February Blues

Life in Christian County, Kentucky...

Waiting for spring

I read once about the buffalo in Yellowstone. Before the spring thaw finally starts, they wait, wait, wait for the snow to melt and the grass to grow again. The last weeks of winter are the very hardest for them because they are weakened by what they've already endured and they're very thin and hungry.

Our circumstances in Kentucky are not nearly that dire, but we're waiting for spring and warmer weather with eagerness because we want to put away our winter coats.

Years ago, when we moved to Germany from the Kansas City area, we were accustomed to some snow and cold weather in winter. When winter in Germany came, we put on our heavy warm coats and wore them everywhere as people of the colder latitudes do in winter.

We had become friends with a young married couple from Kentucky. It seemed odd that Doug and Rita never wore their warm coats even if they had them in the backseat of the car. They were always running across the parking lots, shivering in just their sweaters. I asked Rita one day why they never wore their coats. She laughed and said she guessed it was the Kentucky way.

Now I understand why she said that. The temperatures are often in the 40's on winter days here -- sometimes even warmer. It's usually easy to go from the car to the store with just your sweater. Lately though, we're lucky if the temperature is above freezing even in the middle of the day. I've had to wear my big coat a lot, and I'm sure tired of it.

You'd never dream that I grew up where the winters were long, cold and snowy. After 15 years in Kentucky, I whine right along with everyone else every time we get just a little taste of real winter.



On February 10th a year ago, I wrote about "Living With A Well." I am so thankful that we finally got county water last summer.