I Am No Longer a Winter Person !

11 years ago

Even with our southern California winters it is so cold ! I woke up this morning to 37 degrees on the porch. Thin, dry cold air. Not good for my garden or me ! Last year the cold really bothered me. This year I realize that I am no longer a winter person. I wish to apologize for every post complaining about summer heat and longing for fall and winter ! Maybe because I'm getting older (61) that cold really bothers me and even upsets me?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

katlan
11 years ago
Oh man, I am definitely still in the prefer winter stage. I'm sure the day will come when I'm cold all the time and 50 degrees is too cold for me. But right now, summer physically makes me ill. I just cannot take the heat. I'm not crazy about zero degrees with huge winds making it feel like 10 below. But If I had to take one or the other, I would take the cold.

Sorry you are bothered by the cold, stay warm!
socks
11 years ago
Deeby, maybe get some wool socks, wear thermals under your pants. If you have a Sears nearby, their Lands End shop has some bargains in lightweight down vests and fleece tops which you can wear in the house. Drink warm beverages, even just hot water.

Yes, it has been quite cold for CA. Too bad we don't get a little more of the wet stuff.
Related Discussions
Am I the only person who DOESN'T grow Hellebores?
Q
Comments (43)
Hi Gardenweed, Thanks for the tips re: planting schedules - that makes sense to me, and is pretty much what I would have guessed, but nice to have it confirmed by someone with more experience. How fortunate you are to have grown up with gardening parents, and to have inherited all that good soil yÃ¢ÂÂall built up over the years! IÃ¢ÂÂm in the house my husband grew up in, and I donÃ¢ÂÂt think his folks were much into gardening, so each year I try to carve out and claim another little bed or corner as time and energy allowÃ¢ÂÂ¦ That is a shame about your laptop (and job) crashing. My husband & I have a computer shop here in our small town, and he also teaches computer classes at our local library, one of which is photo editing. For that one he has his students use Magix Xtreme, which I believe is a free download - might be a useful (and cheaper) alternative to Photoshop. Not to get too far off gardening here, but we are also sometimes-sailors! We bought a MacGregor 25 in 2006, and took it on a big adventure sailing down the gulf coast of Florida for 5 weeks in 2007. Since then, we try to get out on our nearest lake for a month or so each year, where we can dock it and leave it for a few week end visits with friends. HavenÃ¢ÂÂt had a chance to do any sailing this year, since our shop assistant quit at the end of Feb - too many computers to fix in this town. He has occasionally hinted at chucking it all and taking up the live-aboard cruising lifestyle, to which I always have to point out that as appealing as that sounds, it is very hard to garden on a boat! :) CanÃ¢ÂÂt have all our hobbies in one basket, unfortunately. IÃ¢ÂÂll keep those hostas in mind when I get around to planting. (Good tip about the egg shells!) IÃ¢ÂÂm in our local garden club, and that seems like something some of my fellow members might have, so maybe I can get some shares, if thatÃ¢ÂÂs not too hard to do. Once again, thanks for your helpful insight & genial conversation! Best to you - Amy
...See More
I know I am not the only person Digging it
Q
Comments (18)
This is my annual weekend for digging up mine to pop into pots and get ready to bring in. Actually I cat back 3 3 weeks ago to see if they would root ( the cuttings) and I could leave the older plants in the ground to rot. One has rooted well, the other 2 not so much so I guess I will bring all the bases in, 'just in case'. It sure is much less a task now that I am down to only 6 Brugs.
...See More
Am I going overboard on winter protection?
Q
Comments (12)
Jose, Sorry I didn't answer all your questions, Got carried away. I used to have a negronne that was in ground for a couple of years that would die down to about two feet. Once, The main stem grew about 12' straight up without branching. Last year I planted three trees and did not do any pruning since most of the die back starts from the tip and works its' way down. I have them wrapped with burlap and plastic. So far it's been rather mild around here and I wish it stays this way the rest of the season. It would be a milestone for me to not have a great loss. But only time will tell. thisisme, I've been to every state in the U.S. and most of the Canadian provinces and the worst I've ever seen heat wise was in Yuma, Arizona. Good farming community but it's not for me. So close to Hell you can see sparks coming from the ground ( LOL ). 110-F @ midnight just doesn't cut it. Rafed
...See More
Am I really a bad person for wanting a decadent shower?
Q
Comments (16)
EVen in new construction, this isn't going to be exactly an inexpensive option. You have to plan the whole system for "worst case scenario" rather than the more common everyday usage. A tankless water heater that only supplies one or two of your MB shower features while the tanked heater supplies the others might be the best way to go to give you your once a week indulgence. However, it won't be an inexpensive indulgence. A tankless able to supply enough heat rise to run 2 shower features at once will run you around $1200-$2000. It will need to have it's own separate supply line for the gas it will consume. As Antss said, you're talking 199BTU+. And although a gas tankless unit is smaller than a conventional tank unit and can conceivable be located in a master closet location close to the master bath, there are still some pricy requirements about their venting needs that need to be considered. THe double wall stainless vent pipe isn't cheap, and if you have a long way to go to penetrate the roof, then you may have just incurred another 1K of expense for the project. And there's the additional labor for the install, probably another $500-1K, depending on complexity. If your home doesn't have natural gas available, then electric on demand units are also available, but your home's electrical requirements just doubled, and you have to factor in a much larger service drop from the pole in the beginning as well as a larger service panel installed. Only your utility company and electrician can tell you how much that will add to your expense. The biggest bonus to electrical is that they do not require venting, and thus are easier to place in the home. However, they really do not save you but about 1-3% over a standard tanked electric heater, so it will be difficult to recoup the much higher initial up front costs without being in the home for 30 years. A better choice for someone who has an electrical only home would simply be an additional 80 gallon tank dedicated feeding those 2 extra features that you only turn on on Friday night and then turn off on Saturday after your shower. An 80 gallon tank with a 9 year warranty would run you around $800 here, plus the extra pipe needed to do the runs, you might only be looking at an additional 1K in systems materials to have your shower---PLUS the cost of the controls and the trims and valves for those features. You can figure out the additional operating costs of running your once a week shower from your utility rates and water consumption rates of the features you are considering. Other considerations to having such a shower would be the ventilation needed to ensure that the additional moisture was correctly removed from the home. With a vent fan needing to run for such a long period due to the long shower times, a cold climate bath might need an ERV unit attached to keep from exhausting so much conditioned air to the exterior. ON the whole, you're talking about adding around 5K extra to your project for a once a week indulgence. NOt a lot of money up front, and as I said, you'd need to look at the utility costs to be able to determine operating costs. But once a week shouldn't be onerous unless you live in a water restricted environment where water is expensive or tightly regulated. Unfortunately, more and more of "regular" America are encountering water restrictions. Much of the South was under water restrictions a couple of years ago and Lake Lanier outside Atlanta was almost dry. Check into your municipalites water sources and the possibiltiy of them encountering issues during drought times if you want to really be clear of any ecological impact of your decision. But, the good thing about putting just the "feature sprays" on a separate supply is that you don't have to use them during water restrictions if your area encounters them. Your everyday shower heads are the ones tied to your home's main water heating supply, and those can be "ultra low flow" heads if need be.
...See More
PKponder TX Z7B
11 years ago
Once I lost my 'personal summers' the cold does affect me more too. My hubby and I used to camp during the winter with a small electric heater in the tent and layers of clothing to stay warm.

I do dislike the heat so I still prefer winter, but the chill gets old.
Deeby
Original Author
11 years ago
Socks, funny you should say that-I just bought a huge sweatshirt, fuzzy thick pajama pants and thick, knitted yarn socks that are like knee socks. In the afternoons, all of that goes on plus a heavy velour robe and slippers. Once I even warmed them in the dryer before putting them on. Heat and humidity still make me feel sick, but the cold is making me feel paralyzed and achy with cold clumsy hands. Luckily humidity is rare where I live. I'm going to try not to gripe about hot weather this year. I garden and I'm trying lately to keep my container plants warm. Sheesh.
phoggie
11 years ago
The older I get, the more I hate the cold...especially the wind! This morning it is 17, but sun is shining and no wind, so it is tolerable...but I have had enough winter already! A cold front coming in Monday through Thursday...highs in 20's.
socks
11 years ago
How about the grocery store, Deeby? I nearly froze there today. I don't know how people can work there. It is sunny today, though, which is nice. But the house is chilly.
joaniepoanie
11 years ago
I grew up in SoCal and remember wearing ski parkas when riding my bike to college in the mornings, peeling it off by 10, then needing it again late afternoon, early evening.

I've lived on the east coast since 1976 and the thought of needing to wear a ski parka in SoCal is hilarious to me now. I am in a light sweater here when it's in the 40's and 50's. Heavier coat in the low 30's and below. It's what you get acclimated to.

I'll take cold over our stinky heat and humidity any day. I pretty much stay inside in the summer. Like katlan the humidity makes me ill....sucks all energy from my body.
OklaMoni
11 years ago
Deeby, me too! Not sure, what next Christmas, but I will look for warm again.

Moni
Deeby
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes, humidity makes me feel like a hot, wet, sickly rag. But oh, for just nice and warm ! Socks, yes, I thought I was going to cry the grocery store was so horribly cold. Vons, are you listening???
marie_ndcal
11 years ago
Calif transplant to ND and it is 1 above 0 this evening. But not much wind. Here it is the wind chill we have to watch. My DD was out doing errands today and she said it was a bit chilly. Guess we are getting use to this bouncing weather again. Was a minus 8 this morning.
50----short and swimsuit time LOL next spring!!!
Marie
wantoretire_did
11 years ago
Also California transplant to upstate NY (east). Can't stand heat/humidity. Thank you God for central AC. Really prefer colder weather and try to keep the temp around 66-68 during the day and 64 at night. Would turn it down lower but DH can't take it due to frostbite in Korea. So, I toss and turn and throw the covers offÃ¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦...
arkansas girl
11 years ago
Give me the heat any day of the week over cold! I'm so sick of winters here in OHIO I could scream. I'd prefer a beach to go along with the heat too. Maybe somewhere in the Keys?
susanjf_gw
11 years ago
deeby supplement the cold with a small electric heater if they have any left at target or wal mart? no reason to get that chilled if you're afraid of a gas bill? or invest in a electric throw...put your clothes under one before dressing...all things I do when it's 15 degrees in Michigan! just be glad unless you're up in the mountains of so ca be glad your weather isn't getting you a ft of snow besides!

just be glad you don't have a dr's appt and have to strip from the waist up!! lol....(tomorrow at 2)
roxanna
11 years ago
the first thing to do is to buy some Polartec or microfleece (unless you have an aversion to either). warmest stuff on the planet, IMO. i have microfleece sheets for the winter -- so cozy! and socks, blankets and shirts in polarfleece. a nice side benefit is this stuff is lightweight and very comfortable.

have already told my family i want to be buried dressed in the stuff -- comfort for all eternity! lol. =)

This post was edited by roxanna on Sun, Dec 28, 14 at 19:40
momrox4
11 years ago
I don't like either extreme. Yes, it's been COLD here in SoCal the last few days but I don't want to turn on the heat....the utility bill hurts more than the physical discomfort. So, I'm wearing socks and layers and am using my small space heater in my family room. Good excuse to flop on the couch under a blankie and watch movies.

I Am No Longer a Winter Person !

Comments (15)

katlan

socks

Related Discussions

PKponder TX Z7B

Deeby
Original Author

phoggie

socks

joaniepoanie

OklaMoni

Deeby
Original Author

marie_ndcal

wantoretire_did

arkansas girl

susanjf_gw

roxanna

momrox4

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

I Am No Longer a Winter Person !

Comments (15)

Related Discussions

DeebyOriginal Author

DeebyOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Deeby
Original Author

Deeby
Original Author