Snowy Weather

Today we are having a blizzard in Indiana. I walked to work this morning wearing my down jacket and hood, my wool beret, my polartec fleece and warm turtleneck t-shirt, my blue jeans and my nylon snow pants with zippers at the cuffs, my thinsulate lined boots and gloves, and my heavy socks. My jacket has a high collar and the hood has a piece that goes over my chin and mouth. The jacket has a zipper and snaps. The hood has velcro to keep it closed. I had my backpack to carry my purse and shoes and book and lunch, so my hands were free to help me balance. Every now and then a little snow would blow into my face, but only my eyes and nose were exposed, and I didn't feel very cold or uncomfortable. I was very glad I was walking instead of slipping and sliding in a car.
As I walked I was thinking about what it was like when I was a little girl. In cold weather, girls still had to wear skirts to school. We could wear pants over (or under) our skirts, but they were bulky and uncomfortable and no one did. Our coats had buttons that the wind could sneak between. Our knees would get cold between the bottoms of our skirts or coats and the tops of our boots.

Boots were rubber boots that we wore over our shoes. They were too wide at the top, so they would fill up with snow if we walked into a drift. Our socks would squinch down into our shoes inside our boots and feel wet and icky. We wore hats or scarves, but our chins would be cold. We didn't have book bags that went on our backs. We had to carry our books in our arms. In snowstorms our books would get snow on them and be heavy to carry.


When I got to high school, some of my friends and I got old army ammunition bags to carry our books in. That was more comfortable, but other kids teased us for doing something different from what everyone else did.

Fortunately it didn't get really cold in St. Louis very often, but when it did we were really miserable. My walk to school was about a mile, about the same distance as I now walk to work, but now I enjoy the walk while then I suffered. I really appreciate the new fabrics and technology that allow us to have warm winter clothes. I am also very happy that girls and women now can wear comfortable clothes to school and work without getting in trouble. I'm too old for people to tease me about how I look or how I carry my books. I hope younger people also choose what is comfortable and sensible even if some of their classmates tease them.