“I’m staying in shape this winter by wearing enough layers to be constantly sweating.”
The morning is rainy. I can smell the dead wet leaves on the ground. It will rain on and off all day though the sun will peek through every now and then. The sky is a light grey. I can see the oak tree branches in the back yard being tossed by the wind. The temperature is in the low 60’s where it will sit all day. Tonight, though, will be more seasonal, in the 30’s.
Fall and winter rain make for dreary days, perfect for comfy clothes and a good book. The dogs, who appreciate cozy, are asleep on the couch. Nala is resting her head on my hip. I can feel her warmth.
When I was a kid, my grammar school was old. It was a brick building across from the convent and beside the rectory. Out front there was a big statue of an angel with a child. The first floor was up a set of stairs. Outside each classroom was the cloak room. There were never enough hooks for all our coats as each classroom had large classes. My first grade had over forty kids. The desks were the sort where you didn’t lift the top. Your books were in the desk, below the stationary top. You had to bend over to find the right book. The top had a groove for my pencils and a hole for an ink bottle. It was an old desk. I remember it was dark wood. The bathrooms were downstairs in the cellar.
I don’t like bulky winter coats despite the coldest weather. I have a couple, but I don’t think I wore one all last winter. I wore a hoodie and once in a while added a vest, my interpretation of layering. I have boots but not rubber boots. One pair is ankle high leather boots from Timberland. The other pair is waterproof outside and fleece inside but also ankle height. I always hope for a light snowstorm.
I think my aversion to bulky coats was because of my childhood. My mother made sure I was dressed for the Arctic. I wore a sweater under a heavy winter coat. I wore pink longish thermal underwear which went to just above my knees. My knee socks went to just below my knees. Neither of them met in the middle. I wore boots over my shoes. I always had to wear a hat and mittens though I often ditched the hat when I was out of sight.
This week my dance card is filled with uke: tonight’s practice, a lesson and concert tomorrow and a concert on Thursday. My fingers will get a workout.
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November 7, 2023 at 2:19 pm
Another sunny and warm day here in North Texas. The projected high today is 85°.
I don’t own an overcoat nor a winter car coat. Instead I have a leather bomber jacket. I only get to wear it a few times in the dead of winter. I also have a couple of medium weight jackets which are a part of my company’s instructor uniforms with the company logo on the chest.
My mother also would bundle us up as if we were going to walk north to the North Pole. Besides our mother’s concern for our comfort, they thought that you caught the common cold from exposure to cold weather. My mother believed in many, “Grandmother’s Tales”, or in Yiddish, “Bubby Minces”. She told us that opening an umbrella or whistling or singing in the house brought bad luck. Another one was that if she called the doctor when we were sick, she didn’t get her money’s worth unless we received a penicillin shot. She also believed that home made chicken soup cured everything.
My maternal grandmother told me when I was a kid that her family in Russia, in the late 18,000s, had air conditioning. She explained that in the middle of the summer, they would close all the windows, turn on the furnace, and put on their heavy winter coats. After a half an hour, they would take off the coats, turn off the furnace, and open all the windows. They would then say to each other, “Ah, how nice and cool it feels”. 🙂
November 7, 2023 at 3:48 pm
Hi Bob,
We did get sun late in the afternoon. It is warmish for November. I think tomorrow may even be in the high 50’s. One of my coats is what they called a blanket coat. It is thick and so warm.
My mother didn’t have tons of grandmother’s tales. She made us wear a hat because she said that’s where the heat escapes. We couldn’t swim after eating but that was a common belief. I can’t think of any other. I love the name Bubby Minces.
That story of your grandmother in Russia is wonderful. I remember being told how to get to sleep if I couldn’t. I was to throw off the covers so I’d get cold. When I was close to freezing, not really of course, I was to snuggle under the covers. The sudden warmth would lull me to sleep.
November 7, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Obviously the word Bubby means grandmother in Russian and minces is stories in some form of German. We are still basking in the warmth of the Texas Rangers winning the World Series. 🙂
November 7, 2023 at 10:32 pm
I knew what bubby meant but not minces. This is the first time I’ve seen that word. Thanks!