Disassociation of Shoulders

Cold weather has blown into town with blustery winds and a degree drop at night that has squirrels scrambling for nuts to pack away in their nests before the ground gets too hard to dig into. The wind has me bundling up as well, cursing soundly when sneaky frigid air finds its way underneath my scarf, or past the linings of my gloves. My nose begins to immediately run as I try and persuade Bear to find a quick spot to mark his territory so we can hurry back inside.

The irony is not lost on me that I have been layering while I’m inside as well. Keeping the heat at a manageable level so as not to incur ridiculous cost, but shivering while I’m in front of my computer trying to find the correct balance of shirt stacking while nudging up the room heater just another degree or two.

I almost have the right combination. I feel confident in my ability to stay warmish this winter without breaking down and trying to create an inferno in the whole house. The only exception is my shoulders.

I cannot explain it. It is as if my various body parts had a group meeting regarding the set point to be able to survive the winter, but my shoulders had decided to check out of that meeting, playing a game on the phone to not have to deal with the imminent reality of winter setting in for the next few months. Suddenly they are surprised at the weather and rebuff all attempts to get warm. Double layering of shirts, pulling blankets upon blankets over my shoulders while my socks are off because the rest of my body is hot, nothing seems to appease these bony projections that haven’t bothered to layer themselves with any fat to protect against inclement weather.

I’ve resorted to trying to find shawls or pull blankets over my shoulders during meetings just to stop shivering.

My shoulders are in good company though. Bear seems to have no idea what the true use of blankets are. Each night he tosses the blankets I’ve carefully put on the bed to the side and the proceeds to shiver, shaking me awake so I can dive and put a blanket or two on him. Only to repeat the process in the middle of the night when he gets hotter than he anticipated. Trying to put a sweater on him is a no go, and I’m delaying trying to put pajamas on him to help him regulate his body temperature at night as he is not a fan of clothes.

I’m lucky the weather will get warmer by the end of the week, but I know I need to find a happy medium quickly because the weather this week is just a taste of what will be in play for the next few months. But now I need to drape a blanket over my shoulders and huddle for a few moments.