Every day for the last three weeks, I have woken up thinking … it’s got to be warmer this morning. I make my way to the thermometer that reads the outside temp and gasp or groan out loud at the reality of negative double digits staring back at me. Maybe it’s so cold the numbers are frozen inside the thermometer.
Nothing likes to work when it’s this cold. 4-wheelers don’t stand a chance, cars need to be plugged in or kept in a hangar and even snow machines have been breaking down left and right. Praise the Lord, Jon and I have not have any house issues and it’s been toasty warm in our cabin. Most people have experienced frozen pipes, misfiring furnaces, a backed up sewer system and the list goes on. The amount of time it takes to keep “life” going in cold weather is something you city-folk just can’t comprehend. Word on the street is that it hasn’t gotten warmer than -8 since December 26th. Besides one day when it blew 60 mph and went from -15 to +38 in only a few hours. Stayed nice one afternoon and shot back down to -25. Freak. That’s been the average these days, settling in nicely at -20-ish.
But you get used to it after a while… like a screaming child, you kind of tune it out and move on with life.
I can’t handle staying in doors for long, no mater what the temp. The days have been clear, “sunny” and beckoning me out. And when my transportation options are legs, skis or a bike, commuting anywhere in sub-zero temps gets… interesting. The science behind the layers of clothing, thickness of socks, face coverage, beaver hat vs. wool hat and type of gloves becomes the most important decision I make in a day. Besides what to eat for breakfast.
Once I get moving, my body temp goes up and my breath increases which causes condensation to instantly freeze on my face, hat, scarf. Snot freezes either in or out of my nose. TMI? It’s easy to get overheated then chilled from the frigid air. Once you hit a warm house, you melt all over. Like a popsicle on a hot day. You can’t keep up with the dripping. Everything breaks loose…it’s a watery mess.
Today as I biked down the runway at -35, but wearing so much gear, I felt much like I was running uphill carrying an elephant. Winded. Quickly. I was picturing myself riding my bike in the summer wearing flip-flops, capris and a t-shirt, the sun beating down on me. Focus on summer, the one sunny day we had this summer. It helped for like 30 seconds.
There’s something I love about getting out despite the weather. Granted it’s just getting from one place to another around the village, but often it feels like I won an Olympic event.
With the days increasing, the sun is out in full force on the lake and you can definitely feel the warmth of the rays. Blessed sunshine. The sunsets are unreal and nothing beats the feeling of gliding alone on the vast lake… no matter the temp! I’ve enjoyed magic hour on the lake several times this past week.
Finding contentment in it is important, as it’s something I have no control over. Seek to be thankful about the weather every day. I am exceedingly grateful for bountiful firewood that creates a 109 degree difference from inside to outside the house. And for my skis that help me keep my sanity.
