Thursday, June 04, 2009

Do you follow the thermometer... or the calendar?

I know it's June and, according to the Revelation of St. Albert Gore, we should all be sweltering in Chicago by this time.

But it's been downright chilly here, actually, since a warm rain on Monday afternoon.

Now, this is not another ignorant challenge to the Received Wisdom of Brother Gore; it's just that I've noticed a generational difference in the response to the recent unseasonably cool temperatures (according to the radio, it was 49° F at O'Hare when I woke up this morning):

Long Suffering Spouse and I are closing windows and putting on sweaters or jackets because it's cold. The kids are opening windows and turning on fans because it's June.

I don't always make it upstairs when I come home from work until I actually retire for the evening. Tuesday night, though, I struggled over to the stairs to take something up -- and I about froze to death halfway up. Youngest Son had the window fan running at high speed in his room. We're talking wind chill here, folks. I took my life in my hands and entered the boy's room.

(If you have, or ever had, a teenager, you'll understand what I mean by that last sentence.)

I turned the fan off and pulled it out of the window. The hard part was finding a place to put it in the debris field. But I got the window closed.

I didn't press my luck by trying to close the windows in Middle Son's room. At least his fan wasn't on. I closed his door, though, to try and contain the chill.

I don't think it's just us, either: Last night was the award ceremony for the sophomore baseball team at Youngest Son's high school. Some of the kids wore sweatshirts, yes, but nearly all were wearing shorts.

So my questions: Is this really a generational thing? Are you following the thermometer... or the calendar?

6 comments:

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

i never go anywhere without a sweater or jacket, if it's a hundred outside they always have the danged a/c set to shiver...

smiles, bee
tyvc

The Beach Bum said...

I don’t use a thermometer or the calendar. I judge by perspiration in the summer and aches and pains in the winter. I can tell, within several degrees of accuracy the outdoor temperature at any given time of the year.

It’s a gift and a curse.

The Beach Bum

sari said...

In Arizona it's hot or not. Hot is from May - October. Not is the rest of the year. So, calendar, here.

Jeni said...

Yesterday was the first day this week -since Sunday -when it was relatively pleasant and even on Sunday although it was sunny, the breeze was quite brisk so the temps were a bit on the "fooler" side! And my legs and lower back have definitely been paying the piper too for the cold, damp weather we've had as they are all fired up with aches and pains galore! You are not alone, Curmie!

Shel said...

They're just more stubborn than we are. When my daughter is here from Texas, she wears flip flops and shorts in March - because she can in Texas, so in her mind she should be able to here, as well. Why the child didn't go back to Texas with a couple of frostbitten toes is beyond me. Chris turned the heat on last night to be comfortable taking a shower...

Kacey said...

You're not crazy, Curmudgeon. Forty-nine degrees is for having the furnace on regardless of the date. But, let's face it....teenagers are hot stuff....at least, they think they are! Maybe they eat too well at your house and are burning off the calories.