A tale of two winters

        So while we freeze our bedoobies off this winter here in the midwestern United States, here's a story of another winter, just to put things into perspective. Or rather, to throw 'em totally out of perspective!
        A few years ago when my daughter Claire was working in Leon, Nicaragua, I went down there to visit her.  Every day while she worked I took an immersion class in Spanish taught by Zorayda, a friendly, lovely Nicaraguan girl.

My Spanish teacher, Zorayda in our classroom in Leon, Nicaragua.  Unfortunately I forgot to bring a decent camera with me.

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        One afternoon Claire and I hopped a bus to the beach.  It was a hot, hot, hot  sunny day, yet the beach was empty, no one was swimming. Claire didn't know why.
        The next day during my class I told Zorayda about our trip to the beach and I asked her why people didn't swim.  Don't Nicaraguans like the water?
        She looked a little surprised that I'd asked.   "It's the middle of winter.  Nobody swims in the winter."
        Not wanting to sound like an ignorant American I just nodded and said, "Oh" instead of shreiking, "Middle of winter?  It's 94 flippin' degrees here! I could swim in my own sweat!"
        But later that day when I told Claire what Zorayda had said I did, in fact shriek , "Middle of winter? It's 94 flippin' degrees here!"
        Claire chuckled.  "But in the middle of summer it'll be a hundred and four degrees here!"
        So, anyway, I guess we all feel some discontent in our winter, however that winter may be.  But it does beg the question:  would you rather have a minus 13 degree winter or a 94 degree winter?        

The beach near Leon in winter.

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        PS:  Linda - I looked up "Snow Rollers".  Dang, now I really want to see one!  Keepin' my eyes peeled!