Top 5 reasons why
 we can love the cold


When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or so the saying goes. We’ve been given something that has been fairly rare in recent years — a real winter cold spell.


To put a positive spin on a situation we can do nothing about, here are our top five reasons to warmly embrace this frigid season.


1. Continuous cold kills ticks. The disease carrying pests are not active much below 40 degrees and this kind of cold has got to increase any winter kill. Remember that lone star ticks are southerners — they got a foothold here only when winters were mild. As part of the 4-poster program, ticks will be counted to determine their population trends. If the cold weather kills them while the 4-posters are garaged for the winter, all the better. Good riddance.


2. Snow, snow, snow. The Island is beautiful in the summer but not so much in a dry, brown or soggy winter. Frosted with snow, the Island virtually glows. How wonderful for local kids. They’ve only had one snow day so far this winter but they’ve taken advantage of the white stuff just the same. Seeing snow people populate front yards and brightly-clad sledders heading down Goat Hill warms the heart.


3. An abundance of wood heat. There’s nothing like coming in from shoveling snow and basking in front of a blazing fireplace or wood stove. Firewood is abundant here, whether you gather it from Sachems Woods, cut up your own from your overgrown backyard, or pick up a bundle at a local roadside stand. 


4. The layered look is very forgiving of dietary indiscretions over the holidays. Having a waist is highly overrated and, this time of year, it’s hard to see one on anybody. Enjoy wearing half of your wardrobe at one time. You can always tell your friends that the designer stuff is three layers under the surface.


5. One more chance to be a good neighbor. Work is scarce and fuel bills will be high this winter. If you would like to help, each Island church has a community outreach group that receives requests for assistance, and the Lions Club has a long standing program of lending a helping hand to those having difficulty keeping the heat on.


Of course we all hate the dangerous roads, icy walkways, frozen pipes, hat hair, cold floors, bitter wind, chapped hands and treacherous trips to the wood pile. But a brief thaw is forecast for the coming weekend before cold air descends again. If you’re not a winter person, remember, there are only 64 days until spring.