It's cold in Oxford. It's been at and just below freezing for a few days now. Today we actually have snow and, since the sun went down at about 4, it's started to stick! There's a thin but solid layer of it on the ground now. Andrew was very excited about it. He was born and raised in Florida - as was his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so on - so snow is a major novelty. He'd never seen it until we spent Christmas at my Dad's after we were engaged. I spent most of my childhood in Florida, but have been exposed to plenty of snow in Missouri, where I lived when I was little and have always had family (including Dad).
Simpkins does not like the snow and we've had to keep him on our laps quite a bit, especially when he first comes in from outside. He's spending more time in the lodge and library and less time outside causing trouble. That's got to be a good thing. Only thing is he really wants you to CARRY him from one place to another so he doesn't have to walk on the cold ground. LOL. Cats! I sure miss mine!
It was just getting cold in Missouri in 1993 when I brought 8-month-old Romeo to Florida via car. It was a rough trip. He gets car sick and was terrified and starving. I had a junky car and the girl I had "drive" with me for the move back to Florida was sick and slept almost the whole way. She didn't drive a foot of the journey. It hadn't snowed yet that year in Missouri, so Romeo still hasn't seen snow. He DID live through the big midwest floods that year, though. He was just a kitten and LOVED watching the rain. He still loves the rain.
Laertes and Ophelia, on the other hand, are native Floridians like their daddy. Now they are experiencing Salt Lake City winter! Kim tells me they are puzzled and fascinated by the snow. I'm sure Ophelia is mesmerized.
I expect the weather will warm up a bit within a few days. Snow is very unusual in Oxford. It generally hovers just above freezing in the winter here. Some days it is windy and feels miserable. Other days it's sunny, but that makes it colder because there are no clouds to hold in the heat. On cloudy days, it tends to be very dark and dreary. It rains about every other day here, year-round.
I'm back at work. Have been since last Thursday. There's really nothing more to say on that topic. Dullsville, man. Dullsville.
There's not a whole lot to report for now. Andrew is busy working on papers and readings that need to be completed for the upcoming term. I am working at work and a little on my novel and a little on The Sims, also reading snippets from a collection of short stories by female writers as I am still deciding which novel to tackle next.
The weather has made us both a bit over-tired and we have a tendency to sleep through the daylight hours if not forced out of bed by necessity. At least we have each other to keep us warm!
Posted by Erin at January 8, 2003 05:52 PM