Chilly Mornings

With the "Polar Vortex" taking up the news headlines, I just want my friends to know that things can get "cold" too here in Hawaii. Yeah, my mainland friends are whining about temps in the single digits, but hey, it got down to 51 degrees last night! Sure it might go below zero outside in New York and Vermont, but I bet the inside of the house is a cozy upper 60s. When it's 51 outside my house, it's also 51 inside my house. Brrrr. 

(Snow atop Mauna Kea. You can see some of the observatories in this photo.)

Not that I'm whining. No way. I'm more than willing to put up with a bit of chill in order to live here. And by the way, isn't that what's a wood stove for? I'm in the habit of lighting a fire each morning, and often at night too.  I like it cozy inside my house.........not a cold 51! 

(Snow inside Mauna Loa's crater. Photo taken from the crater webcam.)

The coldest it has gotten at my farm in the past ten years is 46. Thankfully that was just one night. But some friends living higher up the mountain experience temperatures like that, and lower, on a regular basis. When staying overnight at one of those friends' houses I awoke in the morning to find frost on the metal roof! Egads, this is Hawaii. It's not suppose to be that cold! Needless to say, I didn't take a  morning shower that day. 

(Snow plowing the Mauna Kea access road.) 

I do indeed feel pity for my friends on the mainland. They are experiencing some brutal weather. But I moved away from there for many a reason, including escaping the freezing winters. I've had my fill of snow and ice. Oh, it's so pretty to look at and play in, but not the least bit enjoyable to work in. No, that part of my life is past. I no longer need to prove to myself that I'm tough enough to survive that. 

(Mauna Kea in the distance.)