When I was offered a job promotion that required me to move up north, I was excited. Since I’d always lived in the deep south, I looked forward to a big change in scenery and weather. I’d never seen snow, but it certainly looked beautiful in movies. I couldn’t wait to buy fuzzy sweaters, cute boots and mittens. I had no clue what I was getting myself into. The fall weather was lovely with crisp temperatures and colorful leaves. I happily spent a fortune on new clothes and my heating bills. I was totally unprepared for the reality of a winter in the north. The temperature suddenly plummeted to ten degrees and two feet of snow accumulated in a single night. I quickly realized that snow is wet and cold and awful. I had to to go out and buy a snow shovel, ice scraper and rock salt. It took me over half an hour just to dig out and warm up my car before I could go anywhere. I had to hire someone to plow my driveway, and I got wet feet every time I got the mail. I kept setting the thermostat a little higher every night and I still woke up shivering. When I got my heating bill, I just about cried. I figured there was something wrong with the furnace. I hired an HVAC professional for repair, and he found no problems other than a slightly clogged filter. He suggested I buy a humidifier to improve comfort. I wasn’t real eager to spend even more money on temperature control. I only ended up living in the north for one year. The cold was too much for me. I took a pay cut and headed back south where I could enjoy high temperatures and air conditioning.