Cold weather, do you dislike it or like it? (Houston: house, contractors)

[bhouston77386]

I'm looking for people that have lived in a place with cold winters, what was it like did it suck?

[Wysiwyg]

except for ichyness with home heating, i love snow and winter, especially winter sports and winter clothing. i like playing with AWD on snow covered lots too

i dont like it that people stop taking regular baths because its cold or wearing messy clothes because they can cover up with a sweater or a jacket

[Mr.&Mrs.CakeChuker]

Is Minnesota cold enough for you?

Pros:
I really enjoy the winter time. The snow is beautiful!. It feels more like Christmas when there is snow. Snow can be light and fluffy which provides a perfect blanket for skiing. Snow can be wet and heavy which provides the perfect oppertunity to build snowmen. With winter comes very cold temps. Cold enough to freeze over lakes which in turn you can go ice fishing. If you like to go fast?... There are snowmobiles for winter! Winter where is truely is "WINTER" can be a really fun time but only if you can tough the cold and the wind chill.

Cons:
#1 Driving can be rough. Your normal half hour drive could take an hour or two. BUT that's only if it's extreme winter weather. It can be scary and a little dangerous.
#2 Your heating bill could be very high. BUT you can keep your heat down and always cuddle up in blankets while at home relaxing.
#3 Sun light during the day is much shorter. 8am- 4-pm. Not having as much sunlight affects some people and makes them have the "blues" after a couple of months.
#4 Sometimes it get soooo cold your pipes might freeze. Hehe! You learn to deal.

Overview:
For me I loved winters in Minnesota. There is plenty to do if you don't mind being a little chilly. I live in North Carolina for the first time and am looking foward to not having to deal with the driving conditions. BUT It makes my husband and I very excited to go back for Christmas to play in the snow. I love where I'm at but I'll love to visit the snow & the memories of it all.
Just remember... you can always vacation somewhere warm or somewhere cold if you'd like to have a break from where you are at now.

[vicket]

Pluses:
More choices in clothes (bundling up in a sweater or winter PJs is comfy).
The snow can be picture postcard pretty.
Sledding, snowball fights, hot chocolate
Fireplaces are worthless anywhere else.
It's REAL football in winter weather.
I cannot get into the Christmas spirit here. People have icicle lights and snowmen in their yards? It just doesn't fit.
Cons:
Skin is itchy.
Wool is itchy.
Ice storms and snow are a pain to deal with (and dangerous)...you don't get time off from work just because there is 5 - 10 inches of snow on the ground.
To save energy, most people turn thermostats down at night. Horrible cold morning showers!
The snow gets ugly and brown within a couple of days or so.
Worry about your family driving on the roads.
Slush gives you cold wet feet all day.
Unless you are in Colorado - winter means gray skies. Very depressing.

Overall...I think it's best to live in a warm climate and visit the north for Christmas

[desertsun41]

I lived in both extreams.

Spent too many years in the northeast where I experienced 32 below without the wind chill factor. Nothing works. Cars dont turn over unless you leave them running all night long. Pipes freeze even if below ground unless you leave all your faucets dripping all night long. If you take a pee outside it turns to ice before it hits the ground. Snow so high you could no longer shovel it. Instead you put boards on the tops piles of snow that line each side of the driveway. Then when it snows it dont mess your drveway anymore. You just pull your car into a tunnel till spring. You carry a shotgun outside just incase the snow plow comes down the street to cover up what you just spent 4 hours shoveling.

I also spent too many years in the desert where it remained 120 degrees from early June till Late August. When it is that hot you can not even walk your dog outside. It will burn their pads. Even at midnight due to radiational heating it remained at 105 all night. You could not touch your car door handle. You used your shirt tail to grab the handle. All contractors have a red burn line across their belly. They lean into their pickup truck bed and their shirt goes up and they touch the tailgate with their belly. They learn after one time, they have the scar to help them remember. Even the most lazy people will park their car out a mile from the store entryway just to find an square foot of shade to park under. The weather reports not only tell you the temp outside but they also report the interior car temps which run from 150 to 190 degrees during the day.

I find that those who grow up never seeing snow (mother natures puke) always wish for it. Those who grow up with snow usually relocate from it as soon as they can and never want to see it again.

There is nothing worse then driving in the snow. Never leave home without a full tank of gas, some breakfast bars, a shovel, salt and some extra blankets just in case you break down some place where there is no help.

It also sucks to drive in the extreme heat. Never leave home without a gallon of drinkable water, a couple of gallons of radiator water, some nutty snack because heat cant hurt it, even an umbrella just incase you have to walk. In the desert people dont use umbrellas just for rain.

The lowest temps I lived through was 32 degrees for 3 consecutive days. The highest I lived through was 123 degrees. You dont want to experience it, trust me.

[SilverWings]

Originally Posted by vicket

Pluses:
More choices in clothes (bundling up in a sweater or winter PJs is comfy).

Only because it requires you to own much more clothing = $$$ Also a pain going from cold outside to hot inside (such as a mall) with what to do with your massive, down-lined subarctic winter coat you have to wear to survive from the car to the door.

Originally Posted by vicket

The snow can be picture postcard pretty.

For a day or two, perhaps. Then it falls off the dead-looking leafless trees, gets salted up, picks up all sorts of road dirt, melts, freezes, melts, freezes etc. etc. until it looks dingy and gray and completely depressing.

Originally Posted by vicket

Sledding, snowball fights, hot chocolate

For kids, perhaps. Many places have outlawed throwing snowballs. And you can't sled once they salt up the roads anyway, unless you have a toboggan and it's a pain in the *** to haul yourself and sled back up the hill. (Personally I never liked hot chocolate but that's a fair point I guess)

Originally Posted by vicket

Fireplaces are worthless anywhere else.

I actually enjoy my Houston fireplace a lot now. Didn't even have one up north. They are really not very good for heating, you need an unattractive stove for that.

Originally Posted by vicket

It's REAL football in winter weather.

That's true. Then again it's been awhile since Houston had real football played here, anyway.

Originally Posted by vicket

I cannot get into the Christmas spirit here. People have icicle lights and snowmen in their yards? It just doesn't fit.

Inflatable snowmen and icicle lights don't fit there, either.

Cons:

Originally Posted by vicket

Skin is itchy.

And electrified. Dozens of static electric shocks every day.

Originally Posted by vicket

Wool is itchy.

Couldn't afford wool. I assume you're right.

Originally Posted by vicket

Ice storms and snow are a pain to deal with (and dangerous)...you don't get time off from work just because there is 5 - 10 inches of snow on the ground.

Sure you do. They just deduct it from your vacation when you're paralyzed and government officials tell you NOT TO GO OUT but they expect you there anyway because one jerk with a 4x4 made it in, so why can't you?

Originally Posted by vicket

To save energy, most people turn thermostats down at night. Horrible cold morning showers!

?? The shower is the only warm part of your day. It's getting TO the shower that totally sucks.

Originally Posted by vicket

The snow gets ugly and brown within a couple of days or so. Worry about your family driving on the roads.
Slush gives you cold wet feet all day.
Unless you are in Colorado - winter means gray skies. Very depressing.
Overall...I think it's best to live in a warm climate and visit the north for Christmas

Grey and Dark. Go to work in freezing cold darkness and come home in freezing cold darkness. Car takes 10 minutes before you can even feel heat coming out. (Honestly I think that is the worst part of all) Holding the steering wheel is like holding an ice cube.

Dirty, dead scenery for months on end. I'll never go back there! I don't even want to VISIT outside the months of May-October. I will miss skiing, though.

[KeyserSoze]

I don't like cold weather, but I've come to accept it.

Positives of winter in Maryland:

-Snow in general is a hit or miss
-Cold is tolerable
-Sunny days
-Occasional 70 degree day or two

Negatives
-Sometimes it's real windy, which makes it colder

[Winebrat]

Hate it. Can't wait to get out of it. Hate shoveling snow, snowblowing snow, wiping up the floors after dogs track in snow, hate ice on walkways, hate dry skin, hate being caught out of the house in a snow storm (like when it snows in the middle of the day and you're already at work), hate having to cover your body in layers for the outside vs inside temps, hate having the windows closed up, hate not being able to sit outside with my wine in the evening, hate that it's dark @ 4:30, can't wait to live in Houston...

[vicket]

[quote=SilverWings;6438534]Only because it requires you to own much more clothing = $$$ Also a pain going from cold outside to hot inside (such as a mall) with what to do with your massive, down-lined subarctic winter coat you have to wear to survive from the car to the door.

LOL I can't believe I forgot about what a pain it is to drag those huge coats all across the mall while Christmas shopping!

[Topaz]

I hated it. Trying to drive in snow and ice was the worst part for me, along with getting snowed in a few times to the point where neighbors had to dig us out.