Thursday, December 08, 2005

Why do people say fucking cold?

I mean, isn't that an oxymoron? Fucking cold. I guess you could start out fucking cold.... like if you were doing it in a snowbank or something.... but really, the act itself just makes things warm.... doesn't it?

West Yellowstone was -45F yesterday..... that is WITHOUT wind chill.

Our thermometers were -23, -24 & -21 yesterday at 9:00 am. Yes, I have 3 thermometers. Shut up.

It doesn't feel too miserable as long as there is no wind and you keep moving. The snow is so cold and frozen it doesn't stick to anything.... it is odd and I can't really explain it... you just have to see it.

My father-in-law got the jeepster running while we were gone and plowed out our yard.... a good thing since the pickup doesn't have a block heater and won't start so I'm driving the car.

What's a block heater? Well, have you ever been in cold country and seen a little plug-in dangling out of the front of a vehicle? Did the driver tell you it was an electric car and he needed a really long extension cord? He was lying. It's a little heater that plugs in and warms the engine block so the car will start.... and the Dodge doesn't have one.... how dumb is that? Guess what Hot Stuff is getting for Christmas.... yup, a block heater and a new extension cord. My mom has this really cool extension cord with a light on it so you know the outlet works.... but it is white.... think about that.... white extension cord, white snow storm.... you won't find the plug in for that baby until spring!

How do you survive in weather this cold? Stay warm. Seriously. Dress for it. We have a chicken light (can I make this stuff up?) in our well house to keep things from freezing and when it is really miserable we keep the cupboard under the sink open so the water line doesn't freeze and the water running at a trickle so the drain pipe doesn't freeze.

And get this.... THEY AREN'T CLOSING THE SCHOOLS. Because, well, why? They have to keep the schools warm enough to prevent frozen pipes and that's warm enough for learning, right? One of my friends said kids were outside for recess on Monday. Other states close the schools if there is a foot of snow and the temp is below zero.... not here.

Are we tough or stupid? Wait... don't answer that.....

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You live there WHY?!?

It's been in the teens here with a sprinkling of snow. I honestly wondered last night if they would close the schools today.

SierraBella said...

Chicken lights and block heaters, I 'larn' so much from you!

Susan said...

Oh. My. GOD. I am freezing my ass off (again, why do people say that? I WISH I could just freeze it off, but that never seems to work because THERE IT STILL IS) and it's nearly 25 here today.

I am a wuss. That's what it comes down to. Really.

Homestead said...

Honestly.... when it gets below about -10 you should just stop counting.... damn cold is damn cold. Although I do like how still it is and how little sounds really carry when it is cold. One year when we were little kids it got down to -70 (before wind chill)or something insane like that.... we were FIGHTING over who got to go do chores.... anything to get out of the house and away from each other.... cabin fever sucks.

Oh, and my tip of the day.... put a layer of vaseline on your cheeks.... it insulates and keeps them from freezing.

Homestead said...

We just had a cold-snap. It is back up to 25F now... no problem.

It is funny how quickly you get acclimatized (sp?) to the cold. I went out on Saturday in high 20's weather without a coat on....

I've heard stories of my great-grandpa and pitching hay with t-shirts on in below-freezing weather and I've heard similar things about men working at the south pole shoveling snow with no shirts.