The winter of '98-'99 was one of the warmer and drier winters on record, according to meteorologists, and O'Keefe considers herself lucky that the temperatures were not as cold as usual.

"Really, with a big family it is easier and more comfortable to go into hibernation," O'Keefe said she shuffle through her purse for keys and lollipops. "I almost feel like we can live our lives now that it's starting to get nice out."

James Loranger, 33, saw an increase in customers at his Davis Square flower stand last weekend. He said his business is boosted by warmer temperatures, even when it rains.

As prospective customers looked at and sniffed his merchandise, the Somerville resident recounted some of his past jobs.

"I've done jobs where I had to be on the street in the dead of winter. I've been frost-bitten and I've got bruises from falling," Loranger said as he surveyed the sidewalk for potential buyers.

Loranger said he frequently changes venue, but added that the weather has a greater effect on his business than the location.

"When it gets chilly, no one will give you the time of day," he lamented, as a young couple bought some roses.

"I don't do this all the time or anything, but when spring and summer roll around, it's real nice," Loranger said.

Spotting an advancing group of people, Loranger stopped talking to stand proudly behind his stand. They passed without stopping, and Loranger looked at the ground.

"But things like this aren't fun to do," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't really care about the weather for myself, only what it does to my work. And good weather is good for it, so I am happy."

Carlie Partridge, 19, a jogging enthusiast out for a 10-mile run, contrasted Boston's weather with that of w

Boathouse, the sun peering through the clouds and a breezers ambiance during her first foray into Cambridge.

"We've had 92 straight days of rain in Seattle," she said, sighing. "It's so refreshing to be here where it's pleasant. It really lifts your spirits."

Partridge, a sophomore at the University of Washington, said she plans to transfer to a Massachusetts college next academic year. Upon arrival in the area, she said she knew immediately that Boston was the place for her.

"The people here are so much more considerate than they are portrayed out West," she said, explaining that Bostonians have a reputation for rudeness.