Is It Flashing? Or Just My Age?

I've always been more comfortable in the cooler temperatures. Not exactly cold, mind you, but cooler. The perfect temperatures are somewhere in the 60's. If I can wear a sweatshirt with capris I'm happy as a clam.

(As an aside, I've always wondered why clams are such happy creatures. You, too, can now ponder that little mystery of life.)

If it gets below 60 I simply put on a few more layers. If it's above 60 I tend to whine louder as I am forced to expose more skin. My mantra has always been, "you can put on more layers, but there's only so much that you can take off." Being hot has never been one of my favorite things. Why on earth I chose to go to college in the Deep South is beyond me. Needless to say, I moved back North as soon as I could.

And then Sam and I met, got married, and were moved to Alaska. Nothing says cold like -40. But really, anything below 0 is just cold. In fact, winters right here in Western PA are far worse than a lot of winters in Alaska. I know you're thinking that I froze a few brain cells (or more), but hear me out on this. In Fairbanks where we had the privilege of freezing, there is no wind. That's right, no wind. Here in Western PA, there's wind. The rip through your coat, feels like you have nothing on under it, freeze your very bones kind of wind. The wind is far, far worse than any kind of cold. I hate cold winter winds.

Until this year.

While I'm still not a fan of cold winter winds, they don't seem to bother me like they did. For some reason, my internal heater kicked in this year. I can count on one hand how many days I've worn a coat this winter, and it wasn't for lack of cold weather. I just don't seem to get cold.

I rather like having the heater turned on. But I worry. Is this premenopausal? For crying out loud, I'm not even 40. And what will happen once warmer weather rolls into the region? Will I melt into the sidewalk like the seasonal snowmen? Will I start streaking through the 'hood? (I apologize in advance for that mental image.) Will I be forced to invest in central air, or hire someone to fan me everywhere that I go?

I wish that life wouldn't be so complicated.

15 comments:

CanadianMama said...

yes I agree, the wind is the devil! Life would be much better here if we didn't have such wicked wind sometimes!

Karen Deborah said...

I call them power surges. A hot flash is extremely hot, where your personal temperature is not jiving with those around you. They can be accompanied by rivulets of sweat running on every inch of skin or not. You might be having peri menopause and then your weather might just be weird. It was so cold here this morning that I lit the fire. In the afternoon I felt like I was on fire with the heat. It was not my imagination because the humidity did a frizz number on my hair.

Keri said...

"you can put on more layers, but there's only so much that you can take off."

You've been following me for years, this is proof!

Once I turned the thermostat COOLER in the middle of a Sunday morning church service (it was set at 75!!!). My PASTOR went over and turned it back down ON HIS WAY UP TO HIS SERMON!

I offered to bring blankets for all the cold farts that had clucked at me for having the gall to be warm!

I'm comfy at 73. The thermostat in my house (central heat and air in NE Alabama, thankyouverymuch) is in a stupid place and keeps the house too cool in the summer. But while pg with Sissy, I sweated all winter. I wore short sleeves up to her delivery day (Jan 20!), and it snowed that day!

well, it was Alabama snow. We got excited over the big fluffy flakes that wet the ground and evaporated by lunch.

AZ Chapman said...

I love the cold weather too come visit

Danyele Easterhaus said...

i was in perimenopause when i got el prego withe sofers...and now, i'm still not there...and the extra heat in the air is moving my temp up...not complaining since i hate the winter, though!

The Sports Mama said...

I'm still wondering exactly what the downside is to having someone follow you around and fan you constantly? Especially if he looks good with his shirt off. ;)

Viv said...

I moved to the deep south 16 years ago. It was 5 years before I could walk far enough to check the mail during daylight hours. It was 10 years before I stopped complaining constantly about the oppressive heat and humidity, then a couple of years ago my sister came to visit. We went to the beach, and after roughly 30 minutes she was nearly in tears because of the heat...which I hadn't even noticed. I think that some of our bodies just take longer to adjust to climate change, but, they eventually do.

Andrea said...

Winds are a real killer! We will get to 40 degrees here, I know, so cold right? But the rain and winds pick up and it feels like -20! COLD.

Ever since I moved to the south, I have become a cold baby. In the sence of I can't stand it. I freeze if it's under 60. Today it's probably 58 and I wore my winter jacket to the barn to clean stalls!! Brrrrrr!!!

caramama said...

I'm sooooo the opposite. I can't stand the cold, and I long to move back South where I can bask in the warmth.

Except when pregnant. Right now, I have my own little furnace constantly warming me. I'm a little worried about being 9 months pregnant in June. :-O

As for the clams saying, I happen to know the reason! The whole saying is: "Happy as a clam in high tide." The key to the saying is the high tide part, because that's what makes clams happy. To have water filtering into the sand where they are buried!

Jennifer said...

Seems like alot of us are warmer women, LOL. I hate the heat. Fall and winter have always been my favorite seasons because of the coolness. And the whole - there is only so much you can take off - has been my saying for as long as I can remember.

I was worried how I would do in Honduras though - you know tropical weather, no A/C. It wasn't that bad - as long as I had a fan, I was good to go. Now I am back in the US, in the middle of winter, and am under blankets all day, LOL. But then again my mom keeps her temp a nice 62 degrees.

~Jennifer
http://followingmycatracho.blogspot.com

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

Huh...how odd!

I have a cousin who was stationed in AK for several years and will tell anyone who listens that WI winters are worse than AK ones! I never would have thought! (Though I sure as hell believe him!)

Krista said...

From one who is slightly older than uh hmm, uh, cough, 40 (but still 20 at heart) I am always freezing (and warm at heart). We had lovely snow and rain today. I'm moving south I've decided.

Karen said...

I have always preferred it cooler to cold till we lived in Phoenix for three years. That pretty much cured me. I know it sounds crazy, but you acclimate. Blood thins and thickens. So I am going with you are just acclimating at a much quicker pace this year.

Michelle said...

Interesting. Thanks for letting me know what I have to look forward to -- and for that lovely mental image.

I'm with you on the windy cold. Ick. And on the hot. But I'll take a nice 76 degree day with sun and a light breeze, please.

But ouch, no central air? That I would not do well with. I only turn it on a few days a year, but on those days, I NEED my a/c :)

SunflowerStories said...

oh no! global warmin, not meno-yuck!