Growing weary of winter weather

From Saturday's balmy, but windy day; to Monday's light icing; to today's sunny, yet chilly weather, there's been a lot of credence lately to the motto that if you don't like the weather in Arkansas, just wait a couple of days.

Personally, I'm ready for warm and sunny. Sure, January may not yet even be a week old, but I've had it with winter. Too cold. Too windy. Too much winter precipitation. And too inconsistent — even when we've had weather that was bordering on the "nice" description, it's been swept away within a matter of hours.

I didn't always feel this way. Though I've always been a bigger fan of spring and summer, in my youthful days, growing up in the frozen cornfields of eastern Iowa, I used to draw passing enjoyment out of the winter months.

I remember afternoons sledding down the hill behind Roosevelt School; taking walks with my family during picturesque snowfalls; meeting up with a group of friends to have a massive snowball fight in the woods near one of our homes.

These days, I can hardly fathom why I ever would have voluntarily ventured out of doors when the temperature was below 45 degrees. Yet we did it all the time. We'd bundle up in our snowsuits, ski masks and moon boots, and have a grand ol' time, even with the mercury at times falling into the teens and single digits.

As I've grown older — and moved farther South — I've grown soft, I guess. But it's been a slow progression.

For a time, I used to desire at least a couple of months of winter weather. Without it, you can't enjoy the warm months, I'd argue.

Then it got to be that I liked the idea of a wintry holiday season. I'd hope for a white Christmas, and a chilly New Year. After all, it just wouldn't seem right for it to be warm that time of year, or so I used to say.

But I got over all of that. These days, I'd just assume the temperatures never drop out of the 50s and 60s. I'll take a green Christmas and a balmy New Year with open arms. In fact, I'd even be willing to give up Christmas altogether, if it meant not having to deal with cold weather.

I used to say that I would never move to south Florida or the tropics, because I would miss seeing the seasons change. No more. Changing seasons are for chumps. Hurricane threats don't scare me. I'm ready for a 12-month summer.

Not that I'll be scanning the real estate listings in Miami anytime soon. I've still got to convince my wife on a move-South plan, after all. I figure a few more ice storms and a frozen pipe or two, and I've got an outside chance of building a good case.

Until then, I guess I'll just have to get tough, and weather the storm. It would be nice if griping about the weather actually made the temperatures rise, or made spring get here more quickly, but it's just not the case.

According to my calendar, the first day of spring is 72 days away. Ugh. I guess I have no choice but to bundle up and wait it out. Anyone know where I can get a good deal on a snowsuit, a ski mask and some moon boots?