snow storm. And I was a member of an auto club, where you're supposed to have assistance whenever you need it. So the car would not start, I had to call the auto club. And at the time this happened, we did not have any cell phones (no, it wasn't that long ago, but 20 years is enough to not have cell phones !!!! :) ) , so I had to walk to find a phone boot. Luckily, as I was in the city, it was not that difficult. The difficult part was getting the help : because the storm and the cold were so bad, the auto club could not help me, as there was too much demands for tow trucks or help. The guy said to me : "You see, 'mam, there's a snow storm out there !". :eek: Well, I know ! That's why I became a member : in case I needed help during a storm ! :beat:Anyway, I had to leave the car there, take a taxi home (more than 45 minutes), and take care of the car later.

Another time, I slipped on the ice while stepping out of my house. I fell so hard, I didn't have time to hold onto anything. I was bruised up, had to go get checked at the emergency room. The bruises on my legs were really big, and I had a sprained wrist. It wasn't broken, fortunately, but man did it hurt. My husband came with me to the ER, but the doctor kept asking where he was and what he was doing when this happened. I realized later she was making sure he wasn't the one who hurt me. (He never would, of course !).

Anyway, the joys of winter ! :rolleyes:
 
rs, you need to keep kitty litter in your car. I don't know if actually works,
but I keep some my car during the winter.
 
Oh the joys of Winter!!!! :rolleyes: I too am Canadian, I'm from Toronto and although it does not get as cold as Quebec it still gets really cold and I for one can't stand it!!!! :beat: I start work really early and I drend getting out of my cozy and warm bed when it is cold and dark to get ready for work. I also end work late so during the winter months I also come home in the dark...:cry: I live the life of a mole!!!! :fan:

I work with children so getting the kids ready to go outside in the winter is a real project. I miss summer when I just have to worry about the children getting their summer hats and sunscreen on.

I also am a very thin person so the cold goes right through me. I say I was born cold...:angry: When everyone sees me outside bundled up they call me the Eskimo because all you see of me is my eyes and if I had my choice I would cover my eyes too!!!! :)

To everybody that has to battle old man Winter....Spring is coming, only a little over a month away and that is a fact!!!! :clap:
 
askew37 said:
We heat our home with a coal/woodstove and I'm pretty sure I broke a finger last night when I smacked it between two pieces of wood. My reaction was quite R-rated. Stupid cold weather!
Click to expand...
Hey, I just broke my finger about two days ago as well! My broken finger isn't wood related, but I hope your finger heals soon!

Anyway, though, I absolutely know that the struggle of winter is no joke. I'm from Russia (I currently live in the US though) and often we would have such big snow storms where, by the time morning came around, the snow would end up being taller than our CAR. Blocking our windows too! So I definitely know what it's like to have to deal with snow/winter. Though I don't mind the cold as much as everyone else does; I love the cold, actually, and usually don't even bother wearing a coat when I'm outside. I don't know if that has anything to do with being Russian and dealing with freezing temperatures for half of my life, but at least I have that going for me. :rotfl:
 
LOL, probably feels like spring to you when the temps get into the 20s & 30s. Ha.

But see, that is the same as.....Northerners here who may go south in the winter, and the temps are 40s or 50s and is heaven to the northerners, who are wearing just sweatshirts or light jackets, while those who live there, in the south, are freezing, wearing sweaters & heavy jackets.
A friend went on vacation down in southern Texas, was in short sleeved shirt as it was 60s, and the natives were all in jackets and sweaters.
I hate winter, mostly because it's lasts so long up here. Last year, the lakes were all still frozen all thru april, and into May. Trees were not leafing out until June. No one plants ANYTHING until after Memorial Day, so ...very short growing season.
 
I'm kind of over Winter too. I would love to move to Central Florida but haven't figured out how to make that work yet. So I'll have to settle for frequent trips down to see a certain Mouse.

I also live in an apartment complex so I hate the parking situation too. Even if the roads are ok, the spots may not be plowed properly so cars don't park properly leaving less space. I've been having the same issue at the gym. I lived in upstate NY for 6 years and there it was no big deal when it snowed because they had places to put the snow. Downstate they do not.

No major stories but I once did a complete 360 turn due to black ice on a major highway in Syracuse, NY. And there was a tractor trailer behind me. G-d was watching me that day because I not only ended up in the right direction but I also ended up in the left shoulder. After a few seconds of catching my breathe, I just pulled out into traffic and kept going.
 
I asked you nicely to keep it up your way, Poirot, but you wouldn't listen. :rotfl:

A plow finally took one swipe going south on my road. That opened one lane. My car won't move until Tuesday for work since my lawn guy called to say he'd have my driveway plowed sometime Monday. That's ok because I'm not venturing out.

OH my, the weather person on tv just warned ladies NOT to wear open toe shoes if venturing out. She said she saw two women wearing them going into a church this morning when she was driving around checking road conditions.
 
Oh, don't get me started on "winter fashion" among young women out there !​
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A few years ago, my husband was asked to go do some PR in Mont-Tremblant for his company. It was in the middle of January. No need to say how cold it was. It was during an engineering contest of some kind, opposing Quebec engineering universities. Anyway, the last night we were there, my husband was to give away the prizes given by his company to the winners, followed by a cocktail and a dance for all participants. Well, young women showed up in indeed high heels (no boots !!!!), no stockings, bare legged, with a winter coat barely covering their sleeveless and much too much low cut dresses, and much too small also. My husband and I, and other people from his company, could not believe how idiotic these young women looked.​
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Apparently, and though these women were supposed to be intelligent, as they were participating in an engineering contest, they were not so brilliant when it came to proper attire. Being "sexy" (read : trashy) was apparently all they cared about. Sad, really...​
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And I won't even go into some of the discussions I heard between these young people. I'm not a prude, but I just couldn't believe the sexual things they were talking about. :eek: And no, I'm not even that old, I'm only 42, was about 38 at the time, but still... I guess things do change, but not always for the better, I think.​
 
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