How cold is it?

So many of my Northern California friends ask me…

"Dude... can you like tell the difference between -2 and -25 degrees or is it just… cold?"
Wait a second...
That guy is not from Northern California. Where are the dreads? Where is the tie dye?
Where is the groovy dancing and topless tree sitting protesters?
He is one of those Southern California boys...
hang on lets see if I can dig up some pictures of my peeps....

Ahhh that is much better. That's more like it.

So back to the question of coldness.

The answer is… Yes you can tell. Just like one can tell the difference between 100 and 110 degrees. It is just the same on the other end of the thermometer.

Let's do a little role-play shall we? Imagine the thermometer says it is -20 degrees outside with a touch of a breeze and for some odd reason you want to go outside.

What-ev-er. Foolish mortal.

Anyway, this is how it breaks down. You go to the door, suit up, and the first thing you notice it that there is ice on the inside of the window and on the door strike panel. Remember, this is INSIDE the house.

Then you open the door and all you can see is a steam/fog like cloud that swirls in front of you as the heat from the house meets the cold air outside. It is like opening a big freezer door. Well, that is because you are walking into a freezer, well actually you are walking out to a freezer but even colder because most people keep the freezer compartment on their fridge somewhere between 0 and 28 degrees and remember I said it is -20 outside.

Anyway, you step through that cloud and shut the door behind you. The blue cold reaches out and immediately the hits you in the face. It is like a wave of water and the shock forces you to gasp pulling that air deeply into your lungs. The air is amazingly fresh but the cold makes your lungs feel almost like there is a bit of smoke in the air so you cough. Now, if you were smart you are wearing about 3 layers of clothes, including a couple sets of gloves or maybe one really good pair of mittens.

The most important stuff to keep warm?
Head, hands, feet. Remember that.

If any of the above noted body parts get cold while you are outside, trying to get them warm again while you are still outside in this kind of cold is not going to happen.

My head is a big one… well, I did not mean to say I have a big head, I meant to say it was a big lesson for me to learn that I need to cover my head when I go outside. Well, actually I do have a big head but that's another story. I was never much for hats but that has changed. If you are cold, cover your head… and do not forget your ears. You see you can still cover your head and your ears might be sticking out, like with a baseball cap. If your ears are not covered it only takes a minute or so for them to hurt.

Note I did not say for them to be cold…
I said for them to HURT.
If you stay out for say… for 15 minutes or so like that your ears might just freeze.

No.. seriously… they will freeze, turn black, and fall off.

*Plink* *Plink*
Right onto the icy ground and man would that would be a drag.
Just ask this guy:

Well... he had other issues too.

Anyway, we actually had a winter storm warning based on the coldness of the temperature and wind chill. The weather channel folks warned us all that with a temperature of -20 below zero with a windchill of -30 or more it would only take about 15 minutes outside unprotected for some individuals to suffer frostbite injury.

Back to the dream sequence. This kind of cold will also make your teeth hurt, especially if you have bugs bunny teeth like me. You may try to close your mouth but with trudging through the snow with all those layers on like the abominable snowperson you tend to breathe a bit heavier than normal. You have to open your mouth to breath. Then comes the next problem. Any moisture on your skin starts to burn. Burn cold, not burn hot. If you lick your lips, or if your nose runs... and trust me your nose will run… it always runs. You get used to it.... but even your eyes get cold because of moisture. They get kinda squinty.

Geez, I am sure painting a nice picture of myself in the winter time. Big headed, bunny teeth, no ears, runny nose, squinty eyed, abominable snow-woman mouth breather. Attractive.

Anyway, after a few days like this, when -2 comes along or wowee even 15 above zero… you start feeling pretty good outside… maybe you just put on two layers, or you might just stay outside a bit longer. Maybe a whole 20 minutes.

Well... maybe not quite like that. That is Tahoe kinda cold not yooper kinda cold.

Just like being careful in 110 degree weather, you have to be careful here too. You must keep your thoughts in order and be aware of the amount of time you are outside, or if you are having any unusual thoughts. No laying down to sleep in the snow when your brain says, "Hey! I have an idea! Lets nap right here on the ground, it is so nice and quiet and the snow looks so fluffy." Or if you notice a body part hurting because of the cold, and then it suddenly no longer hurts… if you are still outside it is time to go in. Now. It doesn't mean you are acclimated, it means that body part is freezing. You just don't know it yet because it passed through the pain stage and into numbness.

For example, I was shoveling snow outside the post office and I did not have a hat on because I was not planning on being out there long. And while I was shoveling at first my ears hurt a bit… then I started noticing how beautiful it was, and crisp, and it felt so good to be outside, and the air was so fresh, and I will just shovel a little more, and my ears don't even hurt any more, and this is great, this is gorgeous, finally some exercise, and this is wonderful, and I feel so good, and the sun is out... and and and… then I thought, "Wait a minute. Something is not right here." So I picked up my shovel and went inside… and then winced for my little ears as they slowly and thankfully defrosted.

Don't let me scare you off of this experience though folks. Just like those pictures of snowflakes you have seen taken with a microscopic lens, this kind of cold crystallizes everything.

When the weather is like this the ground, the trees, the sky… everything sparkles, everything is sharp, crisp, clean, quiet, and glassy.

I could see how people with the right protection start to really enjoy this kind of weather,
it really is very pretty.

So if you ever get a chance to check out some below zero weather... go on out the door and check it out at least once. Then you can retreat back into the cozy house and put your toes up by the fire.

A partridge in a pear tree and a quick dance around the Tor!

With the cold snap finished (at least for now) it warmed up a bit and the snow has started.

I took this picture while standing on the lake. (It was close to -20 degrees.)

and then turned around and took this one:

It is really so pretty to watch the snow fall and it sparkles when the light hits it just right. I told my Mom that it is like watching glitter float through the air. It seems you can almost see the each individual flake when you look close enough.

We have finished the master bathroom paint (yippee) and we really like it. No longer looking like a crime scene it actually makes the room quite warm looking which was my intention. The kitchen is next. I am actually standing in the kitchen taking these photos so you can see the primered walls and unpainted trim that is next on the work agenda.

I have also been faithfully living up to my reputation as Egg Lady and have been baking etc ., so I have been keeping the neighbor’s chickens on their toes…

or I say.. I say... should I say on their bottoms.

Anyway, we are tucked in quite nicely and enjoying the holiday season even though we do miss the folks back home.

The little tree David cut for me… the one Delta left… has a bundle of presents underneath and we have also received many pretty cards updating us on friends and family. I can not wait for Christmas morning so that we can open them all!

I must admit that we have already opened a couple of presents. When they arrived we knew immediately one was Heidi’s wonderful Fruit Cake. Heidi is David’s brother Keith’s wife. (Phew that’s a mouthful.) Anyway, the fruit cake is amazing. I was never one for fruitcake but I had never tasted THIS one. It is truly fantastic and Heidi has sent us one every year for the past few years and I can not tell you how much we look forward to it! The rumor I heard was that she made close to 30 cakes this year!?!? Wow… thanks Heidi for all the hard work! As I work in the Post Office I noticed that three made it here to the U.P. So… well... David and I sure enjoyed all three! Just kidding! They made it to where they were supposed to go. Thanks again!

The other package we opened early was from Vashon Island… David’s brother Terry lives there with his wife Judith and their son Zach. The box had ‘perishable’ stamped on it so when I brought it home from the post office I wondered aloud to David what he thought it might be.

He said pears.

Oh…. I thought… Well that is very nice… some good pears would be a tasty treat. (I believe I may have mentioned the whole fresh fruit and vegetable issues here in the Midwest once or twice) I had once lived in Washington and mentioned just in an offhand manner that I was surprised it was not apples since Washington is famous for their apples and that I had not realized Washington was also noted for its pears... but that made sense I suppose being an orchard type fruit.

Then we opened the box.

First, David reached in and took out a BIG envelope full of flower seeds. Mystery seeds (I am guessing some sunflowers maybe) and I am so excited to get them into my garden and how fun to get to wait and see what they are until they come up. I love to garden and I told David how very thoughtful that was.

Second, David pulled out two Fran's chocolate bars…

We both are chocolate fiends and we both know all about Fran's chocolates. (You MUST try them when you find them by the way) David immediately clutched the bars close to his chest and said, "We will share these… Ok? "(a touch of panic setting into his eyes) Let me explain this chocolate hoarding behavior, of course it has nothing to do with shall we say... me eating it.

My explanation instead is this: When goodies come into the house you can immediately tell the birth order difference between us. He is he youngest of five so while I am sure he always got his share, sometimes he probably had to wait for the older kids to go first so he would get a bit anxious about the goodies disappearing before he got his turn. (I am also sure he probably had his turns with going first, and he never went without but that has not dissuaded his anxieties) In my immediate family I am the oldest of three girls... so of course, I am not at all convinced why I should not get to choose goodies first… and I was never stressed out that I will not get my turn.. oh yes.... I will get my turn.... Heh heh.

Anyway back to the Vashon box…

Third, David pulled the wrapping back a little further, reached in, and out comes a pear. Well, my mind at first told me it was a pear since that was what we were talking about… but wait a second…. ::Blink Blink:: This 'pear' was a lovely dark emerald greenish black color… and the skin was rather bumpy!

::Cue the heavenly music::

Criminy!!!!

It’s not a pear, it is an AVOCADO!
Not just one, but MANY avocados!

Forget this sharing business!!! I used some of my ex-DPO/oldest sister moves on David to knock him out of the way and dislodge the avocados from his hands just as quickly as he had grabbed the chocolate.

Before you could blink an eye, into the bowl a few of the luckiest avocados went and after MAYBE 5 minutes…

Voila’!
CHRISTMAS ROCK-N-ROLLEE GUACAMOLE!!

These lovely fruits lasted a whole three days… All of them were perfect and ready to eat. We ate them smashed, sliced, and cubed and enjoyed every last cool creamy bite. What a wonderful gift Terry, Judith, and Zach! Thank you very very much!

Well, David just took off with Delta on the snowmobile to ride around on this northern side of the lake. Kinda scary to me. I am sitting here next to the fire with Cosmo the Magnificent thinking of everyone back home and how I miss you all. Really.

So... please everyone have a safe and happy holiday and an even better New Year!

and so as not to disappoint my dirt worshiping, heathen, tree hugging, hippy, Redwood Tree Sitting, Druid friends from Northern California out there... (and apparently not just in California)... us folks in the U.P. did not forget you!

Happy Winter Solstice!

There is always time for a quick bonfire, a burning of the Yule Log, and the obligatory dance around the Tor to celebrate the shortest day of the year!
(Yes folks, I realize it was on the 21st, a few days ago)

You wonder what my Christmas - Winter Solstice wish is?

Can't we all just get along?

* May There Be Peace On Earth *