“It’s snot.”
“Gross! That is seriously stuck all under your nose and down
the side of your cheek.” George cringed. “Did you consider wiping your nose
before that happened?”
I stuck my coat sleeve in his face. “I have been. But it’s
so cold it freezes instantly.”
Yes, the whole thing is disgusting. But I have a cold and
outdoor chores don’t wait for you to be healthy. Our temperatures haven’t risen
above zero in five days, and as we carried in wood it was minus 25.
Unless we have a fever or serious flu neither of us let the
outside work go undone. In snow country that is
a recipe for disaster. The decks must be
kept shoveled to keep the snow load from building up too much weight (and
shoveling six inches of snow is much easier on my creaky shoulder and cranky
knee than shoveling two feet). And while our house is designed to let snow
slide off the roof, one side of the barn doesn’t slide so occasionally it too
must be shoveled. We also must shovel snow off utility trailers to keep weight
from flattening tires or collapsing roofs.
When temperatures are this extreme we keep both wood stoves
burning. We also must run the furnace (which has a vent in the garage) to
prevent freezing of the well pipes that enter the house through the garage. George
spends time each day making the rounds of every room in every building checking
the floor and ceiling temps using a laser-light thermometer. You never assume
because it’s 40 degrees halfway up the garage wall, that it is the same
temperature in the back corner floor where the water pipes enter the
house. Last fall we spent a day
insulating the outside walls of the garage. We also have a second means of heat
near the water pipe entry point.
A frozen water line or well pump is serious business in
winter. In cold climates you prevent
first, and keep upgrading those preventions. If you react instead you are
going to pay dearly both figuratively and literally.
Extended periods of extreme cold also increase fire
danger. Whether electric, gas or wood,
you are over utilizing every means of keeping your home warm. George checks all breakers, cords, and
outlets to be sure none are overheating.
The house also takes on a different personality. Doors don’t
close properly, or at all. The rock floor by the front door moves upward and
the door only opens halfway. The
concrete driveway also surges up and creates a huge bump to ascend as you drive
out. Walls pop and the ceiling creaks at
night, making me wonder if someone else is in the house. Simply walking across the room creates
bizarre noises.
Obviously, being outside for extended periods is extremely
dangerous. All skin must be kept covered.
I’ve had minor frostbite and even that is something your skin never fully recovers
from. The only advantage to extreme cold
is it can ‘freeze’ your vocal cords, giving you laryngitis. You’d call this an
advantage too if you’d spent a week cooped up inside listening to one of your kids with diarrhea
of the mouth. (We didn’t know this to be true until Billie got laryngitis from
constantly talking while we watched for wolves on a minus ten degree day in
Yellowstone.)
Next time you’re stuck inside in sub-zero weather and want
24 hours of peace and quiet, take your guests outdoors and ask them to tell you
their life story. (You're welcome.)
The forecast says we only have three more days of this
bitter cold. Maybe by then the snot will
unfreeze on my cheek, because whatever that stuff is made of, once it freezes
it doesn’t really unthaw…you just chisel it off your face.
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