I’ve noticed something recently. Anytime someone talks about how cold it is, how much snow there is or whatever, it seems someone has to try and “one up” that statement with something worse they are dealing with. Using the energy to try and one up each other is a waste for me, I need that energy to stay warm!
Well let me say this clearly. I don’t have enough energy or patience to compete. I just don’t. Maybe I could scrape some together though for a community of miserable folks. We can commiserate together.
This winter is horribly cold in the central part of the US. I’ve written about ways to endure the extreme cold temperatures. And I wrote more about digging in for bad weather.
The weather is enough to seriously make me wonder whether I could get a job in the tropics. I hate the cold. I have to wear multiple layers every day. It actually has been hurting to breathe some days. Yes, it was scary enough that I sought medical attention over it.
Still, I know some folks have it way worse than me. I have a well built, well-insulated house. I can afford to pay for the heat (even if this knocks my budget out of whack). And I try to keep a sense of humor sharing silly selfies of me in my Fargo hat, I have shared a couple of cold weather recipes (check out the rumchata snowcreme recipe I did for Carries blog!), I use “kill overwintering bugs” as a mantra and more.
My brother says the fence is 3 ft. tall, so the back one is about 1 ft. tall and 2 ft. long. They probably would have kept going, if not for the fence.
I am still reeling from the fact that the temperatures friends in Winnipeg have had to deal with are similar to the temps on Mars, a planet that is not suitable for human life.
My brother (and lots of other folks who raise livestock) is braving the cold a few times a day to check animals in the barn, get them water & food etc. And after living in Ohio for decades, he learned what a snowroller is cause the word suddenly popped up as did some rollers!
Have you heard of these? There have to be a series of things to happen and then nature makes its own snowballs but they look more like a jelly roll.
Some farmers are sharing selfies they are tagging as #felfies so folks can see what it is like. This one of Mike Haley in Ohio made me laugh cause you just have to think he was so cold he couldn’t care about getting another snap in that cold. He was leading cows to a pasture that would offer more wind protection.
And the temps in the south have plunged yet again. My dear friend Marjory who had to deal with frozen pipes a couple of weeks ago & the cleanup & new insulation, etc that goes with the knowledge that can happen is once again dealing with it. Thank goodness I don’t have photos on this one!
And another friend Anna Leigh Peak is in Atlanta. Her photos in my Instagram feed scared me! It was too close to memories of snowmaggedon I faced in Atlanta a few years ago! A city that size doesn’t want to spend lots of money for snow plows that most years are unneeded. And I can just say, that’s why Southerners think they should simply stay home when snow or ice hit!
I say all of this to say I feel no need to compete with anyone about who has it worse (and let me add, the drought in the West is a major problem too). We can’t do much about the crappy weather other than try to stay warm.
If misery loves company, this winter is creating one hell of a community! Who do you know that should be a member? Any especially good story to share?
Scary one last night – only partly shared on Facebook. Friend’s daughter had a massive spike in blood sugar. Rushed to the hospital, she had to be flown to a children’s hospital in Birmingham last night. The ice had shut down much so her parents couldn’t get down there until today. What a horrible feeling to not know if a child will live or die and unable to be there.And God bless the pilots making those flights. It suddenly made frozen water bottles and trying to keep enough wood for heating very small. Blog pending on it.
Wow Jan. That is truly miserable! And certainly puts things in perspective. Will keep the family in my thoughts. Have you gotten word on how she’s doing?
And we in Northern California are having days of 70 degrees and sun. But of course (before today) it hadn’t rained in 48 days which means we are in a drought.
You guys all live too far south. All that ice is not for me. We’re cold enough that when it precipitates at least it is something you can push out of the way. Us folks up north just endure snow and cold, keep your ice.
Kind of a pick your poison, I suppose. We get more ice in Missouri, but you usually get colder temps for longer periods and oodles more snow (as I’ve recently seen on your blog). I’m for the tropical transplant idea!
But I am in St Louis, Missouri! This has just been a really weird year.
Winter is upon us and its times like these we feel like moving to Queensland. Hypothetically it seems that it would be more cost effective to do considering the propensity to spend more on rainy days where food warms and comforts the soul while playing games and watching movies on a big screen.
If you are lucky enough to have an open fire and a view of green mountains and pines from your window then perhaps this doesn’t apply to you. What does winter mean for most people? We can be romantic and imagine fluffy snow covered leafless trees and white blanketed gardens.
We can envisage toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate sitting round the fire chatting with family, friends or lovers. But really at the end of the day winter is……. slushy, dirty deep puddled side walks, discourteous drivers in a hurry to beat the queue at the traffic lights. Rushing round shops stocking up large because the weather has been forecast freezing and wet for the whole week. Getting home wet and rattled. About to sit down to a hot chocolate when all of sudden realising there are chores to be done. Having conquered that antagonising guilt laden task about to settle into reading some informative literature when another nagging thought enters and reminds you that this weather is good for going through old paper work and culling.
Try as you might to push that thought aside, it re-enters prodding and nagging what better time to do something boring that you never do when the sun is shining. So the book cast aside once again and on to the laboriously challenging task of getting life in order and preparing for lovely winter ordeal tax returns!
All of a sudden a distraction presents itself in the form of a text message and an email following that from a dear relative who has come down with the flu and can barely open her mouth to swallow the chicken and corn soup dropped off by a friend. Florence Nightingale personified you drop everything you’re doing and ring the rellie who is very apologetic for interrupting your otherwise productive weekend with tales of ailments that you have yet to bear. O the tragedy and calamity of it all. The only solution is to take up arms and battle through the city to visit and care for the helpless waif on the end of the phone.
Any thoughts of time better spent evaporate in an instant. After tending to the needs of the suffering on returning home you need more petrol because you’re considering driving to the coast for a break from the weather and from sitting indoors stuffing your face to feel better while waiting for the sun to return.
But you know this isn’t a good plan and you will only return to the bleak, grey, teaming weather. So you put the brakes on and resign yourself to trying to think positively about the weather and winter again. So what were those reasons again?
The sound of rain on the roof.
Knowing you wont put on weight because when the stocks are consumed it will still be raining and cold so you can’t leave the house.
There’s bound to be heaps of tv and movies to catch up on.
Winter is only 3 to 4 months a year.
You don’t have to put on sunblock or fake tan.
From Canberra Australia.
This is an interesting comment! Do you by chance have a blog?
I’m with you, Janice! I plan to be a snowbird and fly south for the winter–far south!
Oh — I’m glad to have found your blog. You are a hilarious and talented writer!
Yes, misery loves company and I think weather is something we can all just yack over – especially those of us whose lives it affects in such a critical manner (ie – our livelihood depends on rain etc!)
Truth be told, there have been days where it is marked we live in a place where we have graced the charts on more than one day of the top five coldest places on earth – but I love it – I love four solid seasons. It makes life more adventurous.
Looking forward to reading more. 🙂
Thanks Cheyenne! I’ve never been to Alberta but Shaun Haney keeps trying to get me there! I truly hate winter though I do love how incredible the spring feels after it. I could enjoy spring without that burst of excitement though. LOL! I look forward to reading more and will add you to the list of farm blogs I check out if you don’t mind.