Celebrating the season of cold weather

With our first blast of cold weather under our belts, many a person's thoughts start drifting toward a change, a change of location.

Most people dream of heading south for the winter, finding a warm location that never features wind chills or snow depth in the weather forecast. They would settle for just a few days in the tropics on the beach or in the warm sun on a golf course.

I, on the other hand, would not have to worry about traffic congestion because I would be heading in the opposite direction in search of snow.

While many people yearn for retirement in a warm climate, I would miss the change of seasons, the first snowfall of winter, the morning ritual of scraping the windows.

Personally, I sympathize for those southern children who have never experienced the joy of waking up only to learn school has been canceled because of snow. There's no better way to get a kid up and moving in the morning than finding a fresh foot of snow on the ground and canceling school.

And Christmas and a heat wave just don't mix for me. Seeing Santa in shorts seems unethical. Before there is a mutiny, I realize that Jesus was born in the desert and nary a snowflake was to be found, but there's still nothing as beautiful as a fresh snowfall Christmas morning -- or at least a pile of snow here and there from a snow storm earlier in the week.

Despite that fact that we live in a part of the country that has distinct systems, some people can't accept cold weather, in particular the media.

As the temperatures begin to drop in the fall, the frequency of complaints begins to rise. I quickly grow tired of hearing the weather forecast either preceded or followed by complaints about how cold it's going to be or how much snow is going to fall. We live in the Midwest. That's what happens in the winter. It gets cold.

(I should note that as Derek Beck on Coyote Country gave the weather forecast earlier this week, he rejoiced in the colder, snowy weather rather than lamented the change in temperature. It was a refreshing change.)

In fact, I get jealous when I hear of other parts of the country being blasted with wintry weather. If snow is falling in the eastern section of the state, I have an urgent desire to drive that direction just to see it.

I had the good fortune to be in Colorado earlier this week in an area which received measurable snowfall from this last weather system. My poor puppy didn't go to the bathroom the entire day we were there because he couldn't find a bare spot on the grass.

With the approaching snow storm this week, my husband and I were concerned about the driving conditions, especially as we approached the mountains. It was all for naught.

We forget that communities which regularly receive snow are adept at snow removal. They have their system down to a science and their roads are clear as soon as the snow quits falling.

On the other hand, areas in the south cease to function with their infrequent snow and ice storms.

Thankfully, our area leans toward the knows-how-to-deal-with-a-few-snowflakes-falling category.

I must admit that I have the luxury of staying home, thanks to computers and the job of caring for small children, so I can just enjoy a brisk cold day or a good snow storm now and then.

With a large enough food supply, I could go days, perhaps weeks, without leaving my yard. A concession must be given to step outside my house to feed the animals, otherwise I could just hibernate inside. But that would defeat the purpose of enjoying a good, deep snow on a cold wintry day.

-- Ronda Graff can't live in the south because she couldn't give up her sweater supply.