Friday, November 16, 2007

A Uniform Shade of Ugly

It snowed last night. It's cold and wet. Yuck. At my desk, I have my special 'Sun Light Lamp' turned on to try to fool myself that it is sunny and warm. It's not working.

I remember when I was about twelve years old laughing at the geezer next door who always complained that he was cold and that he wanted to live in a hot climate. I'm not laughing now. He ended up moving to Australia but I'm still here in Canada. I like Canadian summers but can't say that the winters are something I look forward to.

Although I was never a great fan of winter sports, I do remember building snow forts as a kid, having snowball fights and skating on ponds near our home. The cold never really bothered me then. Now, it's not really the cold that bothers me either. I rarely zip up my winter coats, in fact I think the zippers to be a nuisance. I never wear a hat, unless it is to keep the sun our of my eyes. It's not the cold, it is the feeling I have that everything is dead and dying and that the world has stopped. Green grass, red and yellow flowers, blue skies, everything is gone. Instead we have a uniform shade of grey. The skies are grey, the landscape is grey, and everything seems to blur into a mush of ugly.

Maybe that's why I love Panama and other more tropical places. There is colour everywhere. Everything is alive. And I don't have to wear socks. That alone is reason enough to seek out a warmer climate. I guess I will have to pack up my sandals for the season and dig out some socks to wear.

Yes, this has been a silly post. Why not? I'm in a silly mood. That's what snow does to me.

Have a great weekend.

11 comments:

  1. hehe... I hate wearing socks, therefore, I do not. But then, this IS Florida.
    We're having a cold snap this week... upper 40's at night, upper 60's during the day.

    Going to an outdoor art show this weekend. (Was that mean?)

    Hope your weekend includes sunshine!

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  2. Hmmm ... maybe you need to read more Oz blogs until you can escape to Panama. It gives me a little bit of a boost to see reports from some place on the planet that is waking up while our locales are drabbing down into winter's long and stingy grip.

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  3. Jean: Another sock hater! Between March and November, I never wear socks unless I have to meet a client or speak somewhere. My employees have long gotten used to my 'eccentricities.' I love outdoor art shows. They have them in Stratford, Ontario, about an hour's drive from here and we attend every year if we can.

    Lin: I visit a lot of Central and South American blogs and websites. You're right, it is nice to be involved vicariously in the lives and affairs of others who live a life much different than your own. I haven't found a good Oz blog yet, but I'm sure there are many.

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  4. You are correct. Like you it is not the cold that bothers me, but the gray, leaden skies. Even a warm day in January is depressing.

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  5. Hoosierboy: You and I are just going to have to invest in blue-tinted glasses. Maybe that'll fix us up!

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  6. I LOVE the snow. But I am a little worried that i might get snowed in at grandpa's house in the Ozarks over the holiday weekend. We'll see...

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  7. Maybe if I were in a beautiful mountain setting and could hike over pure, white snow and breathe in the clean, crisp air, I wouldn't mind it so much. Here, it is just a damn nuisance.

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  8. What you've been dealing with was supposed to pay me a visit today. I'm sitting in my office in my pajamas with the heat practically off, and comfortable, but in six months, I'll be miserable.
    If climate change involves a lot less humidity, I'll be glad!

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  9. Galt: if you can sit in your office in your pajamas, life is good. It doesn't get much better than that.

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  10. The geezer next door also made an impact on me when I was 12. Weird, sorta...
    http://v.ht/moreAboutGeezerdom
    Nice writing! Borris

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