This past weekend I was running around the house trying to get ready for a lunchtime Christmas get together with cousins. I was breaking a sweat trying to figure out what to wear. I even turned on the air conditioner and the ceiling fan. I finally gave up because blue jeans were out of the question as I looked out the foggy windows at the dreary warm day. I tossed on a dress and flats then headed out.
On my 16 mile drive north to my old childhood countryside, I noticed a dark wall of clouds in the sky heading in my direction. Leaves began to stir in the grassy ditches whipping into my open sun roof. And before I knew it a cold gust of wind dipped into my car giving me a chill. I looked down at my dashboard and could not believe my eyes. When I cranked up my car it was 81 degrees and in the past fifteen minutes it had dropped to 63 degrees.
I hurriedly closed up my sun roof and hit my seat warmer. Yes, the seat warmer that was blowing air conditioning. Wind whipped, causing branches to wave back and forth. Leaves fell in droves across the small country road and cold rain pelted my windshield. I was suddenly freezing cold. And I had to think to myself, "Only in Louisiana." How can the temperature drop twenty degrees in twenty minutes?
It's like literally a wall of cold air is barreling across the south. An actual wall. Not just slow layers trickling into the atmosphere. I have struggled with allergies and sinus issues my entire life and firmly believe it has to do with our warm winters that seem to be as fickle as a lady. We check our phones each morning to see how to dress and that is still no help. There is a low of 43 degrees and a high of 75. How does one dress in these Louisiana winters? Layers.
A friend made a comment to me the other day about the weather saying, "This is the weather when all the kids lose their jackets." I had to laugh. It is so true. They bundle up in the morning and then come recessv they rip down to an undershirt. Lost and found grows into a mound of sweat shirts, sweaters, and jackets which have been discarded and forgotten by the time afternoon rolls around.
Another frustration came with this same thought. It is the extra work put on all moms during this southern wintry weather. As those mounds grow in the lost and found, they also grow in the laundry room. The layers of clothes all get dirty because at some point in the day they are worn and then tossed on the floor or grass. And it is not the shorts and T-shirts of the summer. It is long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and jeans.
Washing machines are going morning and night in our southern homes so our little tykes can remain warm and dry as fog turns to rain which turns to cold slush and two days later it is sunshine and 88 degrees.
I still would not trade it. I would rather this bi-polar weather than ten degrees below zero and three feet of snow. Down south we just need one hard freeze to kill the ticks and wolves. And a few hard freezes makes the mosquitoes lighter in the coming summer months. Or at least that's what they say during the Louisiana winters.
