If only we could ship a little sunshine

Yuma heat likely would be welcome back east

One of the many advantages in Yuma is the fact that we can go a long time without turning on the heat in the winter, thanks to abundant sunshine and warm afternoons.

For me, part of this is direct retaliation against my electric bill, which soars in the summer. I do what I can to keep it low — the thermostat is in sync with whether or not we are home, and I’m militant about turning off the lights and only running appliances in off-peak hours. But the reality is, summer in Yuma is HOT, and that air conditioning bill is a necessary evil.

However, while suffering in a hot house sounds like torture, I can (and will) let my house get chilly in the winter. I can put on layers of clothes, fuzzy slippers, and a sweatshirt and still make dinner.

And I know in my heart that while it might get coldish here, our weather is downright wonderful when compared to colder climates up north. Fortunately, much of this season, our winter has been warm, making my goal of a low electric bill much easier to achieve.

But imagine living on the East Coast. Their heating bills are comparable to our summer cooling bills — and without that heat, these temperatures back east would be simply deadly. In fact, I talked to my sister the other day, and she delayed a trip to the grocery store because it was in the negative degrees outside, too cold to take my little niece and nephew out with her.

People from outside of Yuma often comment to me that they don’t understand how we can live somewhere so hot. But when I see these stories and photos of ice, snow and deadly cold, I can’t imagine living there, either. I’m thankful that here, I can turn the thermostat off and make do with a sweater, which right now, simply doesn’t work in most of the nation.

If I could, I would happily send those back east a little Yuma sunshine and warmth to make the cold a little easier. I bet the shipment would be welcome, and Yuma would have a new export. Until science figures that one out, however, I hope the thaw comes sooner vs. later for those in the midst of this deep freeze.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?