Not Now? Then When?

I noticed an incremental lightening of the sky at 7:15 this morning, but the stars were still vivid against the pacific blue/liz-eyes/sky-blue progression.

I'm telling you this because, true to form, the January sky is usually clear. As in, devoid of clouds. Which means it's also cold. And this morning was no exception: -5F, so -20+C.

It's warmed up since. I got out for a very trundly walk and remembered why I need sunscreen and sunglasses in January. But after my shower, I put on my flannel-lined jeans, speaking of not particularly flattering.

Aside from not being something I'd wear to town (OK maybe to Safeway) (the shouting is Clinton and Stacy telling me that people can see me at the grocery store, too), the jeans feel a little like overkill.

"What if it gets colder?" my Oklahoma-born self asks. "What else is there to put on? Does it make me obviously American, or southern, or anyway un-Canadian, to resort to flannel-lined jeans?" She ramps up the angst. "Does wearing flannel-lined jeans make me WEAK?"

My sensible, seasoned-Canadian-living self answers, "Wearing flannel-lined jeans doesn't make you weak: it makes you warm." And then asks me the $2 question (that's $1.98 Canadian these days, go loonie!): "What are you saving them for??"

Which isn't a bad question to ask one's self often in this coming year: "Not now? Okay, then when?" And, bonus: I get to be warm while asking.