Cold wimps

So I think I am beginning to understand why Miamians complain so much when it gets cold down here. I know, I know, all of you guys up North are thinking "What cold?"

But really, last week it almost froze a couple of nights, and for us down here, it feels like a big deal. And now, going on my third year here, I think a lot of it is psychological, and the rest is just being unprepared for cold weather.

We are all accustomed here to waking up, throwing on a T-shirt and sandals and walking out the door, almost every day. So in January, those few bouts with sub 60-degree weather leaves us shivering. We wonder, "Where am I?" (As an aside, as a native of the North, everyone here is always surprised that I too get cold. I have to explain to them that we Northerners get cold in the winter too, we are not all polar bears.)

The cold weather down here is a wet chill that goes right to your bones, and our subtropical psyches just can't take it!

Really though, I think mostly we are just not prepared. All of my former "winter clothes", all the sweaters, long sleeved T-shirts, wool socks, they've all slowly been culled from my wardrobe. The only jacket I own is of the denim variety. So, on a cold morning, I find myself rummaging through my closet, lamenting the absence of anything warm. I end up wrapped in blankets, unwilling to leave the house. Actually, one particularly cold day last week, we had an unusually high number of people call in sick at work.

What's more, many homes don't even have heat. Take our first apartment here...in January and February the thermostat often hovered at 60. I invited my aunt and uncle for brunch, and we were all sitting in our jackets and scarves eating scones! I have a wall unit AC/heater in my office, and the heat is seldom on. The first time I used it, I came into my office and I thought I had an electrical fire somewhere. I was wandering around the office sniffing all the outlets. Really, it was just all the leaves and mold burning up in the heater.

So have some pity on us, you there up North, we are too mentally fragile and completely unprepared for the harshness of winter.

Home for the Holidays

I spent Christmas here in Miami this year, where we had a traditional Polish dinner, complete with borsht, pierogi, and fried fish. David got a telescope from my mom, and we had "fun" trying to put it all together.

On the 26th I braved wintry Midwest weather to fly home to Iowa. My connection was in Detroit, and all went well on my flight from Ft. Lauderdale to the Detroit Metro Airport. Unfortunately, my flight to DSM was cancelled. I had to spend 6 hours in the airport, so I rode through the one-of-a-kind tunnel connecting concourse A to B and C. If you haven't been through the tunnel, it's like a step into the future. The walls are covered with frosted glass with lighting behind it. The light go through every color of the rainbow, all in time to the space age music that is playing overhead. To experience the tunnel through YouTube, click here.

After I finally made it to Des Moines, it was cold!. I was shivering a lot of the time, and I discovered that my wool sweaters are all too short, they come down just below my belly button (I have no idea how that happened!).

I spent most of the time at home, playing games and watching movies. It's always so nice to spend time with my parents. I did get out a bit, though.

We visited the capital in Des Moines, and I hadn'r been in it since the inside was renovated. It is gorgeous, all the origianl stenciling and details have been restored. The architecture is just amazing. If you ever find yourself in Des Moines (not likely, I know), the capital is really interesting, especially if you like historic buildings. It's also neat to walk through the Senate and House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the Law Library, which are all open when not is session. In the accompanying photos, you can see the exterior of the Capital, a still life of corn, which epitomizes the bounty of the Midwest, the antique chandeliers that hang in the Senate, and a beautiful painting of pioneers going West that I remember from my chidlhood. It is huge, probably at least 50 feet wide.

We also went to the neighboring East Village, a historical neighborhood whose old brick storefronts and warehouses have been renovated into lofts and funky boutique stores. Among the many local shops and restaurants, I visited From Our Hands, an art gallery showcasing regional artists, Kitchen Collage with everything from French porcelian china to egg timers, and Smash, a local clothing brand that showcases screenprinting. It is filled with really funny t-shirts that poke fun at common perceptions of the Midwest and Des Moines. I have several of their shirts now, and you should check out their website.

I also got to visit the Neal Smith Prairie with my fried Sara. We tried to walk the trail by the visitor Center, but it was treacherous with ice. I visited the prairie last in August, and I found it much changed in the winter. Gone were the coneflowers and nightshade, replaced by a sweeping canvas of golden brown, its beauty more vast, more subtle. I was delighted when we drove through the buffalo acreage. We saw elk, antlered males and babies, and majestic buffalo, all very close. I got a great shot of two buffalo hunkered down against the wind. When you see these creatures in person, their size is unbelievable.

On my last day there, we drove to Leon to visit the land. We rambled around through grass and brambles, taking stock of the place. My dad impressed us with his prowess as he lept across the icy creek at a place deemed too wide by my mom and me.

It was really nice to go home for the Holidays this year.

toothbrush drama

Last night after we had climbed into bed, we heard a small noise. Bang, plop. David started swearing, followed by "Oh no, not again! I can't believe this!"

The tone of his voice was such that I imagined some catastrophe. Had Mickey gotten into something dangerous?

I asked, with some urgency, "What happened?"

He replied, "My toothbrush fell in the toilet again."

Our toothbrushes are stored above the sink in wall-mounted holes. However, with modern day toothbrushes having fat, plush rubber grips, we have to jam the end of the handle into the hole. Recently, David's toothbrush has picked up the new extracurricular activity of cliff diving off of the wall into the toilet bowl, with a clean richochet off the tank. It completes this with remarkable accuracy. The latest dive is the third time in the last two weeks. Mine has tried the same feat once or twice, but has yet to find its mark.

I suggested to David, "If this is happening so often that you now recognize the event by sound alone, perhaps it is time to revise our toothbrush storage strategy."

He agreed.