Cold

It's been remarkably cold lately, and windy, too. It's the kind of cold that seers your nostrils and makes your eye sockets ache; it is inspiration to walk briskly and to spend as little time exposed as possible. This afternoon, as I was walking on the college campus, a particular gust of wind took me nearly off my feet! The snow is falling out of the sky lazily, but once it reaches ground level it is hurled very quicky in blinding gusts. A few times today, when walking on campus, I had to just give in and turn my back to the blowing snow for several seconds before moving on.

There is something--perhaps insanely--enjoyable about the cold weather we experience in New England. We don't really fancy the feeling of freezing fingers or ears any more than usual, but the staggering contrast between our summers and winters is, in a way, peculiarly thrilling. I remember getting excited, as a young 'un, when it dropped below zero. The window panes would ice up on the inside at that temperature, and somebody would have to get up in the night to load the wood stove to keep the house comfortable. Can't really say now that I get excited when the world utterly freezes, as it's chosen to do, but I still have a freaky appreciation for it. Well, keeps the superfluous sunbathers in Florida, I guess. Finally, it has wizened up and put an end to the spooky warmness that made this year's winter so uncharacteristic until now.