I have lived in Gainesville for more than a decade, and in that time I have grown accustomed to temperatures I did not ever experience when living in St. Petersburg.  Granted, Gainesville is less than two hundred miles north of St. Pete, but, still, that makes a substantial difference.  Winter nights in Gainesville regularly dip into the thirties, and once a year, perhaps, we have a day that doesn’t reach fifty degrees.  But, no matter what, after a day or two the temperatures always creep back up, and afternoon highs once again hover around seventy degrees.

In my entire life in Florida I have never experienced a cold spell like this.  It isn’t merely the extreme cold, although it is definitely that: we have had days recently that barely climbed above forty degrees.  Rather, what is so distressing to everyone is the seemingly endless nature of this cold.  For about two weeks now it has been freezing cold.  At home, our heater is running nearly non-stop to keep the house at a comfortable temperature.  I dread turning on the faucet because the water is so frigid it almost feels worse than scalding.  Meanwhile, going outside for anything–even just to run to the car–is a miserable and dreaded chore.  I haven’t dared to ride my bike in almost a week.  School started last Tuesday, and everyone you see on campus is wearing a hooded sweatshirt with his hands tucked into his pockets.

Fortunately, Miriam bought me a windbreaker for Christmas, which has absolutely paid for itself and more over the last two weeks.  Coupled with a pair of gloves my mother sent me, I have managed to protect my skin from frostbite (possibly an exaggeration).

The forecast for tonight is eighteen degrees, and there is no word yet when the cold will end.  Some say Friday, but I feel it may never be warm again.

I did add a class about ancient Egypt to my schedule, and it is the first class I have ever taken in McCarty Hall.  It’s in an auditorium, and, in spite of the rain, it seemed nearly full.  I dropped the course about America in the 1970s.  I had reservations about the instructor, and it would require a goodly amount of writing, whereas the Egyptology class requires none.

On my bike ride home, after it had stopped raining, I encountered a small boy also on a bicycle.  He said, “What’s up, dude?  Want to race?”  He couldn’t have been more than eight years old.

At first, I thought the puddle of water on the bathroom floor was the result of my having not closed the shower curtain.  But I felt around the tub and it was dry.  When a drop of water hit my head, my heart sank.  A leaking roof was the last thing I expected, and the last thing I want.  The ceiling was saturated, the plaster breaking off in chunks.  So, before the sun rose this morning, I was up on the roof, in the high wind and driving rain, laying tarps over the roof.  Lord, was I dismayed!

But my preliminary survey of the attic was encouraging: there are no visible signs of water intrusion over a wide area of the sheathing.  Rather, I suspect that the leak is occurring where the vent stack comes in contact with the asphalt shingles. I will know for sure soon.  Meanwhile, I’d just like it to stop raining.

Stay tuned.

On an unrelated note, though the temperature in Gainesville today reached 49 degrees, I nevertheless felt colder than I have ever felt in my life, including occasions in which I have been flat on my back in a mountain of snow.  I don’t know if it’s me or something else, but I felt certain I was freezing to death.

Still, I’d have gladly endured sub-freezing temperatures to have been in Washington today.  I couldn’t sleep last night, and tonight I’ll probably be too excited again.  I’m very happy.

On another note, it’s 42 degrees in Philadelphia right now.  That’s cold for baseball.