I Forgot What It's Like to Be Cold

In a strange twist of events, I've forgotten what it's like to be cold. I grew up in Michigan. Midwestern winters are in my blood. But lately my blood's been thinned -- not by moving to warmer climes, but by having good ol' Michigan get downright tepid for a few winters in a row.

This January, the cold returns.

But in bursts. On Tuesday, the thermostat hit 60 degrees. On Thursday, our weekend blizzard began with 30 mph gusts of snow and below zero temps.

And here when I cleaned out the house a few months ago, I looked at those winter hats on the top of my coat rack and wondered if there was any point in keeping so many. After all, I hadn't worn them in two years. Was it really necessary to have a winter hat when you're not expecting to do activities like skiing or sledding?

Yes, yes it is. Or so I realized when digging out my poor frozen car the other week. Thankgod I kept the hats.


About the image: The view of the north pier from the south pier in Saint Joseph, Michigan.Photo taken Jan. 22, 2013. via the US National Weather Service on Facebook.