Game of Thrones hints at it. The dropping temperature hints at it. The days of shortening sunlight hints at it.
Winter is coming.
Everyone has their favorite season. And there are a handful of people out there who pick winter as their favorite. Most of them are kids, like my daughter. But there are also some that are adults, and I call them strange.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying some of the perks of snow and ice - snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing, snowboarding, sledding or ice skating. And yes, the holiday season is most beautiful with that one fresh snowfall and all the blinking lights, and that first snowman is fun to make with the kids.
But after that? A bucket of filth that turns me into the Grinch.
Shoveling snow, scraping ice off my car (plus letting it heat up), all the mittens, gloves, boots, coats and snow pants just to make it to work or school, the heating bills and slippery roads - I could do without all of them. You know what else I can do without? Answering the same question 15 times a day: "Why are you wearing shorts? Don't you realize it's cold out?"
My answer varies between one of three: 1) If I pretend I'm in Hawaii, it's not so bad; 2) I'm lazy; and 3) why would I bundle up when I'm only going to be exposed to the elements in 5-10-minute intervals? I've shoveled snow when its 25-below in gym shorts and a hoodie. I do it in protest of winter.
And here we are, in November, about six weeks from the official start of winter and eight weeks from 2018. Winter is coming. It's going to be cold. It's going to snow (and knowing our luck, this year it will snow a lot). Also, no baseball. For those following at home, pitchers and catchers report in 92 days and the first exhibition games are 101 days out.
With only the occasional football, basketball or hockey game to hold me over, I'm going to be a grumbling mess from time to time. Those who know me best would be wise to simply deal with it. I may only be 32, but I hold a grudge against winter like baby boomers do against communism.
Yet, there are those out there who enjoy winter the most. Not summer, not fall and certainly not spring, what with its up-and-down temperatures, snow-and-rain mix, slush and mud. Winter. Some people choose winter.
To quote The Doors: People are strange.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
Winter is coming.
Everyone has their favorite season. And there are a handful of people out there who pick winter as their favorite. Most of them are kids, like my daughter. But there are also some that are adults, and I call them strange.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying some of the perks of snow and ice - snowmobiling, ice fishing, skiing, snowboarding, sledding or ice skating. And yes, the holiday season is most beautiful with that one fresh snowfall and all the blinking lights, and that first snowman is fun to make with the kids.
But after that? A bucket of filth that turns me into the Grinch.
Shoveling snow, scraping ice off my car (plus letting it heat up), all the mittens, gloves, boots, coats and snow pants just to make it to work or school, the heating bills and slippery roads - I could do without all of them. You know what else I can do without? Answering the same question 15 times a day: "Why are you wearing shorts? Don't you realize it's cold out?"
My answer varies between one of three: 1) If I pretend I'm in Hawaii, it's not so bad; 2) I'm lazy; and 3) why would I bundle up when I'm only going to be exposed to the elements in 5-10-minute intervals? I've shoveled snow when its 25-below in gym shorts and a hoodie. I do it in protest of winter.
And here we are, in November, about six weeks from the official start of winter and eight weeks from 2018. Winter is coming. It's going to be cold. It's going to snow (and knowing our luck, this year it will snow a lot). Also, no baseball. For those following at home, pitchers and catchers report in 92 days and the first exhibition games are 101 days out.
With only the occasional football, basketball or hockey game to hold me over, I'm going to be a grumbling mess from time to time. Those who know me best would be wise to simply deal with it. I may only be 32, but I hold a grudge against winter like baby boomers do against communism.
Yet, there are those out there who enjoy winter the most. Not summer, not fall and certainly not spring, what with its up-and-down temperatures, snow-and-rain mix, slush and mud. Winter. Some people choose winter.
To quote The Doors: People are strange.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times and can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
