Before I moved to Utah, someone told me, “You will be wearing your winter coat for 9 months of the year.” I would now tell that someone, “No, I don’t wear my winter coat 9 months out of the year, I wear it for 6 months (October to April), 7 max.”
Indeed, Utah has long winters (I’ve seen snow in June) but can you blame it? The place is nicknamed, “The Greatest Snow on Earth” for a reason. Without further ado, here are 5 things I love and hate about winter.
Snow Shoveling
Absolutely hate it, especially this year when Mother Nature drops a few inches of the white stuff every few days. Every time I watch the weather forecast now, I will just be praying it doesn’t snow on the day I need to go into the office. I do not enjoy driving in the stuff, it makes my car dirty, I lost traction in my tires a few times driving on un-shoveled roadways and it scared me, and I certainly don’t enjoy spending the time shoveling the snow from my sidewalk and extra wide driveway.
I’ve shoveled so many times this year that the soreness in my back from bending over isn’t going away.
Watching snowy landscape
If you take away the shoveling and just tell me to sit back, relax, and watch the snow, I would love that. Watching snow fall is a surprisingly relaxing sight.
Treading on icy pavement
I can never wear my running shoes outdoors during the winter. I must wear my heavy snow boots if I want to take walks outside, even to the park because there’s always something called, “black ice” on the pavement. Actually, I think a better name should be “invisible ice” because one can never see the darn thing until you suddenly feel the traction go and next thing you know, you’re lying flat on the pavement, unable to get up.
Though that extreme situation hasn’t happened to me yet this winter (hope not), I did slide a few times on ice because some of my irresponsible neighbors didn’t shovel the sidewalk. Thankfully, I didn’t lose my balance.
Drinking hot beverages and soups
Winter is the only time I can drink hot soups without breaking into a sweat. It’s also the season for hot cocoa with lots of whipped cream and marshmallows. Mmm… Yum!
Though I drink hot cocoa in the summer, it just doesn’t have the same vibe as when I drink it in the winter, don’t you think so?
Time for winding down and planning
I can’t believe I’m saying this: one thing I like about winter is that it’s time to wind down. I can actually spend the day on the couch and read without having to take care of the garden. I can spend the weekend crocheting away, perhaps watch a movie. It’s also the time to plan, to learn new ways to garden, and strategize about next year’s garden.
This is Another Story 
Agree to most likes and dislikes and adding that extended winter gets boring as it happens in Calgary with its unpredictable weather changes. A day of bright sun is followed by snowstorm and plummeting mercury.
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I agree, winter gets boring sometimes when it goes on for days. Oh, how I hate unpredictable weather.
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it would be more organized than I expected could handle. Snow holds no attraction for me. It makes everything look different and I am am directionless on a good day. In snow I am lost.
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Then I’m guessing you’re living in an area with no snow?
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Yes. No snow except in the September of 1981 when I was pregnant with and my car would not – had to be pushed by myself to start… Imagine it …. Bloody hectic and i got list going home because nothing was familiar covered in snow. And digging driveways would have made me more of a hermit than I am. I would just wait for it to melt. Might die of starvation except for pizza deliveries but die because I would not leave home.
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Oh no…
Were you in the same place then as you are now?
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No. I am 1300 kms away now. I live in Cape Town. There was my home town a coal dusted city that is crumbling with neglect now.
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Oh this auto correct is going to kill me!!! Organized expected am extra words…. I wish I could turn it off.
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You need a snow Joe. I am having a blast.
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Those don’t work if the snow has a heavy water content. I’ve watched my neighbor from across the street struggle over the years. Most of the times, they had to hand shovel because the snow is too heavy and wet.
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Good pros and cons
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Thank you. 🙂
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My pleasure
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I’m with you on the soup.
Snow looks beautiful but I don’t think I could cope with the practical aspects.
Your winter down time sounds relaxing, my idea of fun too, only I don’t crochet. I do embroidery instead.
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Embroidery sounds awesome. I wanted to learn that years ago but I’m not very good at needlework.
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It’s a stress busting activity like all forms of handicraft.
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