Hum it with me:

Raindrops on roses

And whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles

And warm woolen mittens…

These are a few of my favorite things

Since scraping ice off your windshield at 6am isn’t one of anyone’s favorite things about winter, I had planned to make life a little easier for my better half, by adding a remote start system to our old Honda. Zap! A toasty warm cockpit to climb into, a clear view all round, and no Jack Frost nipping at her nose.

“But,” she told me, “They’re illegal in Denver!” Friends concurred. Indignant, I leveraged my awesome journalist skills and made a few phone calls.

Turns out they are not. What was causing the confusion were various ‘Puffer’ ordinances (named after the telltale puffs of smoke from the tailpipe as a vehicle warms up on a frigid day). And yes: leaving your keys in the car as it defrosts is a no-no. Aurora will give you a $75 ticket; other cities and counties have similar ordinances. This has nothing to do with environmentalism, and everything to do with cutting down on thefts.

From a climatic-impact standpoint, it’s actually better to allow a car’s catalytic converters and other parts to warm through thoroughly. That’s part of why Toyota now offers remote start on the Prius and the Lexus hybrids. And for the rest of us, it’s much safer to have all the windows clear, too. It always freaks me out when I see people trying to drive around while trying to navigate by peering through a tiny porthole they’ve chiseled in the ice on their windshield. Merry Christmas.

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