Monday, November 4, 2019

Fake Flannel and Flipflops

Ah, the joys of living in Florida!  Our famous tropical climate and tourist attractions draw people from all over the world.  But this is the time of year when every full time FL resident envies the rest of our country.

We see your pictures of colorful leaves, brilliant reds and yellows.  We follow as you drive along country roads taking in the gorgeous fall scenery.  We imagine the crisp air that startles your lungs causing you to begin wearing cute jackets and boots.  We drool over your lovely scarves and perky hats.  We long to enjoy the laughter and camaraderie that accompany warming your cold hands over a toasty fire.  Sipping hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows with friends.  Fall as it should be.

Back in Florida?  It was 92 degrees here last week!  92!!  Factor in the humidity and you'd think it was still summer, not fall.  Please remember, I lived in North Carolina for over 25 years.  I know what the change of seasons feels like.  This ain't it!

So, how do we Floridians compensate for our lack of cool weather?  We fake it.  Yep, faking is totally allowed in certain situations and this is one of them.  For instance, this picture . . .




This was taken Saturday at a local fall festival.  Colorful leaves . . . Fake.  Hay bales . . . bought them.  Scarecrow . . . on a stick.

Frank and I are both in shirts that look just like ones we would be wearing in NC, only they aren't.  Mine is fake flannel.  It looks like flannel but it's really cotton, so is Frank's.  You'll notice he's wearing shorts.  You can't see my flip flops but I'm wearing them.  And if you look closely, we're both sweating! Not just perspiring, Sweating.

We rendezvous'd with Kristin and Meagan to enjoy some festival time with the babies.  (Unfortunately, the Schrecks were sick and couldn't attend.)
Riding the Train with Smiths
Grayson needed a close up

Why yes, that IS a narrow train

Many of the people we saw were making an effort to wear fall colors.  However, stores don't typically sell shorts in the rich hues of autumn.  I was wearing jeans but we've already established how HOT I was in them. 
Cody's department planned this fun event

The festival was scheduled for 10-2  which is the best time for people to walk around without experiencing heat exhaustion.  We rode the train.  I dared the teacups.  (Only because Madi and Noah really wanted to ride.)  We watched the cloggers dancing.  We snapped pictures and listened to music.  We bought water - definitely not hot chocolate.

I especially loved this picture of Frank holding Grayson and Parker.  It looks like the three of them are sharing a secret.

Papa and his boys
As soon as I got home, I peeled off my fake flannel shirt and jeans opting for a lighter sleeveless number and shorts.  Whew!  Did I mention we're topping out with record heat indexes?

I can hear some of you now.  "Whine!  Whine!  Whine!  Sheri, you'll be thankful for those temperatures in January."

And you're right!  I will be grateful.  I have gotten spoiled with our ability to be outdoors during winter months.  I am grateful for the lower humidity that keeps the air from enveloping my face like clear plastic wrap every time we step outside.  I'm glad we can turn the air conditioning off for most of January and February.

Believe me, I do count my blessings.  But every so often, I miss cold weather.  And when I can't make a trip to NC or TN, I make the air conditioning colder, break out my fake flannel shirt and sip hot tea in front of my fake fireplace.  It's the next best thing to being there.

Hope you're enjoying a fabulous fall in your neck of the woods!



How about you?  Have you lived in multiple locations and had to adjust to different types of weather?  What signals "fall" at your house?  Are you enjoying snow already?  We'd love to hear about your experience in the comment section.




8 comments:

  1. I grew up in Southwest Missouri, moved to Kentucky in 1998, Tampa in 2001 and back to KC area in 2014. So yes, I have definitely lived in multiple climates. I loved Tampa in November - March when my family was dealing with snow and ice. I did miss the fall colors though. Now that I'm retired, I think of moving back to Florida but with parents 88 and 93, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I do know that after being in Florida for not that long, coming back to Missouri at Christmas was COLD for me.
    We started the month of October near 90 degrees and ended it around 25 Thursday morning. By the 11th when I was volunteering at my church's men's ministry golf tournament, the high was 38. Fortunately I was working registration so was indoors all day. We have already gotten snow - a couple inches of snow Wednesday - too early for that!

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    1. Wow, Phyllis! What a wide range of climates you've experienced. You're right, Nov.-March is the best time to be in FL. :-) Stay warm and thanks for sharing.

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  2. a53g51@gmail.com CathieNovember 4, 2019 at 8:51 PM

    I have lived in Pennsylvania my entire life. We have been dealing with temperatures the are below freezing the last few days. One of my favorite trips happened when I was only twenty and we travelled to Miami Beach for the Orange Bowl over the Christmas / New Years holiday. Of course we loved the game(my future husband was playing in it) but I thought swimming at the end of December was wonderful. Cathie

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  3. Swimming in Dec. made for a Great story I'm sure. I was in PA last month and you guys were still having summer weather. I don't envy you the freezing temps. Thanks for sharing, Cathie!

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  4. I have lived in Minnesota all my life and I would definitely miss the 4 seasons, although winter could be shorter! :) When I was first married with young children I never really understood why all the retired people around us went south for the winter, now that I am getting to that age my husband and I are making the same plans. It is 16 degrees here this morning and snow in the forecast for tonight.

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    1. 16 Degrees?!! Okay, THAT we don't envy. LOL It's amazing how the seasons of our lives bring changes too. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I have lived in Denver and now in Nebraska. Denver weather is absolutely gorgeous all year long. Snows melt and the sun shines. Summer is fairly dry with low humidity. Now Nebraska, on the other hand, is not as wonderful, weather-wise. Hot, steamy summers and COLD winters. Last winter we had lots and LOTS of sub-zero daytime highs. Thank goodness for the heated seat and remote start on my car. LOL Fall at our house is the practically constant job of cleaning up leaves. We have some seriously huge trees and it's a never-ending, BIG job. But I don't mind. I love being outside whenever I can be. And just to prove that we get wacky weather, today is 34 (wind chill is 21) but Saturday is supposed to be sunny and 69 so we are going golfing! Can't wait!
    Love the pictures!!

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    1. What a fun description of both states, LeeAnne. And you're right, a 35 degree jump in such a short time would take getting used to. Glad you're enjoying the pictures!

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