I'm sitting in my home with the heat cranked up so high my skin is dry and my hair is full of static. We're going to have record low temps tomorrow for the southwest Chicago suburbs. I was born in the wrong state. As an update in 2020, Illinois is one of the top states that residents are fleeing from.
I'm cold all of the time. My friends make fun of me and my family knows better. In winter I either wear a robe or a blanket wrapped around me at home. If I get tired of that & I’d slip on a pair of long underwear under loose pull-on pants and wear a thick sweatshirt. I’m sure my husband always thinks I've put on a few pounds because of all the clothes I wear.
As a child, it didn't bother me as much
Although I'm not very athletic I did enjoy sledding as a kid. I lived in Blue Island, IL, until I was ten. Blue Island had some hilly streets and a park called Memorial Park that had great sledding hills. My Dad would take us to the park and patiently wait until we were too tired to sled anymore. I really can't remember, but maybe it didn't take too long with the quick ride down and the labored walk back up.
The local teenage boys built the best slopes for our little round plastic saucers, starting at the top of the hill and going down the neighbor’s yards with tunnels and zigzags. They would ice them up every day so we’d all get a good ride. We were sad when those melted.
Those were also the days of the full snowsuit. You could hear the swish of the legs rubbing against each other. You were covered from head to toe. Sometimes it was a one-piece suit, other times you had snow pants or a coverall under your coat. Add a scarf, gloves, and boots and as an active child, the cold didn't bother me so much. I can't wear that gear showing homes in the southwest Chicago suburbs.
That was then, this is now
I don't quite remember when I started hating the snow and cold but once I became a teenager I could do without it. I don’ have any fond memories of the great Chicago snowstorm of 1968 where we had to walk home from school because no buses or cars could drive through the streets. I'll never forget people pulling sleds to the grocery store and lamenting the dwindling supply of food as delivery trucks couldn't get in.
The older I get, the worse it is. In fact, I believe I've suffered from a degree of SADD, although it hasn't affected me as badly the past couple of years. I was going to purchase one of those special lights for SADD sufferers but never got around to it.
I know there is snow to be found in Arizona, but I've read that for the rare snowfall in Scottsdale, it is usually light and melts quickly. It's not even an annual event. If I never see snow again it won't be too soon.
Showing homes in snow
I have run through stoplights, even driving as slow as possible, because of black ice. I witnessed a head-on collision on my way home from showing houses in the Chicago southwest suburbs. It happened right in front of me, but the good news is that everyone was traveling so slowly, I don't think there were any injuries.
I've almost broken an ankle trying to walk through somewhat hard snow to find a lockbox at the back of a condo building where there was no driveway or sidewalk access. A friend of mine broke her leg in several places slipping on ice in her driveway while taking the garbage out.
I realize Arizona has sandstorms and monsoon rains, and I've been in both, but a horrible, icy and slippery blizzard isn't something I want to show houses in. But when buyers are excited to look at homes, they usually don't care about the weather.
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