Shiver Me Timbers!
I write this with fingers that feel as if I have frozen fish sticks for digits and wearing enough layers of clothing that it is actually difficult to put my arms all the way down by my sides. And I’m sitting in my house.
This morning was ushered in with a brisk air temperature of 13 below zero and a wind chill that hovered around 40 below. I’m delighted to report it is now, at the ”hottest” point of the day, nine degrees below zero with a wind chill that is 31 below zero. We’re only going down from here folks.
I wish I could say that I’ve never seen it this cold in Montana, but that would just be a bald-faced lie. It gets this cold every winter. EVERY WINTER. It is the kind of cold that a person just cannot believe is really happening. I remember picking up my boss at the airport one January day. He was from Ohio, not exactly palm tree central, and as we drove by a bank that flashed a -42 reading, he asked if that could possibly be right. Then we had to drive by the bank again and park in front of the sign while he called friends and family back home to report this phenomenon.
But in Montana, it is not a phenomenon. It is just part of life up here.
I won’t tell you that this kind of cold is something everyone should experience, just once. Because it’s not. It’s terrible. It’s torturous. And if you’ve never been in this kind of cold, it’s really hard to imagine what it’s like. Your lungs actually hurt when you breathe outside. You can feel the air hit your innards with each breath. You feel your skin start to freeze up in a matter of seconds. Your fingers and toes turn stiff and hard with cold. You feel as if your hair might break right off. And, the sound that snow makes in these temperatures is this high-pitched squeakiness that sounds worse to me than fingernails on a blackboard.
And worst of all, it’s too damn cold to take the kids outside.
This morning, Brent was at work and so the boys and I did finger painting, decorated sugar cookies, played with fire trucks, read approximately 372 books, sang songs, played with our musical instruments and built with blocks. And that took us up to 10 a.m.
Hallelujah! The heat just came on. I feel like an addict waiting until I can push my morphine drip button again.
Oh, winter in Montana – what an evil, bleak time you are—with your approximately 17 minutes of full daylight, snow, wind, cold, and more dark, snow, wind, and cold. It's like living on Pluto. I’m not one for extravagance, but I totally get the second home thing -- a second home far away from Pluto and near Earth's equator. Because Florida and Hawaii are sounding pretty good right about now.
From now until March 31.
I write this with fingers that feel as if I have frozen fish sticks for digits and wearing enough layers of clothing that it is actually difficult to put my arms all the way down by my sides. And I’m sitting in my house.
This morning was ushered in with a brisk air temperature of 13 below zero and a wind chill that hovered around 40 below. I’m delighted to report it is now, at the ”hottest” point of the day, nine degrees below zero with a wind chill that is 31 below zero. We’re only going down from here folks.
I wish I could say that I’ve never seen it this cold in Montana, but that would just be a bald-faced lie. It gets this cold every winter. EVERY WINTER. It is the kind of cold that a person just cannot believe is really happening. I remember picking up my boss at the airport one January day. He was from Ohio, not exactly palm tree central, and as we drove by a bank that flashed a -42 reading, he asked if that could possibly be right. Then we had to drive by the bank again and park in front of the sign while he called friends and family back home to report this phenomenon.
But in Montana, it is not a phenomenon. It is just part of life up here.
I won’t tell you that this kind of cold is something everyone should experience, just once. Because it’s not. It’s terrible. It’s torturous. And if you’ve never been in this kind of cold, it’s really hard to imagine what it’s like. Your lungs actually hurt when you breathe outside. You can feel the air hit your innards with each breath. You feel your skin start to freeze up in a matter of seconds. Your fingers and toes turn stiff and hard with cold. You feel as if your hair might break right off. And, the sound that snow makes in these temperatures is this high-pitched squeakiness that sounds worse to me than fingernails on a blackboard.
And worst of all, it’s too damn cold to take the kids outside.
This morning, Brent was at work and so the boys and I did finger painting, decorated sugar cookies, played with fire trucks, read approximately 372 books, sang songs, played with our musical instruments and built with blocks. And that took us up to 10 a.m.
Hallelujah! The heat just came on. I feel like an addict waiting until I can push my morphine drip button again.
Oh, winter in Montana – what an evil, bleak time you are—with your approximately 17 minutes of full daylight, snow, wind, cold, and more dark, snow, wind, and cold. It's like living on Pluto. I’m not one for extravagance, but I totally get the second home thing -- a second home far away from Pluto and near Earth's equator. Because Florida and Hawaii are sounding pretty good right about now.
From now until March 31.
posted by Sara @ 3:19 PM
