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The happiest you'll ever find me outdoors during the day is when it's cold and I am walking in the wind or when it's cold and I am walking in the sunshine immediately after the rain stops. I am just pretty much the happiest when it's cold. Even outside at night with my teeth chattering and I am all, "I'm frrreeeezzziiiinggg!" I am saying it while doing a little dance in part to stay warm, but mostly 'cause I am so happy it's cold. Maybe I am just very strange. And living on the wrong continent. Yet I hate, hate, hate being cold in the house! If the thermostat shows it's below 70 degrees, I am convinced I am developing symptoms of hypothermia. And if I should see it read below 68 degrees, I freak the hell out. I'm cranking the heat until someone passes out!
But how lucky am I to be able to make that choice to go from being all cheery and cold to being all warm and cozy in my apartment? When we were at the height of our financial hardship, our electricity was nearly shut-off several times (it was once turned off for several hours until a family member stepped in to pay the bill). Another time we were fortunate to have a wonderful blog reader who gave us a gift of fifty dollars just in time to keep our electricity on! It was exactly the amount we needed. And then there was the tremendous help from the Anaheim Downtown Community Center. They have an one-time emergency utility bill assistance program for residents of Anaheim. And I also have to mention that Anaheim Public Utilities conducts business with a sense of humaneness.
As terrible and challenging as it would have been to be without electricity (every appliance in our apartment is electric), this all occurred to us during the mild weather months. We didn't have to worry about freezing inside our home. If we had become homeless during the cold and wet months, we could have at least afforded a cheap motel (or had friends to stay with) to keep us from freezing to death on the street or in our car. And it's those individuals and families who have nothing and no one but themselves to count on who were in my thoughts as I took a walk with Marissa around our 'hood to take pictures of the clouds after a rainstorm on Sunday afternoon.
The clouds over Anaheim are my most favorite to chase and photograph. I'm not sure what makes 'em so special to me, but I like to believe that Disney's Nine Old Men are up there drawing 'em. Here's a few of my favorite shots from last Sunday that I want to share with you.
I'm off to get a bit of house-cleaning done before this weekend's storm so I can kickback, crochet and think of how to make those in need feel less alone in this tight-knit community.
Amen to this post! Love the cold weather (why did I move from WI again? Oh yeah, too much really cold weather and humidity). The last pic is really gorgeous! I'm getting ready for the wet weekend too...a nice pot of chicken and dumplings lined up and waiting to go... :)
Posted by: Christine | 11/09/2011 at 03:59 PM