Summertime rolls (in)

It's so warm & pleasant today that several people wore flip-flops to class. I was thinking of why I hate winter so much that I wouldn't even consider living in Canada. While this is not really a weather blog, I'd like to share my top ten reasons why I DO like winter here. Everybody already knows the negatives, and I wanted to be more upbeat on such a pretty day.

1. Coffee is better when it's cold. Not that that stops me from drinking it in summer---I drink it just about every morning anyway. It's like a religion for me.
2. Hot showers. I take pretty cold ones the rest of the year, but I love a hot shower in winter. Again, I shower year round (though somehow it's less of a spiritual experience than the coffee drinking).
3. Snow/snow days. There's a lot of drama surrounding the snow day, and no other season can beat that feeling during the first fluffy, serene snowfall of the winter.
4. Looking forward to spring. It's often better than the actual season to anticipate it. (Spring in the Mid-South is a very wet season.)
5. The night sky. It's much clearer on average, so you see more stars.
6. Corduroys. Comfier than jeans or dress pants, and they make a statement. I missed them in the 90's.
7. Not shaving every day. Legs, I mean; I still shave elsewhere on a daily basis, but if there's no yoga class or date that day, the legs are strictly optional. This also goes with #4.
8. Quieter neighbors. Mine only refrain from blasting their crappy car stereos, letting their kids run amok in the street, and mowing for a few precious months every year, and I love it.
9. Hiatus on the zoo smells. Also the Siamang monkey love noises I can hear from my backyard in July & August.
10. Appreciating the warm days you do get. Like today.