Re: RC: Re: RE: Snow/bitter climates

[Lucy C Trumbull <elsie@foothill.net>]

Heidi Smith wrote:
> 
> Funny how you get acclimated.  We just had a stint where we were in single
> digits in the daytimes and -10 to -15 (thats F) at nights.  We're now having
> lows in the teens and actually had a day where the first digit of the temp
> was a 3 today!  I was so hot out working in the sunshine that I had to take
> my jacket off, and just work in sweatshirt and a vest...


We figure that most people have about a 40°F range that 
they get used to and are comfortable with. So you might 
be able to cope with 100 degrees in the summer, but if it 
drops below about 60, you get chilly. On the opposite side - 
people who think 70°F is a "nice" temperature for summer
don't usually feel the cold until it hits freezing.

When I first moved to California's Central Valley in August, 
it was over 100°F every day. I stayed indoors between 11 am
and 7pm and just lay around on the sofa under the a/c vent. 
Coming from England, anything over 80°F was considered a 
"scorcher" and I just couldn't cope with the heat at all.

The following summer, realising that I'd get nowhere if I
repeated the previous summer, I forced myself to get used
to the hot. Turned off the a/c (it was regularly 95°F in
the house) and practised pretending I was sitting in front
of a crackling fire. It kind of worked. At least I could
function in the heat.

The following summer, I regularly drove my Fiat spider
convertible with the top down, even when it was 106°F.
It was hot, but I was OK.

I've slipped though - now I start getting floppy in the 90s, 
and anything under 40°F feels quite chilly.

Luckily, we have pretty mild winter temps and seldom 
drop below freezing. And very nicely, I had the pleasure
this week of riding for five days in a row (annual vacation!
YAY!)... and got rained on four of them. Sigh.



-- 
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Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@foothill.net
Repotted english person in Garden Valley (Sierra Foothills), CA 
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