It’s a short run and what hills there are go long and low so we feel super speedy. I was trying to get a pic of Brett running at me but you can’t really seem him on there. In any case, that’s where we stop and start. At the end we run past down to the lake and then walk back (today we walked back by going all the way around again).
There’s a golf course there, which is strange. We live in a gated community and there’s a private country club in the middle of it for folks who want even MORE exclusivity. You’re not allowed to be on it if you’re not a member but when there’s snow some people snowshoe there (it’s really the only unforested part of the community) and we saw someone romping their dogs on the links this morning.
I feel like I’m still learning how to do winter here (it’s our second winter) because heating is different, weather is different, hills complicate things, etc. We heat our house with propane (a regular furnace in our crawl space that heats the downstairs and a propane fireplace upstairs) and electricity (a mini split upstairs and baseboard heating, which we haven’t had to use this winter except in our bathroom). We had to seal off one of our sliding glass doors, which needs to be replaced and we keep our insulating blinds down in the bedroom since there are two big original windows in there.
I don’t mind being chilly (these days I prefer it what with the hot flashing and all) but last year was uncomfortable because baseboard heating is wicked expensive so I kept the temps down super low. Now that we have the mini split we are downright cozy and our electric bill is MUCH lower. It’s cold in our bedroom but that makes for better sleeping.
Last winter was hard and it wasn’t even as cold as it’s been this time around. We used space heaters to warm things up in the morning and in our bedroom just before bed but most of the time we were just layered up and cold. Baseboard heating dries out the air and we have vaulted ceilings so there were all of these cold spots. We’d turn the fans on to push the warm air down but the breeze made it chilly.
I take great comfort from saving money so every torturous morning getting out of bed felt like righteous vindication to me but poor Brett was pretty miserable. He was dreading this winter but let me tell you, mini splits are incredible. We don’t need AC very much here but when you need it, you need it and it works a treat to cool things, too.
Getting outside in the winter — that’s a whole thing, too. It’s a whole different thing. One reason we chose this community is that the best snow removal happens when you’re in an HOA and Hemlock Farms is known for its amenities so that plow quickly and thoroughly. Technically our road (being a Lane) isn’t one of the main drags but the salt is stored on our block so we always get plowed first.
So snow removal isn’t much of an issue (we don’t have to leave our house much either, which means we can shovel on our own time).
The learning curve comes from things like it’s super hard to predict the weather here (all of those peaks and valleys) so you gotta pay attention but also be flexible. And things can ice up quickly and surprisingly.
Dressing for winter exercise is always a strange adventure but so far Becca’s recommendation to dress for a temperature that’s 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it is (for me it’s 20) always works. So I’m freezing and miserable during my warm up but it pays off once I get going.
I’ve got the polar fleece, I’ve got the under shirts, I’ve got the right mittens and ear coverings but one of these days I’m gonna get me some woolen tights and then I will conquer the world!
This post was brought to you by today’s predicted snowstorm, this week’s predicted deep freeze, my gratitude that I got my Sunday run with Brett accomplished already, and my hope that I still get to go for my long walk with my walking friend tomorrow.
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