Variety is the Spice of Life

[roaring-rox]

Thanks, mm34b,

I guess that puts it in black and white!

[the Parkies]

Originally Posted by roaring-rox

Thanks, mm34b,

I guess that puts it in black and white!

But how do those black-and-white stats change your understanding and opinion (of the relationship between cold and arthritis in WNC), roaring-rox?

[Zooropa]

Originally Posted by roaring-rox

Hi,

I was wondering about the cold winters also...years ago I lived in Dallas, Texas for seven years. Around 40 years old, I started to notice aches in my hands during the winter. When I came back to Tampa, it was like my hands/joints were bathed in warmth. I briefly lived in Atlanta for 1 year, and happened to get this 'carpal tunnel' or 'repetitive strain injury which kicked in from computer work. During Dec/Jan of that year, I noticed this really weird sandy, grating in my joints. That was hard to separate out whether it was the injury, or the cold...probably both.

But I do remember the aches cropping up in Dallas in the winters and I was much younger.

Dallas has 32 days below 32 degrees and Asheville has more than a 100 days below 32 degrees.

I understand to someone who loves cold weather or has been in much worse that Asheville's winters would be mild.

Ideally, it would be great to live between 2 climates, but financially not feasible for most and also, as one gets older it is a pain to drive long distances between residences (me anyway).

But, based on my experience, doesn't it sound like the winters would be bad for someone who notices those aches in the cold?

Thanks for any feedback (although common sense probably already tells me the answer).

Not to sound rude or anything, but I think you're the first person I've ever heard mention Dallas and cold in the same sentence! I guess it's all relative to what you are used to. I grew up in the midwest so Asheville is fairly mild to me. It generally doesn't get brutally cold and summers are mild. Whereas I see Dallas as having mild winters and brutal summers (i have a few friends/acquaintances who have lived there and they all tell me it's the worst place they've ever been in the summer), and tampa having warm winters and pretty hot summers. Just some random thoughts about the weather.

[roaring-rox]

Parkies/Zooropa,

I am going by my own experiences and what others here and there say. In my case, I am remembering how I responded while living in Dallas...my memories of waking up with achy joints, during the winters, after a few years of living there. Then when I came back to Tampa, I noticed a completely opposite feeling and not having those issues recur.

Now, someone who has no arthritis tendencies will most likely be perfectly fine on colder days over time.

I am not saying Dallas is cold, as I know it is overall a mild climate. Just going by how my joints have responded in past.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by roaring-rox

Parkies/Zooropa,

I am going by my own experiences and what others here and there say. In my case, I am remembering how I responded while living in Dallas...my memories of waking up with achy joints, during the winters, after a few years of living there. Then when I came back to Tampa, I noticed a completely opposite feeling and not having those issues recur.

Now, someone who has no arthritis tendencies will most likely be perfectly fine on colder days over time.

I am not saying Dallas is cold, as I know it is overall a mild climate. Just going by how my joints have responded in past.

Hi Rox - I am another person who is affected by cold - especially cold and wet. I have back and joint problems and mild arthritis, and I have come to appreciate the warm humid climate here in Central Florida, which is just one of the many reasons hubby and I decided to let go of our Asheville house (listed, but not sold yet). I also noticed that I was almost always getting sick when I went up to Asheville - flu bug, pressure on my sinuses (from the altitude) allergies, among other things. And last of all, as beautiful as the mountains are, I find it all too steep and hilly for walking, biking and even driving sometimes. Asheville and the surrounds are very beautiful, and I will always love it, but for us it is just going to be a nice place to visit, not live. I love the mountains and four seasons, but at the end of the day I will always be a "Florida girl" I guess.

All that said, it is really a beautiful climate most of the year in WNC, and is paradise for many.

[johnwi]

I notice there seems to be quite a few posts regarding sinus issues and the asheville area...any insight?

[Zooropa]

Originally Posted by roaring-rox

Parkies/Zooropa,

I am going by my own experiences and what others here and there say. In my case, I am remembering how I responded while living in Dallas...my memories of waking up with achy joints, during the winters, after a few years of living there. Then when I came back to Tampa, I noticed a completely opposite feeling and not having those issues recur.

Now, someone who has no arthritis tendencies will most likely be perfectly fine on colder days over time.

I am not saying Dallas is cold, as I know it is overall a mild climate. Just going by how my joints have responded in past.

gotcha....it's just all in my perspective having come from fairly cold climate in Cleveland. I'm the kind of person that thinks 55 isn't cold and never will be, but talk to someone from LA or from South Florida and they think I'm crazy Plus I'm young enough to where the issues you have don't affect me yet thankfully.

[the Parkies]

Response to climate is definitely a personal matter!! And obviously we need to respect our personal needs.

We have to allow time to acclimate physically. Adjustment to a new climate takes time--months. And we have to consider medical issues, like whether we're on some medicine with side effects that impact body comfort. Or whether we have a physical condition that's aggravated by a certain kind of climate. And we have to consider our past experience as well--NC is physically cold if you're coming from Arizona, but not if you're coming from Alaska.

We also have to ponder mental issues, like whether warm feels good because we spent an unhappy childhood in the cold (or vice versa). We have to think about personal preferences--do we truly enjoy the cold? or truly enjoy heat? and do we find either one intolerable? Are we punishing ourselves in some inhospitable climate because we convince ourselves it will be "good" for us? Are we there to escape someone? to escape ourselves? Are we in that climate because we need to be in that climate's location in order to impress ourselves or others? Are we there, in other words, only because we're basically insecure?

At the other end of the spectrum, are we there in that climate simply because of practical issues? Are we there because we're just there and have never given a thought to why we're there as far as climate is concerned? Did we take a new job that happened to be there? Or are we responding to the need of a family member and moving to that climate for him or her? In other words, are we there in that climate simply because life threw us there??

I treasure the memory of my sweet departed father, who went camping with us once in the mountains an hour's drive east of San Diego (in Cuyamaca State Park). The whole family enjoyed the campfire that night because the winter air was cold. But we were all, including Mother, totally comfortable and having a wonderful time, dancing around the campfire.

Suddenly we missed Dad. We searched and found him all by himself in the car, engine running, heater at full blast, trying to thaw out his 65-year-old bones! He laughed a lot and carried it off beautifully, but we could see that he was miserable in our mild San Diego mountain winter. We left the following morning.

Was it the medication (for thyroid) that Dad was taking?? Or was it that he was used to very cold but relatively dry winters in PA, while San Diego's winters are mild but damp (because of its proximity to the ocean)?? That may be. We've heard others say this--that you can be warm in New England and cold in San Diego because of the dampness there. But who really knows?? Have there been scientific studies conducted on the subject???

As I said, response to climate is definitely a personal matter, and there's no need to apologize about it or even try to understand it, in my opinion. Response to climate--and weather, by the way--just IS!!

Obviously we need to accept what is. And choose to settle (purchase/rent) in an area that meets OUR very special and worthy needs! and have the REST of the world come and visit US!!

Me?? I'm staying right HERE (sneeze) in WNC even though I hear a lot (sneeze) about allergies here. But I'm one of the lucky ones (sneeze). I happen to remember (sneeze) that I sneezed a lot in San Diego, too!!!!

JAN

[AbbyDabby]

my daughter is the one who turned me on to Asheville/marshall.she was living in Asheville and now my son is there and he loves it .we will be moving to madison county walnut creek road is is so peaceful there .my daughter 33 and my dad 91 and myself will be there my dads not to keen on it but he will ajust we are not leaving him in a nursing home somewhere.we might also be bringing a 9 yr old godson so 4 generations .i'm over fla and ill deal with the cold weather just not to have all the traffic and people .ill stick to the nature and peace