Brrr!

There has been a cold front sweeping the nation recently, and Marilyn couldn't care less. Thirty degrees may be cold for the south, but it is close enough to paradise for me.

New England: Terrible.
Upstate New York: Excrutiating.
New Zealand: No central heat.
South Carolina: Ain't no thang.

No snow, no slush, no subzero temps, no whipping wind! I actively appreciate this Every. Single. Morning.

When I lived in Boston, I walked over a mile to and from work... every day... in the snow. I won't make the cliche claim that it was uphill both ways because that would detract from the stark reality of the situation. To prevent frostbite, I dressed to cover all areas of skin other than my eyelids. I'm talking about the type of cold that just plain hurts.

When I lived in Rochester, I had a car. No more walking. Sweet! Except that I once missed an entire morning of work because all 4 of my car doors were frozen shut. Ice cream.

Those childhood winters in Pennsylvania were no picnic either...

This photo shows a young Marilyn sledding through the streets of Ashland in 1983. Notice that she is being propped up in an empty case of MICHELOB BEER. Oooh, so that's where Marilyn gets it.

Fast forward to the winter of 1985. My little sister has been bundled into my hand-me-down snowsuit (right down to the light pink accessories), while I've upgraded to a sleek bright pink ensemble. My 3-year-old buddy put it best: "I am a penguin. Waddle, waddle, waddle."

You might be wondering about the hockey goalie gloves that enlarge my hands to the size of my thighs. These are my Freaky Freezies, beloved winter accessory of the 80s. The full design of the glove did not emerge until it was exposed to cold temperatures. Put these gloves on in the house and you see only the torso of a peacock. Borriingggg. Walk outside and the plumage explodes into color! Freezing feathers! If that doesn't freak your freak, I don't know what will! That girl is pretty wild now. That girl's a super-freak.

Early exposure to alcohol and freakiness... this explains a lot.

Thank you, family, for my my awesome new scanner! This Twistmas gift will entertain us all :)