• 

Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s snowy. And yes, we are still up North.

I am finding out for the first time in about twenty years what it’s like to experience winter in Upstate New York For various reasons, we haven’t left for our home in Florida, and we may not be going there this year. I may be forced to stay here through the winter months. There has to be a way to get through this I tell myself. Other people do. Quit being such a wimp. So how to manage the cold and snow?

Here’s my survival plan:

Dig out those winter clothes stored under the bed. Check. I did that, but like an idiot, last year I gave away my long underwear and my warm boots thinking I would never have to live in the cold. So now I had to buy long underwear. The clerk didn’t understand at first what I wanted, but then she asked, “Do you mean “long johns?” Okay. Yes that’s what I mean. She replied that they didn’t carry them. “So what do people wear under their outer wear when it’s really cold?” She pointed at some fitted pants that came down to the knee. “I really want to keep my calves warm also,” I said. She shrugged.

I went to the store next door and bought what are called “cuddleduds.” They work, and they feel soft.

What about my feet? After trying on about fifty pairs of boots, and I finally decided on a pair made by a long time manufacturer “Totes.” Warm and not bad looking. And they’re light weight.

Another approach would be to stay indoors all winter. That was my next strategy if I couldn’t find clothes to keep me warm, but I’m set to brave the icy weather now.

My next step has been to explore the joys of village life. We live in a tiny town set on the banks of a small trout stream. The town has a bank, two restaurants, a post office, a hair salon, two insurance companies, a dollar store, a company supplying animals products and several churches. Not only is it beautiful but it has been made more so by a local committee who dressed up stores and street lights with holiday decorations. Music plays to greet those on the street.

The village also has an arts and crafts center which schedules classes throughout the year and also holds a holiday craft fair. I sold my books at the fair and purchased some lovely items to give as gifts from other crafters.

My hair stylist loaned us a decorated Christmas tree for the holidays as we didn’t have one here. Ours is down in Florida. The tiny tree made us feel a lot jollier about being here.

The local Episcopal church offers free (or a small donation) soup every second Saturday of the month. We dropped off some used items at their free shop (called the “Magic Closet”) and picked up our soup to take with us: two kinds, butternut squash and pea with ham. So yummy.

So now I’m warm, I sometimes think the snow is beautiful (I’m sure I’ll find it less so as it continues to pile up and then turn to gray slush in the February and March thaws), I’m enjoying life in this small hamlet, and I find I have the skills to make the winter pass by as fast as it can. I’m finishing book 8 in my Eve Appel series and, since it’s set in sunny Florida, the manuscript can take me away to tropical warmth for a few hours each day.

And, of course, there’s always wine and chocolate, good in any climate!

What do you do to make the cold go away?