Sunday, October 7, 2012

I'm missing Summer... really. Now while I don't hate Fall, (it actually is beautiful here in Northern New England with the trees changing colors) I just don't like the cooler temperatures. Cooler temperatures means snow and freezing rain. Long gone are my days of sliding, making snow forts, having snowball fights and making snow angels. While my kids and grandkids might love it, the thing I worry about is slip sliding on the stairs or on the road when driving. Winter here in Maine is so damn long. Last year we had a huge snowstorm for Halloween... I'd never seen it that early before. :( And don't want to again, lol. Cooler temperatures also means turning the heat on. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but heating oil is expensive! I sure wish I lived someplace that didn't get cold-and stay cold-all day and all night for 5-6 months out of the year. I can see turning on the heat occasionally, but geez, when you spend several thousand a year just to stay warm it really sucks. (between portable electric heaters and oil that is!) In hubby's hometown, as in most homes in Guatemala-there are no heating systems. Nights can dip down to the 30's and even 20's in some areas-I've been told December is the coldest month there, and even though I walked around in their "winter" months (which I think are called that due to the humidity and torrential rains) they do have cooler, dryer months as well. Since hubby's hometown is on top of a mountain (with spectacular views I might add) it gets cooler there at night than it does in the city. Houses are built of block, or even adobe or other materials (such as tin or aluminum) and with open windows and rustic construction, multiple blankets are a necessity. I will say that by mid-morning to late afternoon it gets quite warm again, thank goodness! I know that when the temps got down to the mid 50's there I was surprised to see people wearing winter parkas and omigosh when it was warm and in the low to mid 70's people were wearing long sleeves and jackets and I was sweating for them lol... I shudder to think how they would react to 30 below zero :( brrrr! So I am dreading winter, and wishing I could head South for the winter-but unfortunately it is the busy time of year for me at work. Hubby is generally busy too, and our daughter is at school, so we stay here and suffer in the cold. Let's hope that this winter is a mild one, and goes by quickly! Leaving you with a couple of photos of houses in and around hubby's hometown... (seeing this makes me realize just how lucky we are!)