Preparing for Winter

My clocks are set back. I'm ready for the dark days to begin. Oh, how I do not like Standard Time; however, I am glad it ends in March, March 8, 2026, to be exact. Only four months; thank God, it's not six months. Meanwhile, it starts getting dark very early in the day, and I don't know why anyone would prefer this, other than, perhaps, the people who think Daylight Savings Time is disrespectful of the way God created the world. And, so, the cold, dark days are upon us. That is what they are. I am thankful, however, for the beautiful trees that have finally started to show their brilliant colors, and the fact that it is still fall until December 21. There is some good news about the weather. We're going to have a bit of a warm-up starting tomorrow for about a week. I have not had to be preoccupied with the weather for about a decade because I never had to go outside except to get in and out of my car. This year, however, I have what's known as "recess duty." For me, that means I have to go outside every day for 40 minutes. Forty minutes is a long time when the temperature is low and the winds are high. We had a couple of days like that last week, but then we had a couple of really nice days. I talked with a friend today about Kansas weather, about how you can start out in the morning needing the heater in your car and go home in the afternoon needing the air conditioner. It's true. So I am glad for that weather forecast. We don't have outdoor recess under two conditions: when it is raining and when the "feels like temperature" (what used to be called the “wind chill”) goes down to 20 degrees. That's cold. Well, what it basically entails is planning ahead for each weather condition. It's basically a matter of layering. Our building is generally cold all year; cold in the spring and summer and fall when the temperature outside is hot, because of the air-conditioning, and cold in the winter because the building is drafty. So, for me, that means layering all year around. The interesting part will be when the "dead of winter" really hits. I've got a system more or less figured out for myself, involving thermal underwear or not, which coat, etc. What really gets me is children who come to school with no coat, no hat, no gloves, and sometimes even wear shorts to school in the winter time. I've heard tell of someone or some agency who gifts coats to the kids and that they should be arriving soon. That will be good. Meanwhile, kids come to school in various stages of non-preparedness for the cold weather. I'm not sure why that is. My expectation is that parents will figure it out pretty soon, if they haven't yet, how to get kids bundled up for the cold weather. And we are moving into the holidays pretty fast. This happens faster every year. I had a phone call from a friend in Florida today. She and her husband are contemplating a move to another state and she asked me about the weather in Kansas. Well, basically, the weather in Kansas is pretty mild, compared to other Midwestern states, the northern and mountainous regions of the country. In that sense, I recommend Kansas. However, property taxes are high here I don't own a home, I just hear this from people who are homeowners. I don't see myself ever being able to afford to own a home in Kansas, short of a miracle, so that is just the way it is. I would love to be able to. I owned a home in Missouri for a short time, and that was the only time I have not rented. It is what it is. I hope for the sake of young people who want to experience "the American Dream" that this situation is going to change sometime soon. Meanwhile, I am thankful for a job, a car, and a place to call home. And that concludes my Standard Time Eve rant. I'm off to try to read a little bit.