Tuesday, March 9, 2010

No in-between

I tend to worry about in-between weather. What to wear when it's not warm enough for my summer wardrobe, but too warm for my winter wardrobe?

The truth is, though, that there's very little in-between weather to be found where I live. The thermometer moves from chilly to balmy in what seems a matter of days, with no extended stop in between. There are in-between times of day -- a cool morning or evening that might need a sweater. But worrying too much about the in-betweenedness of spring or fall leads to poor wardrobe choices. One finds oneself in long sleeve or wool socks when most of the day calls for bare arms and sandals.

Layers would seem to be the obvious answer. But no one talks about the real problem with layers -- what to do with them once you've shed them. I would rather shiver a bit on my walk to work, frankly, than carry home a sweater or jacket in the afternoon along with all the other stuff I have to lug.

Time spent wondering whether there's a part of the day that will be cool enough for an extra layer, frankly, is time wasted in this climate. Better to dress for the high temperature than the low. That means spring comes suddenly, with the qualitative change in comfort from highs in the 40s and 50s to highs in the 60s and 70s. One day you're bundling up until you get indoors, the next you are lingering outside as long as possible and inventing excuses for walks. I expect several weeks' worth of the latter before we're racing indoors again to feel the cool AC.

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