caseyphillips.net

As most of you know, I relocated from Texas to the Kansas City area at the beginning of this year. For the most part, I'm really liking it up here, the job is great, I live far enough out of K.C. (Leavenworth) that I don't have to deal with the problems of city life, but close enough that it's convenient. We're right on the Missourri river, and the country around here is beautiful with rolling hills and lots and lots of trees (in Midland there was a town nearby called Notrees, just to tell how the tree situation was there).

But, there is one thing that is taking some major adjustment: winter is LONG here. I'm used to Texas where it would get cold intermittently from November through January or February, then start warming up by march or April. Not so up here. Once winter comes, it doesn't let go, and it sticks around for a while too. Plus, I've seen more snow in the few months I've been here than I saw in the 2 years I lived in Midland. And they tell me it wasn't a very snowy winter either. Don't get me wrong, it's not like it's bitter arctic-like weather up here, it's just that it's very consistently cold, unlike Texas where it would be cold a few days, then warm up a few days, then before you know it, it's warm all the time again. . . then hotter than hell.

All this winter is really making me appreciate spring more. I can't wait until it gets here and don't think I've ever looked forward to it as much as I do now.