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Mittens, scarves and boots, oh my!
December is a challenging month. With a front hall full of extra jackets, winter boots, mittens, scarves, woolly socks and boot trays, it’s easy to see winter has arrived a little bit early. I’m not sure when I’ll get tired of sweeping up “road salt” and mopping up puddles of icy cold water. I may break sooner than usual this year. Last week I mentioned how grateful I am for the science that brought us the winter clothing we wear today. I am grateful. Who would have thought, however, outerwear would be referred to as a “system”? LOML and I own “systems”. We have coats and boots and hats and mittens/gloves which have been described as such. They’re like weather, it seems. Different temperatures, different vests, liners, etc.
In any case, systems and clothing science aside, one thing has not changed over the years is that I still don’t like suiting up to go outside. I don’t mind being inside. I don’t mind being outside. I do mind the getting from here-to-there process. When the time comes to head out to the gym or the grocery store or the post office, the very idea of applying layers of clothing designed for the winter weather, even with the systems, is almost enough to make me hunker down, pour a coffee and start shopping online. And, if you know me, and barely anyone does, you’d know I’m not an online shopping kinda gal. I like to actually “fondle the goods” before I buy. That being said, you’d think I’d be all about fondling all 17 different pieces of outdoor gear to get dressed go shopping or walking. When I was a kid, in elementary school, I often headed out to recess with as little outerwear as possible. Truth be told, most of the kids in our school were pretty much the same in that respect. Mittens, scarves and overshoes mostly languished in the hallway and cloakroom in favour of a quicker exit to 15 minutes of snowballs, creating “icies” and laying down some serious snow angels. Most of our outerwear would have still been soggy from the trudge to school. I suppose it was a defence mechanism against wearing the damp leggings and boots and a youthful need to get outside without wasting a moment of recess time.
So, here I am. The weather isn’t really expected to turn spring-like anytime soon. The front hall is, as I said, awash with cold weather paraphernalia. Various coats and sweaters hanging on hooks. Mittens, scarves, toques and gloves in bins. Boots and other footwear in and around the trays. Don’t get me wrong, I do venture out to make the dash from the front door to the recycling and green bins on the porch, but I usually do that barefooted, most days. If I’m of a mind to be warm or the snow on the porch is too deep, I will stuff my feet into whatever is closest to the door, often flipflops or LOML’s Crocs™. Seriously, I just don’t look forward to going anywhere, for any reason. I have a playbook of dodges when I’m asked “out”. I often hoof it to the gym wearing my “high tech” winter boots, but rarely wear socks with those boots. If my mittens or gloves, hat and scarf aren’t stuffed in the sleeves of my “high tech” jacket, I don’t have a problem going without. Well, I do have a problem because I don’t like being cold or damp, but I have my priorities. If I have a choice between getting out of the house quickly or taking time to dress “weather-wise”, speed will always win.
I love all seasons, but I have a particular affinity for those times when I can shove my feet into a pair of shoes, open the door and take a hike. Imagine what I was like when we had youngsters at home. All of those extra bits and pieces of winter defence mechanisms, piled up in the hallway. It wasn’t a pretty picture folks, but it does explain why I often dropped our young children off at elementary school while wearing my pyjamas, a sweat shirt and LOML’s boot-liners.
It’s December, folks. Time for hunkering down. Where are the couch blankies and the trashy novels
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