I walk daily, usually in Burnt store Isles, the subdivision of Punta Gorda where I live.  It is great exercise and a great way to keep an eye on what is happening in the “hood”.  Normally I enjoy this, but days like today it is an unpleasant task.  It is 38 degrees this morning and windy so it feels much colder.  On days like this the “locals” break out the winter attire if they bother to face the elements at all. 

Not long into my journey I noticed a couple walking towards me dressed in t-shits, shorts, and sandals and carrying beach towels.  Tourists, popped into my head.  I chatted long enough to learn they were indeed from the north and they were headed to the pool.  Ok, 38 and windy is a heat wave if you are use to snow and ice and the pool is heated but you have to get out at some point.  My teeth began to chatter.  I tightened the drawstring on my hoodie,  zipped my coat and walked faster in an effort to regain sensation in my feet.  I seriously could not imagine swimming on a day like this.  I get nervous when the temperture dips below 75 degrees and I don’t go any farther north than the mall.

The cold truth is, this type of weather is the exception not the rule and we take comfort in knowing that that it will be short lived.  It is a gentle reminder of why we live here.  The weather fuels my business and most others here, as the snowbirds head south for the winter.  The cold truth is I depend on the cold.