What Would You Pay for Spring in Chicago?

I would give up February in a heartbeat.

After the rush of Christmas and the ChristKindleMarket and mulled wine and roaring fireplaces, all that's left is packing up the holiday decor and putting on more sweaters to keep the gas bill manageable.

So for the sake of the "If I had Oprah's Income" argument, what I would do with that kind of cash is tidy up from the holidays and head to the Caribbean for a month. We could still work from there as long as we had Internet access so it wouldn't be exactly a vacation. More like a work slow-down.

My husband would like to move south permanently, but not me. I do almost all the snow shoveling and secretly, I like to do it. Besides the fact that I can hold it over him, I mean. It's a finite job: the walk from the house, driveway down one side and up the other, long sidewalk to the south, short sidewalk to the north and done. During that time, it's preternaturally quiet. Sometimes sunny. Sometimes starry. Good exercise.

I have to admit that this past winter, when it snowed every freaking day for what seemed like months, I did get a little tired of it. Mainly because hoisting huge shovels full of snow, lifting from the knees, of course, got harder and harder as the snow pile got taller and taller and I had to throw my shovelful higher and higher. Whew!

But now, with the crocus fading, the daffodils blooming and the scent of hyacinth wafting across my garden, NOTHING is more wonderful than Spring in Chicago. I wouldn't miss this time of year if Belize begged me to stay.

I don't know if Oprah is a gardner. Or if she sits outside on a warm Spring afternoon and watches the robins poking for worms. She might have to pay more for her Spring experience to insure her privacy, but that wouldn't make her Spring experience better.

Still, as much as I REALLY appreciate Spring after a Chicago winter, I think a few weeks of January and a few weeks of March is plenty to get me in the mood. I think I could easily donate February to Belize and make it back in time for the crocus.

What Is Our Work Worth?

The Salary Reporter says that Oprah makes about $31,392 an hour. My son is looking to find summer work and hopes to make around $8. The graphics designers I work with ask for between $25 and $60 an hour. The Internet Consultant charges $120 per hour to consult with me and I thought that was kinda high.

Don't forget that all of the previous jobs, except Oprah's of course, only pay the hourly rate during the hours that the workers actually work! Oprah's income keeps rolling in even while she's sleeping. Or eating. Or having a massage.

Mmmm! Massage! I'm afraid massages are no longer on my current budget. At least not professional ones.

It is absolutely incomprehensible to me how I would feel if I were making $31,392 an hour. I don't feel "deprived" at my current salary. Yes, I have some money worries such as paying the next college tuition bill for my kids. But from what I read, those who make many more dollars than I do still have money worries because their bills are proportionately higher.

So what have you gained?