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This little flash of cooler weather seems to have most people so excited. A wee change from the heated days we have been observing. We all get a little tired of each season before they expire and are wishing for a change.

I am not a cold-weather person, but cooler can be a good thing. I don’t think I could live in a place where cold is more prevalent than warm. Snow on the ground and freezing temperatures all winter … most southerners are not prepared for that.

I was remembering one winter when I was young when a big snow came and everything was covered with the soft white stuff. We were so thrilled with all of it. A cousin and I went outside into the woods and it was so beautiful. In a while, after our shoes and socks were dampened by the snow and our feet were freezing, we were wishing to be back inside where it was warm!

One year we traveled to the Smokey Mountains between Christmas and New Year’s and visited Dollywood. It was a chilly day for sure, but as night approached, I was anxious to stay and see all the night decorations. I knew it was beautiful, and I really wanted to be there.

I was wise enough to have on my overcoat, but Rob was wearing a light jacket. He had not planned to stay, but did to please me. After just a short while, I think that is the coldest I have ever been. I couldn’t think of any warm place left on my body. We did not see all the decorations, just a few. We were happy to scoot to the car and get warm.

We didn’t plan any other winter vacations. Too cold for us!

I can remember when we would go to the Fair in October and the weather would be cold, especially at night. Now, so many attend wearing their summer clothes because it is still pretty warm.

Aging can also affect how much we can stand the colder weather. I get colder now than I did in the past. Luckily our Louisiana weather doesn’t get too cold for very long, usually January and February. By March we are warming. I am thankful for that. We are just not prepared for those long cold days and nights.

I can remember my grandfather telling about how cold it would get and the sap would freeze in some trees. I haven’t seen that happen at all in my lifetime. I can remember when houses would have long icicles hanging from the eaves. With better heating in homes, I suppose that has ruled out the icicles. We don’t see them much anymore.

As long as it is hot outside, some of us can stay inside with the air conditioning and not feel the heat. There are many vocations where the work is all outside and I feel for those working in the extreme heat … or extreme cold.

Whatever the state of weather, we learn to handle it. We adjust our heating/cooling systems and our clothing and do the best we can.

Personally, I prefer hot summer to cold winter. I feel blessed we live in an area where the weather is about what we expect most of the time.

A little bit of weather changing is good, but let’s not get too overwhelmed by it. So far, we have been so blessed with no hurricanes, but the prospect is still here. We probably still have some warm days ahead.

We patiently bear with the cold and the heat, the rain and no rain. It changes so that most everybody is excited or depressed at some time or other. We are blessed!

 Retired as Associate News Editor, Bob Ann Breland writes a weekly column for The Daily News. You can email her at bobann70@att.net.