Winter in Natal

I do not like winter!  I don’t like waking up on a January morning when the temperature is below zero and six inches of snow are on the ground. The forecast is very cold and a threat of more snow.

Winter in Natal, Brazil, in July was not so bad.  When I awakened in the morning, the windows were open, I felt a cool breeze, and the temperature was in the low sixties.  The trees with green leaves were interspersed between palm trees and a variety of exotic flowers.

I knew that was the rainy season there; if the sun was shining, I realized that in 20 minutes it could be raining.  That did not bother me because an hour after the rain stopped, the sun was shining again. We hung our clothes on the line outside our apartment door and they were dry in just a few hours. 

The high temperature was not eight degrees, but the low eighties.  For lunch we walked to the portable restaurant a block up the street for a freshly grilled chicken and walked a few yards more for a Coke and fruit at the neighborhood market.

Instead of putting on boots, I had to decide whether I wanted to wear sandals or Dockers with no socks.  I’m not sure anyone there owns a pair of gloves.  Our big concern was whether we should take an umbrella with us.

I have to admit I looked forward to DQ and grocery stores without lines.  But no more can I say I hate winter—at least not in Natal.

Steve Boyd
Steve Boyd
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. Steve won the Toastmasters International Speech Contest in 1970 and was chosen Outstanding Professor of the Year at NKU in 1984, among other awards and honors. Since retiring, he volunteers with nonprofits, spends time with family, travels, preaches occasionally, and enjoys reading and writing. Contact Steve at (859) 866-5693 or at steveboyd111@gmail.com.

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