Seriously 80 degrees?

Tourist Enjoying the Valley

It's hard to imagine living anywhere else when the weather is as amazing as it is this weekend. That's right it's Superbowl weekend and it's 80 degrees.

Even though both my wife and I are California natives (Northern California) we lived in West Des Moines, Iowa for about five years. The winters there were, dare-I-say, winterish. Sunday morning was spent throwing ice melt on the ground and scraping ice off the car windshields just so we could pack up and head off to church. Two hours later and do it all over again to get our car into the garage. During Superbowl weekend we'd bundle up and meet friends for a feast and stare out the window hoping for "Phil" to promise a quick end to the winter.

Well, it's been fifteen years since we've been back and I have to say there are only parts of that experience I miss. I truly miss some of the friendship we created while living there but do not miss the "real winter" experience.

I remember one Superbowl weekend in Iowa where a couple friends and I decided we needed to puff on a cigar and claim some manliness during the halftime show. Wrapped in parkas' we headed out to the garage. The puffing soon started and it was not long before we realized what a crazy idea this was. It was so cold that the cigar tip would freeze before we could get it back into our mouth for another puff. Twenty minutes later we were back inside watching the second half.

Today I'm in shorts and headed for a basement poker game to watch the game. No I won't be pruning or hoeing and not really caring if it's the Pack or Steelers. I'm taking a break. Thanks for the clear - warm - day.