Last night the temperature took a nose dive. I'm not sure how low it dropped, but it's -24°C now, as I type this, at nearly 10am. Winter has arrived.
I am not a winter person. I am a hermit. I hate to be cold. I hate walking thrugh the snow. My big snow boots are heavy. Walking anywhere is a chore. Walking through snow drifts up to your ass- a much bigger chore. I prefer to spend my winters indoors, curled up in front of the fire with a good book.
But we are Canadians. From northern Ontario. Where the sun doesn't shine. Much. For months.
Which leads some people to think... my parents... that I should spend time outside... to get my sunny D.
That's vitamin D. A much needed vitamin produced by your skin when exposed to sunlight. Sunlight which is in short supply. Especially in the winter. In Canada.
Add to that- it's pretty darn cold here. In the winter. In Canada.
So, even when I do venture outside, there is very little, if any, of my actual skin exposed. Most often I am covered from head to toe, with just the skin on the top of my nose, between my eyes exposed. I'm not likely to absorb much sunny D that way, now am I?
But there are days, when I sit and drink my morning tea, reading emails, playing stupid facebook games, blogging, wasting away my time on the computer. In my living room. With the fire crackling away. My house a lovely, warm, 80°F in spots. With my head uncovered. My hands uncovered. And sometimes even a short sleeve shirt. And the sun comes up behind me. My living room windows are east and south facing. Father sun bathes me in his light, and I am refreshed.
These are the joys of winter in the north. Beautiful, sun shiny days. Because it's too cold to snow.
I really miss the sun in winter. Here in KY the last few years, the winters have been one loooong grey blah season after another! I'm with you on the love of log fires.
ReplyDeleteAlabama is very sunny most of the winter. But, when the days are gray, I feel like I am dying. I need light desperately! I complain of the cold, but really would like to experience far north--Canada or Alaska--winters for about a week.Then, I would like to come home...lol. After one day the snow is ugly here. However, I do love the snow like a little kid. A full winter of snow, not so much. I love the South.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that I remember in one of the Little House books that Laura describes wearing a wool "veil" that can be seen through. You can breathe and breath does not freeze nor do lungs from super-cold air. It seems everytime I put a scarf over my mouth and nose, the scarf gets damp with my breath. Of course, the scarf is not wool. Where am I going wrong? Know anything about the "wool veil" or anything resembling this?
ReplyDeleteI don't know about wool, but different materials do make a difference. Some seem to collect the vapors and freeze in front of your mouth. I'm not sure what we're wearing now is called. It's a man made material- probably that recycled pop bottle plastic cloth. It works pretty well.
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