Nice Places to Visit, But I Don't Want to Live There Now

Shoveling snow was an activity that I used to enjoy as a youth but which became more difficult as I got older. The older I got, the muscles used for shoveling that were rarely used otherwise would ache for hours after. With the transition to older years, I got better at the challenge to determine when the snowfall was subsiding and the sidewalks and driveways would remain fairly clear of snow so that I didn’t have to shovel again. And while I enjoyed the feeling afterward, especially if it did stop snowing, of clean, clear paths, it was a lot of work. The spiffy snow blower I got later on was better for my back, but it was still a lot of work.

I remember the enjoyment of feeling the dry flakes on my face as they would quietly and gently tumble to the ground or land on my glasses and blur my vision. But if there was any wind at all as I pushed and lifted, it would chill my nose and make it run, and make me squint. For the uninitiated, the temperature during a snow fall is rather mild; it is when the skies clear that the coldness settles in. Still, my fingers would inevitably get cold and it was nice to sidle up to a fire in the fireplace or stand on a heat register after I had peeled off the coat and taken off the snowy boots. Those snowy boots would always heat up once inside and leave little pools of water around them.

I have lived in Southern California for the past 17 winters and have shoveled snow once (about two inches).  When the rest of the US is shivering and other folks are shoveling snow, I look out of my window and see palm trees, flowers, a few green leaves, but no snow on the ground.  When Ann and I do retire, we might end up where it snows; who knows?  All that I know is that I do not miss shoveling snow. I have made that transition!  For me, snowy climes are a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live there now.