Well Pennsylvania is home to black widows, tarantulas, timber rattlers who like to hide behind rocks, and let me see. We do have Bears, Mountain lions, coyotes, and pharaoh dogs. Though most of these will leave you alone. Water Moccasins too, depending on where you live. I love a semir rural existence. I am in walking distance of most things here, but out far enough we have a field, and woods on our property. Shelley L. Rhodes and Judson, guiding golden juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx Guide Dogs For the Blind Inc. Graduate Advisory Council www.guidedogs.com The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs. -- Vance Havner ----- Original Message ----- From: "Allison" <alwaysallie@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: "Volunteer List" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, December 24, 2004 4:49 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: weather around the country Am kind of replying to a lil of everything below in order to save on numerous messages. As far as I can tell, the biggest natural disaster around these parts is the snow birds! Snow birds is the name given to people like myself who have moved out here from the north in order to escape the snow. We all move in, buy up all the land, build up all our houses, and fill the streets with traffic! <smile>. That's what they say about us anyway. Funny enough, we just keep coming. I can't begin to describe how many Midwesterners I've met since being here. Yes, I did also mention the extreme heat as being a downfall. A lot of places have extremes, and it is up to pure preference whether one prefers to error on the side of hot or cold. I'm sure there are similar states that are equally nice, but with colder weather, but few other difficulties. Oregon perhaps? I've never studied it. California locations, as mentioned by others, are the exception to this however. I don't know a lot about them, but I do have a cousin in San Diego who does say that the temp hovers around seventy degrees year round. That does sound pretty incredible. It'd be interesting to learn about such places, they sound so unreal! As for the critters that roam about, if one lives in a city or even most suburbs, you're pretty safe. There are dangerous critters one can find in most climates I think. I have two pet dogs who spend all day outside with no problems. I don't know what'd be like at night, if that'd make a difference, I'm not sure. I never plan on living too far out in the country in any state because it would put me too far away from any kind of transportation. Because of that, I can't speak much for what the more rural sections are like in any place I've lived. You can have grass here in the area where I live. Our front lawn is grass and a third of our back. The rest of the back is tile, pavement, and stones. My dogs hated that at first, but now they are so used to it that they avoid the grass when it's time to do their thing. It's really strange. We may get rid of our front grass however cuz you get a tax break here if you do that. It has something to do with helping to conserve the local water supply by not having excess grass to water. I've never lived anywhere without grass before, but it does sound nice and low maintenance. I don't know if I'd miss it. Anyway, to me this place is perfection because I have just recently moved here. Ask me in about three years and see if I tell you the same. All novelty does tend to ware off over time. Even so, I can't help but chuckle to myself just a little when I hear about my friends and relatives back home getting dump on by snow this week. I don't miss being able to say things like, "oh it warmed up to freezing today!" <smile>. Happy and pleasant holidays, where ever you are. Best, Allison H. ----- Original Message ----- From: <talmage@xxxxxxxxxx> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, December 24, 2004 9:08 AM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: weather around the country > Ahh, come on, you must have something, flash floods, droughts, killer > bees??? Maybe an infestation of tourist? > Happy holidays to all. > > Dave > > At 05:13 AM 12/24/2004, you wrote: >>I think I may have found the closest thing to perfect weather in the US. >> >>Arizona! I haven't always lived here, I'm originally from the Midwest, so >>I've seen the tornado and blizzard thing a lot. There is none of that >>here, neither is there earth quakes like in CA or hurricanes like in FL. >>It is just, very hot. If one can take the hotness, then it is darn near >>perfect I think. And, all you northerners have my sympathy. This is my >>first Xmas without snow and I am so loving it! I wore shorts to a Xmas >>party the other day. Not something I'd done before living out here that's >>for sure! So as my friends and family back north are buried under their >>snow drifts, I smile cuz, I'm not! >> >>Allison H. > >