once again winter has caught me unawares. last week it was nice, not overly warm, but not exceptionally cold either. this week we're bundling up to keep warm. in california, winter seems to do that. and some how it always catches me by surprise. i know it shouldn't, but it does. and i can't just fire up the heaters. they are old, so i get them checked by the gas company each year for any problems and a minor clean up, then let them fire them up. this is a good policy with heaters as old as mine are. a year or two ago they found cracks that were leaking gas in one of them. fortunately, as much as hud seems to rely on duct tape for everything, leaky heaters are serious and it was repaired right away.

see, california weather has this pattern that even a non-california bred californian like me can figure out. scorching hot summers so dry we have fire days every day, a slight cool off for a week or two, then we're hit with an indian summer. then somewhere around the end of september to mid-october the weather cools. we may even get rain. but for the first week or two of that period it isn't a drastic cooling off, just enough to make life comfortable. then the cold starts. when winter is in full swing, it is cold and wet (who ever said it never rains in california never lived here...winters are WET). now the wise californian would see that slight cooling off at the end of indian summer to do something about it and make sure everything is ready for winter, which is right around the corner.

but i never said i was a wise californian. my idea of preparation seems to be to freeze for a week while waiting for the gas man to come and check the heaters, and bundling under jackets, sweaters, and blankets in the mean time. yes, i called the gas man today (i should have last week), and he can't be here until monday. in the meantime, i get to watch the kids bury themselves in blankets whenever possible. i also have to deal with children who don't want to get up for school because it is too cold.

this year i was so featherheaded that i didn't finally close my bedroom window until last night. which means for the last week i have been burying myself in my blankets and not willing to get up in the morning. i sometimes seriously don't think. in fact, in cases like this, i wonder if i even TRY to think.

however i am not a total idiot. i may not avoid freezing to death well, but i certainly do take precautions against pain. winters here are one storm front moving in after another, with the air pressure in constant flux. it happens to be my luck that my allergies make me susceptible to this constantly changing pressure, especially if not under control. but i have been a very good girl and have taken my medications everyday for over a month now. does this mean i won't get headaches? no. but when i do, they will not be as bad.

mind you...i am not sure one notices the lack of pain when they are freezing. but once i warm up, at least then the misery would end.