Is Anyone Else Cold?

     I'm ashamed to admit that when the thermometer reaches sixty I begin to freeze a little at a time. Except for surges of warm off and on until April or May I continue to be cold throughout the fall, winter and spring. I just can't help it. I'm a warm-weather girl. Fall is beautiful weather and I bundle up from top to bottom and stand just outside the back door to admire the beautiful colors for five minutes at a time and I love to go driving but that just about does it.
     It is really hard to enjoy all that beauty when the ends of your fingers are numb and your nose is dripping.
     I think that's one of the reasons I've always turned to books and reading. You can put yourself deep into the beauty of any weather . . . snow, pouring rain, typhoons, burning sun . . . and love every minute of it. In the meantime you maintain perfect body temperature with the furnace (or air conditioner) blasting soothing air right onto your little toes and fingertips.
     Well, I might as well become resigned to it. The Powers that be are not going to change things around at this late date to suit me. I'll just continue to freeze until the day comes when I can't move from the cold and then they'll just cover me up and there I'll be.
     I don't worry about any heat, believe me. It would take a lot to thaw me out anyway.
     Yesterday was such a shock after the wonderful warm fall weather I've been enjoying so much. It wouldn't have been so noticeable but for the family reunion we had at Lake Stockton on Mutton Creek. There we were, forty five-fifty strong, on the north slope, with the wind whistling off the lake water, totally exposed, no shelter but for a blue tarp in front of the cooker for the fish. It was dreadful.
      My neck and upper back was in a mess anyway following two trips to the chiropractor last week with another visit scheduled for today. Then I sat in lawn chairs and finished off the lower back. I can't remember when I was more miserable.
      But there I was . . . enjoying my large, large, laaarrrrgggeeee family.
      What a day.
     Upon arriving home about 6:30 p.m. I took a muscle relaxant and applied a heat pack to all the places it would reach (never mind that I KNOW I'm supposed to use ice . . . are you kidding?) and finally got warm and happy.
      Every single person in my family camps and revels in the outdoors. I swear, the colder it is the more they enjoy it. Not me. Not mine. We believe in nice warm houses. Nice warm furnaces. Nice comfortable recliners. Books. Comfort.
      Warm.
     Things around here have gone from hectic to more hectic. I only have a month to go before the Missouri Folklore Society conference date of the 4, 5, 6th of November. Liz Faries (my co-chair) and Jan Caudle, who is kind enough to be helping out, are coming tomorrow night and I'll meet them again in Neosho on Wednesday. There are so many details to this and Liz has done it all before and I'll at a loss about much so I'm really thankful to Jan (as well as all the others who are up to bat with this). We keep getting proposals from members and every one is so interesting sounding! Unfortunately, I'll be kept so busy I won't have time to sit and listen to any of them. Oh well, next year will be my time for that. In the meantime, I have to try and attract an audience!
     Lou called today about my Trash to Treasure manuscript. I think it will be ready for the shelves in the next couple of weeks. She did a bang-up job with the cover and I really like it! I sent an ariel view of the junkyard and she wrapped it around the whole book and then superimposed an old truck on the front between the title and the author. It looks great from the jpg and I expect it will look just as good on the book. She still has a couple of blogs to go and I think it will be ready to go.
     Just in time for Christmas. I hope to get some advertising out before it is too late for the season.
     Got to stop for now. Grandkids for the time being.
     Family First.