Too Much Snow for School and Too Cold for a Fire

Being a Michigander and now living in Virginia I'm amazed at what people think is "a lot" of snow and what they think is "cold". It hasn't gotten cold here. Sure, temps have dropped to the teens at night, but I'm not outside in the middle of the night so I don't feel it.

Schools have been closed because the roads were icy and they couldn't get the parking lots and sidewalks cleared. I get it. It's a safety issue. I remember as a kid listening to the radio every morning in the Winter and hearing all the rural school closings. It was rare that us Capitol City Public School kids got snow days. I'm glad I have friends who have lived other places that can laugh with me while others stay home in "panic" mode.

Natives of Virginia are also very susceptible to cold. My In-Laws demand that everyone wear slippers when they come over because they insist the floors are cold. I like to go barefoot. Especially since they keep the thermostat at 78.

Friday Hubster was going to get fire wood on his way home to build a fire, then decided it was a bad idea. He said "It's too cold for a fire." Something about the fire sucking all the heat out of the house. If 30 is too cold for a fire, what is the acceptable temp to build one without "losing heat"? He ended up caving (3-1) and went out to get the wood. The kids and I slept in front of the fire, which Hubster thought was a bad idea for the reason mentioned above. He also thought we'd freeze once the fire went out. We were all very cozy and no one complained of being cold.

When we were re-doing our foyer and bathroom floor I toyed with the idea of putting tile in the bathroom. My MIL insisted it was a bad idea because it would be too cold on our feet in the winter. She was also against the wood floors we did have put in for the same reason, and she warned of the water stains that would develop when even the smallest drops got on the floor.

We're not even in the far south. I wonder how people in Florida react to cold weather. I'll bet most don't even have Winter "gear". Or maybe they do, and they pull it out and bundle up when temps get in the 50's.