It takes about two and a half hours to fly from Tampa to the Frozen North. Considering the weather we had taken off from, the pilot was hesitant to hit us with the weather we were about to land in, but it's part of his job, so he did . The information included the words "high winds" and "snow flurries", which was greeted with a low rumble of discontent. But what are you gonna do? I dug my high necked woolly sweater and scarf out of my carry-on bag, and broke out in anticipatory goosebumps.
Walking out into the teeth of the icy northern air I was glad I'd remembered my all-encompassing woolly coat, and mad that I'd forgotten gloves. When you live in Tampa, gloves are not at the top of your must-have list. I did have sunglasses, which serve two purposes: protection from the blinding snow glare and from having your eyes bombarded with tiny ice particles.
Frozen fingers fumbled with rental car keys and got me inside, just moments before I turned to a block of ice. With the heat on high I sat, shivering, while body parts thawed. And it occurred to me that my winter coat wasn't the only thing that had been in mothballs for the last five years. My winter driving skills have been in long term storage too.
I inched tentatively out onto the road, wondering if it was icy. The natives were whizzing by at alarming speeds. They knew the roads were dry. I wasn't going to take their word for it though. Better to irk a few natives than to find out about ice the hard way. Confidence grew as I buzzed along. It wasn't so bad after all. Mercifully, I remembered the way to the OC's digs. Where it was warm.
What is the first thing an Irishwoman does after being gone from home for several hours? Puts on the kettle and makes a cup of tea! And he didn't just have Lipton's, he had Barry's, bless his heart. And what does an Irishwoman crave to go with the cup of tea? Company. But one can't have everything, he'd be home by and by. Meantime, safe arrival, in out of the cold, with a cup of hot tea ---no complaints from here!
6 comments:
I have never had to drive in the snow, though we used to get it occasionally.
We are sweltering in the humid heat here, & you really have no idea who lovely it sounds to think of ice & snow!!
Molly, the image your story presents is so foreign to what we have hear it is hard for me to comprehend what it must be like.
I have visited the snowfields here in Australia, and been a bit chilly, oh sure I have. But the North American winters seem to be another thing all together!
We have weather like Florida here in Sydney, and, like Meggie said, we are currently feeling the subtle onslaught of summer approaching.
oh my goodness, that should be "what we have here"...fingers moving faster than brain I think.
Oh, Molly, I'm glad you had a careful and eventless drive "home". Go out and buy some silly mittens and a hat and take a hike for me! Breath in frozen puffs, cheeks bright red, arms pumping for the first ten minutes to warm up. After that, you have the glorious experience of being outdoors in winter, something the three of us who have replied so far have not experienced -- in my case in 7 years, anyway. Make the most of it! And don't forget to have hot cocoa sometimes.
P.S. How did the party go with the black velvet pants and a large friendly dog??
With you on the all-important cup of tea! So vital. But I have a lot of Irish blood in my veins.
It must be a Celtic thing - the tea. Essential in any cold/stressful/thirsty/any other situation.
That does sound memorably cold, wherever it is! We had a tiny little bit of frost here in Edinburgh today, our first of the winter, but it didn't seem to affect any of the tender plants, which are still blooming. Have a lovely time with the OC.
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