As a former midwesterner now on Cape Cod watching MORE snow adding to the three feet from Sunday, I would love to go somewhere with no snow. And no wind and no wind chill. It doesn't even have to be tropical! I don't remember the last time I saw the sun. At least the sun shines in the midwest!!

Actually, I would miss the 4 seasons, and winter is very beautiful. I took some great pictures over the weekend blizzard. My body has a difficult time changing to extreme climates -cold to hot to cold. I love going to the gym for a swim and seeing piles of snow outside. I love to bundle up and take the dog for a walk, go out for a nice cozy dinner, have a roaring fire in the fireplace. And the winter sky at night is breathtaking. There is a great place on the water where we frequent for a lobster lunch. It's so nice to sit by a sunny window, have some drinks and a nice meal. Hey beef stew just does not taste good when its 85 degrees outside

There's a lot to be said for the beauty of winter.

Hey gomiki,

Where does the sun shine in the midwest?
Almost never here. We're having a rare sunny day today in Michigan, the 4th cloudiest state in the nation!

As for me, I'm looking forward to becoming a snowbird some day.

The best news I have heard here in Boston is that it appears my FF tickets on USAirways are safe in February for 4 day trip to Florida to see my brother - who was mean enough to call me from the beach on Sunday during our blizzard.

Pat_in_Mich: Well, some posters were talking about the sunshine and I do remember the sun out there. And it stays light longer. Dark here at 4:00 PM in December and dark at 8:30 in summer!! I miss those long summer nights. Also, I heard that Chatham (a few towns away) has the most foggy days of any town in US.

Snowbird sounds good! Lots of Michigan plates in FL!

Buckeye:
Spanish Hot Chocolate
1/2 cup Cocoa
2 Tb Plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Honey, melted
2 tsp Vanilla
1 qt Milk (I use the one litre Carton)


Directions:
Combine cocoa, cornstarch, and water in blender. Whirl until smooth. You can use an immersion blender instead. Pour into saucepan and whisk in melted honey. Gradually add milk and vanilla while whisking constantly over medium heat. Turn it on too high and you risk burning the chocolate and the milk (absolutely foul to clean). Continue whisking until chocolate is smooth, creamy and thick. The texture when hot is like chocolate pudding, only runnier. If you don't drink the chocolate all at once, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. I have added up to four more cups of milk to the chocolate without losing the thick and creamy texture. Variations: If you want Mexican Hot Chocolate, you can add 1-2 tsp. cinnamon instead of the vanilla. If you want sweeter chocolate, you can add another quarter cup of honey. This is excellent dunking chocolate. The perfect accompaniment is the traditional churro, a fried loop of batter that is ridged (all the better to catch the chocolate). I haven't had anything in North America that resembles it (it's not cakey like a doughnut, but it's not crisp like a waffle either), but some fritters might be similar to the churro.

I can't stand the cold weather here! It's suppose to get down into the teens tonight! AH!! I'm looking right now for a cheap ticket anywhere warm...

As I get into my car at 18 degrees in a few minutes- I will be cold.

But guess what, it's not comfortable but it makes me feel alive. It braces me. And we have lots of grey days but I wouldn't trade the entire Gulf of Mexico for one grey day trekking home-made tobaggan hills with my grandkids. It's priceless- as the commercial says.

And the most ironic thing of all is that several who I know well and who have snowbirded it or moved to sunnier climes still spent most of their time inside on a computer or watching tv. Also entering into involvement in their own new communities very little, if at all, isn't unusual.

I'm happy for all those who find their perfect place and comfort- and can make an active/stretching life for themselves. But mine will always be in a place that offers me a challenge plus the adventure of change & variety. It's great for the brain. And we do have sun in winter (Illinois)and long, long days in summer also.

I love winter, I love spring, I love summer, and I love Fall.
I think I actually like Fall the most.

I just checked the forecasted low for Toledo tonight and it's "0". As soon as January hits, my mind immediately shifts into vacation mode. I booked a trip to Disney over Easter this week and a trip to the Yucatan for June yesterday. I feel better, now!

Love the cold, crisp, refreshing winter air, love the snow--nothing's more fun than skiing!!

Our winter vacations are always ski weeks.

Hi all, do you mind if the Alaskan contributes. You know, break down Alaskan, it mean in Greek, "I can" escape whenever I'm sun deprived.. but it is so funny to see everyone who lines up for the charter to Hawaii(they go frequently)on a -25 day at 6am, dressed in shorts, aloha shirts, sandals. I mean, I have to wear regular clothes til we at least get as far south as Dutch Harbor!
And so many days I feel blessed to live here, between the northern lights, the clean air and mountain ranges and the water full of sealife. I have to cross a bridge to go into town, and looking to my left, the pastel skies, bright violet and fuschia, airplanes quietly flying..
Yeah, it is extreme. In Kenai, where I am, our normal winter temps are -10 to -30, depending on the storm patterns, wind chill. Makes me grateful for our two fireplaces.
But on the flipside, I love the outdoor recreation. Skiing, snowmobiling, just having snow. There are many leathery people with the year round permatans, I feel sorry for them, only because no one should look that old so young.
This is pretty vain, but 15 years ago, I bought a bright pink snowsuit at an outlet. That has lasted through two pregnancies, and I'm sort of proud that I can still wear it(James Bondish).. so if we didn't have any harsh weather, I'd be locked up for wearing my skisuit in summer,lol.($39.95, and my dh says it's the only bargain I ever managed to find). I work out during the winter months, it makes me feel like I've earned a spring trip and some warmth.
The frustrating part is the long stretch between breakup, when the snow begins to melt, and the time the new grass appears- two months later! J.

Well...to all you other midwesterners...looks like we are in for a heatwave the next few days...temps up to to high 40's...yeah!!!! 8-)

They even used the "F" word here as a possibility for this weekend-50s! I've got my fingers crossed!

me too!!!!

So far we've been lucky in the Ozarks...not that much snow and cold. I can sympathize with others since we have family in Des Moines, Chicago, New York, Massachusetts areas. Recovering after surgery I have been staying indoors anyway with some good books and movies. Bound to warm up soon!
Meanwhile, we're looking forward to that overseas trip late May.
Bill in Springfield, MO [email protected]

It is sunny in St. Louis today. But if that darn grey sky comes back I will go crazy. It can be so depressing... I have been looking at Portugal brochures.
The only warmish spot on my horizon is Dallas and right now theyare only about 10 degrees warmer than here1

I guess I am lucky because I live in Colorado. Everyone thinks it is so cold here but it is not.
Going to Hawaii in 4 days anyway...

It feels like a heat wave is here and will stay with us for a week in Chicagoland. We are going to hit the 40's.

If this keeps up I'm going to wear a spring jacket to the airport next week. I did that once and came home to a blizzard with a joke of a coat. No gloves either. But I hate schlepping all that around the South and Caribbean for any reason. Maybe I'll take the heavier and store it in a locker at Ft. Lauderdale's airport. If it gets colder again, that's what I will do. I'm ready for my getaway, and really looking forward to it- but not because of weather- more because of work. This semester has been hard and it's time.

Actually, it's been a pretty good winter in Chicago. Lot's more sun than usual. The cold isn't such a big deal, but I do miss the sun. We've also had a lot of extremes in temps. Going from near 60 to below zero. Thre have been two decent snow falls, but there was a quick warm up that got it to disappear pretty quickly. After this weekend (near 50) it should all be gone except the big piles in the parking lots.

Downstate Illinois hasn't been too bad this winter. We've been "just south" of a couple of big storms. Lucky us!

I'll be on my way to Bangkok on Sunday to some sun, hot temps, and a nice beach for two weeks!! By the time I get back, we'll be a little closer to spring, hopefully.