first winter w/out snow!

This past weekend Kanto experienced record high temperatures!

I wonder if I should be happy or sad about this one...Tokyo and the GTA had its first winter on record w/out snow. Sign of global warming or just lucky? And are we so lucky after all? Sometimes it is fun to have snow: build a snowman, have a slip on the road for some excitement, see trees beautifully lined in white fluff, catching flakes in one's mouth as they come down. Then again I do not miss the cold, slush, and icy icy driving that accompanies it...apparently there was no shortage of snow and cold back home (midwest America and Toronto).

The new condo is great too. Unlike my last place, this place is actually insulated!!! I can practically count the number of times I turned on the heat...maybe a total of 5 times or so? When finding a new home, one should definitely consider whether or not it is insulated. My old place cost around (20,000yen) 200 dollars to keep heated each month...VERY high (more than double) compared to now, even though our new place is more spacious than my old one.

The pic is 'snow monsters,' snow-covered fir trees in Zao.