"It's cold outside!"  "I'm freezing!"  Those were phrases uttered numerous times this past week around the Newsplex.  Even while I was working out, people came up to me at the gym to say how cold they were feeling.  Just so people are clear... I, personally, do NOT like the cold weather.  I would prefer sunshine and temperatures in the 70s, so obviously it is not up to me.  But either way, we have to deal with the cold.  One week ago, highs were in the low to mid 80s, today we were only in the mid to upper 40s. 

During the fall and winter seasons, we typically talk about cold air damming.  What that means is that winds blow from the ocean onto land carrying cooler air westward.  This air, in turn, becomes trapped east of the mountains and just sits there, thus creating the cold and cloudy conditions. We've seen scenarios like this various times this year, but this time it just won't quit.  There are upper level disturbances spinning overhead adding to the misery.  So, cold, cloudy and even at times rainy just equals mad people here.

There are good ways to think about the deary weather though... Good time to go through the closet to find all your winter gear, including the mittens and glittens (mittens with gloves over top) and the sweaters.  You can always go through the stuff and give away items you don't want to charity.  You can also save money on your electric bill.  Mine last month was about half the amount of the month before.   The rain has been beneficial for the grass and even the garden.  My husband just picked some yummy green peppers out of our garden, so there's my silver lining. 

It could be worse... We could live in State College, Pennsylvania.  The city, where Penn State is located, recorded its earliest snow fall in history.  The Homecoming game for the Nittany Lions will be a chilly one, so at least this weekend while folks in central Pennsylvania shovel their way out of the snow, we'll just be watching the rain fall, one drop at a time.

Have a good weekend and yes it will warm up next week :-).

-Stacy