I am outside for several hours every day walking my dog. Most of the time, our walks are pretty fantastic. We walk in the early morning hours before anyone else is up except for the paper delivery guy and my 4:30AM girlfriend. We walk after lunch in the late morning through the woods – checking out the turtles, the hawks, the woodpeckers and the swamps while bumping into friends like the Birdwatcher, the lawyer, and the Girl in the Floppy Hat. Our last walk is in the late afternoon before dinner. We hike the big hill, cut through the park while Wiggles barks furiously and lunges at the bikers and kids on electric scooters as we wind our way through the rich part of the neighborhood before making our way home for the night.
The weather, usually, is decent. It’s one of the reasons I love Raleigh – except for January and February.
I hate being cold. January and February are our coldest months. If we’re going to get ice and snow – it is usually this time of the year. If it’s not cold enough for snow, we can still expect day after day of gray skies with plenty of rain and temps in the 30-40s.
When we’re out in these crappy conditions, I look for the bright side.
- If it is frigid but not windy, I’ll say, “At least it’s not windy”.
- If it’s freezing and windy but not raining, “At least it’s not raining.”
- If it’s raining, “At least it’s not snowing”.
- If it’s snowing, “At least it will melt soon.”
The weather here is outstanding 8-9 months of the year. The few months that I miss Florida weather suck, but not enough to get me to move.
Right now, we’re in the middle of a 3 days cold and wet dreary February weekend. But at least it’s not a hurricane.