Lisa Carnley is managing editor of the Lampasas Dispatch Record. I go into the winter season kicking and screaming; by that I mean not voluntarily. I despise the cold weather. I was not built (mentally) to withstand freezing temperatures, and I don't even want to get out of bed on cold mornings.

I have thin blood (anemia), and I suppose that makes me feel the cold even more. My hands and nose are like ice cubes all winter long. No one even wants me to touch them -- except my co-worker Brenda who, always hot, cools off with my cold hands on her neck.

My idea of ideal clothing is a jumper and a T-shirt with sandals. I wear them as soon as the temperature hits 80 degrees, and I don't stop wearing them until it falls below that mark.

I don't like wearing a coat or even a bulky sweater because even in the winter, heavy clothing makes me sweat and feel heavy.

I also am not fond of jeans, though I cave and wear them in the winter. I find them too restricting and heavy. Face it, nothing is going to make me happy other than a jumper and sandals.

At the beginning of the cold season, I give in a little and wear a longer jumper, long-sleeve blouse and closed-toed shoes. That's my fall compromise.

But as soon as the temperature drops below 65, I am miserably cold. From then on, I wear a fleece shirt, jeans and boots (or sneakers). And it takes all I have to stay warm.

I live on mugs of hot cocoa and steaming soups.

Since I am so cold-natured, I want lots of heat. I use an electric blanket and two "hot water bottles" -- my dachshunds, who sleep under the covers. I wear wooly socks and a long nightgown. Anyone who would see me would think I was getting ready to hibernate for the winter. And I really wish I could.

If I could go to sleep at the first cold snap and not crawl out of my bed until the spring flowers bloom, that would be ideal.

But since that is unrealistic, I plan ahead by paying extra on my utility bills in the summer months when I don't use as much electricity, and that gives me a cushion in the winter when I need heat.

I know Texas winters are mild compared to some of the places I have lived, but experiences I've had in cold weather remind me that cold is cold -- no matter what the temperature. I will be just as cold at 55 degrees as I am at 5 degrees.

Early in my married (previous) life, we lived in a tiny duplex. It was gas-heated (when it worked), and I was always terrified the pilot light would go out at night.

After a particularly cold night when the space heater wasn't working (again), my poor goldfish froze inside of its bowl, and we had to scrape the ice from the inside of the windows to see out, I vowed I would never be cold again.

Well, I knew that was wrong. On that night, as well as every other cold night, I realized I would be a heat-seeking missile -- always freezing in the winter, no matter how much I bundle up, and always looking for warmth.

So, I have learned to cope the best way I can. I crawl into bed at night, turn the electric blanket on high, drag the furry little bodies of my dogs a bit closer, and pray for sleep -- and summer to come -- quickly.