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Friday, January 11, 2019

roses in January

I have a friend who says she'd love to live in Alaska.  She might make it happen.  She loves winter and only tolerates summer.  I get it.  But would I want to live in Alaska?  I don't know if I could take the daylight swings.  Could you?

                    "Barrow—one of the northernmost towns in Alaska—has about two
                     months of darkness in the winter, from about November 18 to
                     January 22. But in the summer, the sun doesn't completely set for
                     about 82 days" ~ source


I like winter well enough.  As I type this, snow is gently falling, and it's all grey outside, and, well...



It's so much nicer than lightning, thunder, and hail.  And yes, I do "love" winter.  Let me count the ways

  1. No bugs.  Yes, we need (many) bugs for our survival, but they bug me.  Plus, if it has a stinger, I'm probably allergic to it.
  2. No pollen. Yes, we need plants for our survival, but I like it when they're asleep.  If it's a tree, grass, or weed, I'm probably allergic to it.
  3. Playing in the snow.  I live in Colorado, but I haven't downhill skied in YEARS - since before we had kids and Chaco's 25, so yeah.  Skiing and snowboarding are fun, but relatively expensive and crowded.  There are other enjoyable things to do outdoors in Colorado in winter - often made more enjoyable by points 1 and 2 above.
  4. Warm and cozy.  When not playing out in the snow, inside is warm and cozy as opposed to swelteringly uncomfortable as summer can get.  And I'm thankful to have a roof over my head. Not warm and cozy?  Add another layer.  We can only take off so much when it's hot.
  5. Cooking.  I (sometimes) like to cook.  I enjoy it more in wintertime than in summer when it's either grill or make the house even more hot.  No baking takes place in summer.
  6. Wildfire season takes a break.  Enough said.
  7. Reservoirs get filled up.  Get ready for spring thaw!
  8. Revenue for our state.  While I don't personally ski, lots of in- and out-of-staters do.  I'll take it, while avoiding the crowds.  Pot money only goes so far.



 


What do you love most about winter?  Would you live in northern Alaska full-time?

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt:
1. List 8 things you love about winter.


8 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

Well here in GA - we don't get much of a winter. However when we get our first heavy frost - and we have not yet - all those things you mentioned happen - bugs, allergies, etc.

Believe it or not I went to Alaska once - Anchorage. As far as I am concerned it is a nice place to visit but I would NOT like to live there.

You feel so cut off from the test of the world. The winter is 20 hours of darkness - I need the sun!

sandie

LL Cool Joe said...

What I love the most about Winter is when it's over. :D

I love the warmth of the sun, the bright long days, and spending much more time outside.

Abby said...

Chatty, I would like to visit Alaska too, but don't think I'd want to live there. Someone needs to tell your bugs and pollen that it's winter!

Joey, you picked the right location for your second home!

Linda Hensley said...

They say we need 10 days of hard cold to kill off bugs and make the trees fruit. Therefore, I'm willing to embrace 10 days of winter. That's enough time to throw a snowball and make a snow angel. Any more than 10 days seems unnecessary. I won't be moving to Alaska!

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

1. when it is over
2. hell no.
😃

Anonymous said...

Yep! In fact moving to Alaska is our current long term plan (Canada and Iceland are also in the running, but we don't need a visa for Alaska).

I don't mind the light at all. I've spent a lot of time in Iceland and kind of enjoy the seasonal light. I hate the heat, and love bundling up and getting cozy, so the northern climate is perfect!

Abby said...

Linda, 10 days? That explains why my allergies were had worn out their stay in November!

Margaret, so... tell us how you really feel :)

Erin, very cool! (literally!) I think the light/ no light would get to me, but haven't really tested that theory.

KatBouska said...

I follow a YouTuber who moved from the PNW to Alaska with her husband and kids. She actually makes it look pretty darn lovely! I couldn't be that far away from the rest of humanity as I know it though...I feel like I'd be living in a completely different world.