Out with the shorts, in with the long johns

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    I normally put the lawnmower away around Oct. 1 each year. While I enjoy summer, mowing has ceased to be that relaxing pastime of years ago. So while I lament the cool weather arriving, I don’t miss cranking up the Craftsman every Saturday morning.

    Nevertheless, packing the shorts away is a sad occasion. I usually start wearing them in April when the temperature rises above 65 degrees. With the exception of days when I dress up for church, a wedding or major social event, shorts are the norm in the summer.
    Some of the younger, tougher guys I know will wear shorts until snow flies. I remember covering Maine Central Institute football games years ago when Coach Doug Ferguson and his assistants would wear them right into November. I’m not sure if it was meant to be a morale-booster, but the Huskies did go to the playoffs several times under Ferguson.
    But I’m not nearly that tough. So when my wife asked “Do you want me to iron some shorts for the weekend?” a few days ago, my answer was “Unfortunately, no. I’m packing them away.”
The short-sleeved shirts are also taking up room in the closet that I need for long-sleeved pullovers. My wife likes those. They never need ironing. I do keep a few short-sleeved garments on hand for blood donations and bowling – not on the same day, of course.
    While making the summer-to-winter transition, I also dig out the long johns in the storage closet. At the risk of showing my age, I admit to wearing the bottoms when the temperatures dip below zero.
    I have two steel plates in my left leg from an old auto accident, and the limb gets colder a lot quicker than the good one. In addition, it takes longer to thaw out.
    I don’t wear the tops anymore, though. I think the last time I wore a full set of long johns was when I tried ice racing on Moosehead Lake awhile back.
    Fall really isn’t a bad season. I enjoy it because the days are still relatively mild and the nights are cool. Plus, it’s football season.
    In addition to the cold weather, the only other thing I don’t like about the changing season is the onset of darkness around 5:30 p.m. That’s usually the time that deer and moose start taking a stroll across the highway. I’ve had many near-misses, but thankfully no collisions so far.
    Another seasonal bummer is the arrival of the oil delivery truck. I have a quarter-tank left, but I notice that prices are relatively low compared to last winter. So I may have to bite the bullet sooner than I’d like.
    So it’s out with the shorts and in with the long johns.
    The snow shovels can wait for a while.
Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.