While running a few errands yesterday, I paused in a busy parking lot. There were people of all ages strolling in and out of the store and not one of them had a coat on, myself included. (Take that, Winter! Another loss for you!) The temperature was 41 degrees. In comparison, my friend was on a business trip in Raleigh, North Carolina two weeks ago. A woman declined joining my friend’s group for lunch across the street because it was 39 degrees. She’d forgotten her jacket and didn’t “want to freeze.”
As soon as the temperature hits the 30s, I think nothing of opening a window in my house to let in some sweet fresh air. All it takes is one 50-degree day and you’ll see students wearing shorts and T-shirts on the UW-Madison campus, and the driver’s side window of just about every car that passes will be wide open.
A friend and I were loudly scoffed at once for wearing short-sleeve shirts when the temperature was 60 degrees. We were walking through a parking lot in early spring. A man heading toward us suddenly stopped, looked us up and down and shouted incredulously “IT’S NOT THAT WARM OUT!!!” Startled, we just shrugged and kept on walking. After a few minutes, we turned around and watched him get into his vehicle. As he backed out, we caught a glimpse of his license plate and it all made sense…..Florida.