(or, Why I Am Not Going to Miss Cold Weather. At Least For a While.)
Even though I’m not a fan of hot weather(Boo! to heat and humidity), I am seriously pining after some warm weather. Mostly, that’s because I am not used to living in such a cold house, and living in such a chilly environment since October has made me very, very anxious for spring!
Here are some of delights I’m anticipating with the arrival of more temperate, um, temperatures!
-wearing one, and only one shirt. Since October, I’ve worn at least three shirts each day: a long tank top to keep air from seeping under my shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fleece/sweater/sweatshirt. This keeps me fairly warm, but it creates a lot of laundry, and it’s sort of a pain to get dressed and undressed each day(not to mention that this sort of outfit is a total pain in the rear when you are shopping for clothes and need to try them on!).
-going barefoot. I really am not a fan of wearing shoes(or socks), and my poor feet have been encased in socks and slippers for months now. It will be lovely to at least be able to walk around my house with bare feet.
–hanging my laundry outside again. I’ve been air drying at least some of our clothes all winter, but I really don’t have the patience to wait for things like jeans to dry indoors. Outside, though, even a heavy pair of jeans can be dry in a couple of hours, so I hardly use my dryer at all when it’s warm outside.
-having less laundry to do. I’m not the only one here wearing multiple layers, so as you can imagine, the laundry load around here is pretty heavy when the weather is cold. Not only will everyone be wearing only one layer of clothes in the summertime, even that one layer of clothes is pretty minimal(you can fit a lot more tank tops and shorts into a load of laundry than you can jeans and sweatshirts).
-having lower electric bills. For some reason, it’s not nearly as expensive to cool our house as it is to heat it(and no, I am not going to give up the AC altogether. Humidity makes me very crabby.) Our AC bills hardly climbed above $200 last summer, but our January heating bill was $354.
–being able to grow things. I’m no first-class gardener, but I do like to grow a few things. I planted some basil last year which was hugely successful, and I hope to do the same this summer.
-being able to shop at the farm stand. Near my house there is a little produce market that sells local fruits and vegetables during the summer. The prices are delightful, and the fruit especially is so, so much better than the stuff in the grocery store.
-using less hot water and not minding it. In the wintertime, I hate to use cool water for anything, since my body is so cold already. When the weather is warm, though, I don’t mind using cold water for washing my hands or rinsing dishes or cleaning the bathroom. I even take fairly cool showers, especially if I’ve gone walking prior to my shower. Speaking of which…
-I’m looking forward to being able to take morning walks. During the winter months, it’s way, way too dark to go for a walk before my husband leaves for work. However, it gets light so early in the spring/summer, I can squeeze in a walk right away in the morning.
What about you? Why are you looking forward to spring?
P.S.-I know I didn’t post a shopping list or a menu on Saturday-it was a crazy Easter weekend. In case you’re wondering, though, I was a couple of dollars under budget. 🙂
Chris
Tuesday 14th of April 2009
Congratulations on staying on budget Easter week. We went to family for the holiday and I was still over with little extras.
Kristin @ klingtocash
Tuesday 14th of April 2009
Spring for me means the end of tax season and my life resuming. This year I'm planting a garden and taking more me time. It's still cold in Connecticut so it doesn't feel like spring yet. Warmer weather would be very welcomed at this point.
Carol
Tuesday 14th of April 2009
The Pacific Northwest is a wonderful place to live - summer and fall is the best! Winter and Spring? Wet, wet, wet. It can be wet here until 4th of July. I, however, am the eternal optimist and always try to get my garden in WAY too early. It is my way of combatting the cold. I've been shivering in the mist the last couple of weeks trying to get some cold frames in. Still hopeful! If I'm moving in a spring-ward direction, I must be making progress, right?
We keep the living room relatively warm, but the rest of the house is freezing. I'm known as "popsicle toes" in bed at night. I just try to tell myself that sleeping in a cool room is better for me! Husband turns off the furnace on May 1, regardless of the outside temp, so I'm praying for warm weather. Thank goodness for fleece throws! I can just keep piling them on.
Indeeds
Tuesday 14th of April 2009
I completely agree...I hate turning on the heat in mid April, this year even more so since it means I will be paying for this heat usage in JUNE! (the billing for our electric in our current home is very much delayed).
Michelle
Tuesday 14th of April 2009
One of the best things about the Pacific NW is that we don't get the extremes of hot or cold, and we don't have the humidity either! Move to Portland!!! Think of how much you'll save in heating and cooling bills! (OK, you'll have to invest in an umbrella, and rain boots for the kids.) The daffodils are out, tulips are budding, we're going to have 70's and sun this weekend......I'm looking forward to fresh flowers from my yard, Dave bbq'ing, eating on the deck, not freaking out when the kids leave the doors open, putting away my sweatshirts (I only wear double layers..see, you should move to Portland!), fresh garden veggies, kids playing outside rather than inside all the time, warm gentle breezes, roses everywhere. Won't it be wonderful!!!