Life is Healthy

I don’t want to do it, but unless I want to freeze my butt off, it has to be done.

Time to dig out the winter clothes.

Just last Sunday it was 80-something degrees and I wore a thin, short-sleeved white shirt to my granddaughter’s birthday party. I took full advantage of summer’s last gasp, driving with the windows rolled down and sitting on the deck like it was July. But alas, it is mid October and the 50-something highs and 30-something lows blew in at the end of the week like an obnoxious house guest.

Bye bye crop pants and t-shirts. See you next year tank tops and sandals. I’ll miss you.

This the first winter season in many years that I won’t have clothes to take to Goodwill or to give away to friends and family members. For the last 12 years, I was either getting bigger or getting smaller. Finally, I’m the same size I was last year so I know everything will fit. This is a huge relief given the state of our economy and my checkbook.

As soon as I finish my afternoon snack – steamed broccoli sprinkled with parmesan cheese (it’s comfort food) – I’ll open the narrow closet I stuffed – literally stuffed – all my sweaters, leggings, boots and winter workout clothes into. I’m so happy when I get to take out the summer stuff that I don’t fold the winter stuff. I just shove it all in the closet and shut the door. The winter me hates that about the summer me. I really wish I wouldn’t do that.

Mental note: fold and stack next year, Lynn. Fold and stack.

I know what awaits me. Clothes will fly out as soon as I open the door. Then I’ll have to go through them and separate the tops from the bottoms, decide what has to be washed, and then try to find room for it all. It’s not like I have many clothes, but you know how bulky winter clothes are. One sweater takes the room of six t-shirts (…sniff, sniff…I miss them already).

I don’t like the feel of winter clothes anymore. I used to worship winter because it meant I could hide behind layers of shirts and wear sweaters that covered my butt. The irony, though, is now I NEED clothes that layer and cover my butt because I get cold – really, really cold – in the winter.

Which reminds me, I have to go to the basement and dig out the space heaters.

Winter is complicated.

…sigh…The broccoli is gone. I’ve rid my teeth of the green remnants of the florets. No more dragging my feet. It’s time to divide and conquer the winter mess upstairs. Time to say, “Adios little pink shirt that goes with the white pants I wore in California. Au revoir strapless dress with the yellow flowers. Arrivederci ballet slipper-style shoes with the cute strap across the top. I will fold you and and stack you and give you the respect you deserve as you hibernate in the closet. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing so that I will fit into you all once again next summer. In the meantime, enjoy the lavender sachet. I’ll peek in on you every once in awhile, especially when it’s snowing and 10 degrees outside.”

…cue closing song from the Lawrence Welk Show. By the way, I know the guy in the back of the video, Tom Netherton. He was my big brother Marty’s oh-so-dreamy friend when they were in high school…But I’ll leave that for another blog.