Thursday, November 06, 2008

Thursday Thirteen: Cold Weather

This morning it was c-c-c-cold.

As my husband says, "It's a degree."

I am ready for the change in temperatures, even though the cold ushers in the wind here in Smalltown, New Mexico.

(And I am literally, not just figuratively dodging tumbleweeds.)


Cold weather brings up many childhood memories for me.

1. The smell of the heater when you first turn it on for the winter. Burning dust.

2. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.

3. Fall leaves. I miss them. I used to love helping Daddy rake leaves in the fall (my helping was playing in them and riding in the wheelbarrow.)

Then I'd jump in the pile.

Crunch. Swish. Plop.

4. Trips to North Georgia for good apple cider.

5. The taste of hot boiled peanuts. I love to suck the juice from the shell before plopping the peanut in my mouth.

Yum.

6. Hot chocolate after school.

7. Watching the weather and praying, hoping, wishing it would snow. FYI- It doesn't snow in South Georgia. And if it does, you just pray, hope and wish that it will stick.

8. Climbing under the covers at night in a flannel gown and kicking the blanket to watch the static electricity in the dark. Sometimes dry heat is fun.

9. Visiting my grandparents. My granny would turn on the electric blanket minutes before bedtime. I'd climb into a toasty warm bed, blanketed with handmade quilts.

10. Buying candy cigarettes. (Wow! Can you believe they made those?!) We would pretend to smoke and blow signals with our hot breath in the cold air.

It's a wonder we turned out as good as we did.

11. Roasting marshmallows and hot dogs on old wire coat hangers over a fire. I love burned marshmallows!

12. Drawing on fogged glass inside the house.

13. Bright sunshine on a cold day. Even when it feels cold and dreary outside, God lets the sunshine stream down brightly to warm our hearts.

3 comments:

Barb said...

What memories you brought back. The way the heater smells, the leaves, drawing on the inside panes of the windows.

And candy cigarettes. Remember the little red tips? It's too bad they don't make the same candy in some socially acceptable shape - it was delicious!

Roxanne said...

I loved your list. . .and I hope you are bundled up and enjoying a warm beverage.

Susanne said...

I loved this post of memories. It brought back so many of my good winter memories. Finding any hill we could to sled on. Coming home with frozen fingers and toes and Mom having hot chocolate ready for us. Skating indoors and out. Snowangels and snowmen competing for space on the lawn.

I remember those candy cigarettes. Around here you can still get licorice pipes and cigars with the red ends.