Its Cold, But The Days Are Getting Longer

The days are getting longer, but the sun hasn't been coming out from behind the clouds much lately as the Polar Vortex dipped and extreme cold blanketed the region earlier this week. My brother, Ray, lives in Virginia and he's located in one of those pockets where there never seems to be any severe weather.

A while back I teased him about having to go hunt down his snow shovel because it looked like he was located in that band of a severe snowstorm along the East Coast. Oh no, he said, they only had about an inch of slush and it was already melting from his front walkway. So far he has not had to touch a shovel this winter. This 

This week he wanted to know how much snow I had. I had complained the week before that I had just gotten my cross-country ski path nice and the snow melted away  - completely. When I talked to him the next week I said the snow had returned and with small accumulations daily and it was getting deep enough for me to start skiing again. The only problem was, the wind arrived and created spots of nearly bare ground and drifts that were waist high where I like to ski. Now the winds have died down and there is enough snow for me to resume my cross country skiing. I don't enjoy walking when the snow gets ankle deep or deeper.

So, conditions have been less than ideal. When I see snow tornadoes moving across my trail, I pick a different route to avoid the wind chills. 

I cleared snow from the driveway Tuesday morning and the sun was out, turning the white crystals into blinding diamonds. It had warmed up to around zero at that point and I thought we may actually reach Tuesday's predicted high of nine degrees. Actually, it topped out at 10 degrees, although it still felt like 3-below according to the weather channel as another cold advisory was being issued. Very cold wind chills of 20 to 25 below were predicted until noon on Wednesday.

Taz, my little black Heinz-57 spaniel, was ready to go inside when I was done shoveling Tuesday morning, despite her boots to keep her paws from icing. At the office she has rubber balloon-type boots to protect from the rock salt placed on village sidewalks. She is wishing for  temps to climb back up into the teens, which she can handle. She also has a snowsuit to protect from the formation of snowballs between her legs and on her belly - to the point she can only waddle. The snowsuit keeps the snowballs from forming. However, the cold is keeping both of us from venturing too far afield, in case a boot comes off. Dog owners have to be careful to watch for frozen feet, which can nearly paralyze a dog.

People are even more susceptible and it's important to wear layers of  loose clothing to hold the heat to your core as well as a hat, mittens or gloves and good boots, to keep warm and keep extremities from frostbite. In the temperatures predicted for this week, frostbite and hypothermia are a real danger. It can happen within minutes. If you see someone exhibiting confusion, shivering, having difficulty speaking, is sleepy or has stiff muscles, it may be hypothermia. They need to get medical attention and warmth immediately.

Believe it or not, I saw someone wearing shoes, no socks, no hat, etcetera in these cold temperatures. They weren't counting on being out in the weather. I carry everything with me. It only took one trek with spaghetti-strap high heels and a skirt in six inches of snow. (That would never happen to me these days.) to make sure it never happened again. My car got stuck as I slowed for another driver who was fishtailing ahead of me. I lost momentum and my car couldn't make the hill. Not more than a quarter of a mile from home, I decided to hoof it. Hence, near frostbite and so cold I will never forget the misery. I have boots, socks, gloves, hats, extra coats in my car at all times in the winter. I carry them for Taz too, in case we have to get out and walk somewhere for help. (There are still many places with no cell service.)

Wind chill temperature is how cold it feels to humans and animals when they're outside. It is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. If the actual temperature is zero and the wind is blowing 15 miles per hour, the wind child is minus-19 degrees.

As we worked toward mid-week, the temperatures got  colder, Wednesday morning it was minus-18 and it said it felt like minus-18. Needless to say, people were staying out of the cold as much as possible and having some empathy for those who couldn't.

The Stamford Village crew was out working on a water main break for hours on Tuesday and they were still working there Wednesday morning. I don't want to know what it is like working with water in those temperatures.

Hopefully everyone makes it through this cold spell without too many maladies that come with extreme cold, such as vehicles not starting, frozen pipes or heating issues.

As I was writing this, my brother in Virginian texted me that our sister in Florida is struggling with the cold weather. Although not as extreme as it is here, they do not deal with the cold and don't have the heating systems to cope. If you think the cold is bad, I can't imagine those places that were in the middle of a blizzard Tuesday without any snowplows, such as Louisiana, portions of Texas   and other southern states.

So, be thankful for your snowsuit, ear flapped hats and warm scarves and mittens. We may not enjoy the frigid weather, but at least we can cope with it.  Before we know it, the robins will be bob-bob-bobbin along. IN the meantime, we simply have to endure a few more weeks of winter.