Winter in California

Winter in California is an acquired taste, like smoky French cheeses or heady German beers. When I first moved out here from Canada, a little over 20 years ago, I felt myself having an odd out-of-body experience the first winter in Southern California. I distinctly remember sitting at an outside table in a bar on Christmas Eve, looking down the charming sunlit street to watch a guy on a skateboard dressed as Santa wiz pass. I muttered something about missing snow and turned back to my beer, reminiscing about winters past. But what was so wonderful about freezing your toes as you slid across a patch of black ice on Christmas Eve, trying to reach a friends house before you lost all feeling in your nose?

Still- even with the passage of time, winter in California can still feel like a prolonged vacation. I head out each morning on my bike to do errands, with nothing more than a light sweater at most, and a heady sense of enjoying the weather before committing myself to the work ahead on my computer at home.

There is a distinct advantage to working from home when you live somewhere that allows you to cruise the local coffee shops in flip flops and board shorts in December. Somehow there is always time for one more errand before buckling down to the work of the day. But having the same weather day after day can begin to wear you down. Sure, I can just see you, shaking your finger at me, saying to me, how dare you complain, but the truth of the matter is, by the time the rains show up in January we are all dancing the macarumba in the streets. So I guess I have finally become a Californian when I look at a grey sky and see it as my winter. A little rain, a little wind, and then followed by a couple days of sunshine to top it off. Yup- feels like winter to me!

The author, Deni Loubert, is a web designer and comic book fan living in California. Her recent websites include Your Yoga Accessories, Organic Garden Fertilizer and Yes You Can Install Hardwood Floor.