How do you deal with the cold?

[Deberosa]

It's on my mind tonight - first snow here may be tomorrow. But in general I never have to deal with more than light frosts.

I hear of temps of 0 and below 0 and wonder how you all cope? How do you deal with animals you have and what tricks do you have to extend growing seasons?


When the two or three days where the high here does not get above freezing the chores increase astronomically, just in getting water to all of the critters. We think about other places to move to but I am not so sure about dealing with the cold, it's an unknown I guess.

Any tricks of the trade?

[DM]

Best thing i've found for the cold, is to put another log on the fire!! lol

When i lived in Alaska i saw -62F one time when i happen to be in Northway. I'm glad i didn't live there!...

On a side note, once it gets down to about -40 you don't notice much change to -60 lol lol

We had our coldest day of the winter here last night, it was +6 when i went to bed... That's cold even for here, and we have 3 or 4" of snow on the ground too...

It will be close to 40 on sunday... and that sounds a lot better to me!

DM

[Mac_Muz]

I don't have animals here now, but I worked at a B&B in Jackson NH called Nestlenook.

There I was Mr. Fixitall.

Just a small part of that job was animals, like 18 saddle horses, 4 draft horses, 40 chickens, 3 pigs, 20 turkeys. I had no other help for anything....

I also did repairs to older building like the Inn, the barn, ran the pool, taught x-c skiing, rented the skies, drove the sleighs and pungs, maintained the car, truck and jeep, and worked on a new house under construction, plus the several older cottages. In addition to that I maintained ski trails grooming them and working on both snowmobiles and their drags..

I even got to help in the kitchen on holidays. At times I had to do Killings needed to be done, in the case of one horse and several red squirrels. Once I had to get newly weds to stop the messin around in a bath tub as they has water pouring onto the butcher block below while X_mass cooking was already taking place.

SO...... You might say I was a little busy, just keeping wood loaded at the fireplaces..

Water? horse can put away water like no other animal in dead winta'. We commonly get -40 below around here, and it gets colder.

There was a spring thankfully, where I slammed a blue barrel in and sealed it. From there it ran over ground in black water pipe to old claw feet bath tubs which split paddock fences, and then ran out the drains to the next tub, and again and again, and so I never caried water, except once by hand.

That once was when a pung driver bumped that blue barrel off the mount because we had argued about his collecting trail lanterns and filling them, which I was just a bit to busy to do. In -40 on my day off I got called in and I had to dig up every last inch of that pipe and get it all thawed out. I got soaked, but on purpose, as that helped cut the wind..

So get water and lots of it free and run it all the time.

None of the horses came in at night during my stint. The stalls were all in need of a real good mucking out an I just didn't have time. I saw no need to make it worse and there were shelters in a paddocks.

I threw bales of hay from the loft down for all.... I would break the bales and throw the flakes all directions and when a horse claimed a flake I would add grain.

The greedy offenders also got pipe blocks mixed with grain which made it take longer to sort the grain, leaving slower eatters more time.

ALL other animals had water in the same way. I could feed all of these animals in less than 15 minutes per meal, so one days time in winter was only 30 minutes.

At that time I had my own horse at home. I did the same thing. In Bartless NH if you don't run water all winter you won't have any. I was on town water there, which still is gravity feed from the up in Bear Notch. I made ice monsters as my son called them and ran water over 150 feet to the barn trough, which was just another claw foot tub, and that drained into a red brick lined hole just outside the fence.

Same deal with hay too, but less time. I would throw out 1 bale, and on the ground cast a flake into the middle of the paddock, another under a leanto shed on the back of the barn and grain one.

The rest of the bale went on a hay box out of the horses reach, and so for 2 days I didn't need to climb to the loft.

That horse had another stall in the ban, but she never used it once. There was a date which closed off the tool area, and could close her in the stall, and I simply locked it so her stall was open, and left it to her to go there or not, and she never did.

I was busted by the state several times as people would complain, but upon inspection that 1 hourse had 2 shelters and who am I to force her to use it?

One time I felt bad and bought a really expensive horse blanket. I put that on her and she ripped it to bits in less time than you can shake a stick.

I had at that time 4 more draft horses to do the same thing with, so you should see I was a pretty busy boy, since all my other chores took more time.

Then at all place I plowed snow, when that was needed. Sometimes I had to be called to drive a tour bus up out from Nestlenook. The drivers feared the road on the way out which was steep and sharp in corners. I just drove like I was going to hell and it worked..

At places like that, there is always the unexpected on a day to day basis.

[bookwormom]

how was the pay at that place? you sure were busy alright Mac Muz, hope they appreciated you.

at home we had a spring that ran all the time year round. sure wish I had something like that.
we have a well and water is a problem in winter. Husband takes an ax and chops the ice on the pond and rakes it out.
We have to come up with something to keep it freezing in the water troughs, one of those electric things i guess. I hate carrying water buckets in the freezing cold. as for me personally, dress for the occasion, keep my head covered and wear warm socks. I like cold weather, except for watering the animals and getting out of bed in the morning, our bedroom has no heat.

[Mac_Muz]

Book why does the bed room have no heat? Get a few alladin lamps and live a little. Hell is cold enough...

It has been in the teens here all day, so I know a bit about cold. I dress for it too, but try to not be over dressed.

When I think back to the day that barrel got bumped off the mount it still pisses me off, as that was done on purpose.

The pay wasn't great there either, but when i do something, no matter what I do my best. The work was easy,to me anyway, but dealing with the owners as they traipsed thru divorce was the hell there. One would tell me go work on the new house, while the other would tell me go do something else.

I recall being up a ladder in January and not knowing I cut myself with a razor knife until the female owner came to get me to do something else, and she made a big deal about the blood mess on ceader clapords'

I can't say for sure if this would work but it might be cheaper, perhaps cheap enough to play with and fail.... if it doesn't work.

Around here down ta' Lake Winnipesaukee they got some big enough boats hauling them in winta' isn't much of an option. I would assume they want to keep abrasive ice off the hulls as cheap as they can...

What I see is air bubbles rising from a hose attached to the keels.

So one thing to try is a fish tank pump and add one of the stones to create really small bubbles.. Circulation helps, so a pipe manifold might help.

That might take one of the valves for setting up more things in a fish tank, so you could have the bubble stone alone to bubble like mad, and then have another contained in tubing that would ram water. This second one would be low in the tank, and inside a pipe more or less moving up hill.. A few rocks and plastic ties could hold it down.

If I were you I might find safe paint and paint the inside black, and the outside for that matter.

Then cover the most of the tank at the top right on the water with a smaller drinking hole.

That might help.

All that prevented my tubs from freezing was water movement, and it was as I said -40 below commonly and colder less commonly.

So cold as I have ever seen by way of radio from Pinkham Notch as I was told was -96 with wind chill added.

That day I was called at gray knob am Randolf Mt Club cabin (Randolf Mt Club is a sister to the AMC) I was to go to the Mad Hut (AMC Madison Hut) to check on lost/stranded hikers, since I was the closest help.

There was a guest more han pleased to go with me so we went. On the way I was called agin about my progress since the winds were near 100 MPH.

At Thunder Storm Jct in white out I walked slam bam into a real ice blocl iggloo that was NOT there the day before!

We went inside, and the guest used my old Minolta to take my picture. In that my face shows the cold.. My face appears swolen where the goggels and the baclava didn't cover flesh.

I got more pics to, which are all on slides.... These are very different pics. To this day I don't know what to make of the markings inside carved into the ice blocks.

More over I had been there at that spot the day before at sundown apx 4:15ish and I saw no one.

Some of the carvings were a backwards 3 and a equal triangle as the sumit stone has/had.. Others looked like numbers sort of, and maybe had the look of East Indian writtings.

We rested and went on.. We made the mad hut and found no one, where I called Pinkham, and told them about that iggloo, then we went back to the iggloo and then back to gray knob.. Coldest day in my life so far..

[AlchemyAcres]

I think a lot of it is Psychological.....
I've always been fairly tolerant of temperature extremes, that helps!
I never ever look at the thermometer fisrt thing in the morning.
I think that makes a world of difference.....I work out in the cold all the time.
Last February I stood out on ice with my bare feet talking to my neighbor for 20 minutes....LOL
A few days later another neighbor told me that the consensus throughout the neighborhood is that I'm crazy! No big surprise there....LOL


~Martin ;)

[MadTripper]

I haven't set it up yet however I plan on placing my chicken waterer on a cinder block with a low wattage bulb inside the block. *That should keep the bottom end free since it is in the coop and out of the wind.

As far as my body goes, I'm a big fan of layers except socks. *I have some LaCrosse boots with 1600 grams of thinsulate, I strongly believe that duofold long underwear are the best buy and last for years. *When I went out this morning, I had an undershirt, long underwear shirt, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and jacket. *The lower end had long underwear and a set of flannel carhardts.

I'm a big fan of name brand items when it comes to utility clothes. *The price is usually a bit higher but they seem to last and work longer than other buys. *Keeping busy makes a huge difference as well. *I was cold when I was hunting this morning but only when I sat waiting. *When I took a break and cut some wood, I was drenched with sweat. *No problems though cause I had layers to remove until I got to the right spot.

Most animals handle themselves from what I've seen.


Tripper

[Mac_Muz]

Me too MT, I like the cotton wool blend of duofold... I seem to be allergic to poly pro some, the anklet and wrist cuffs drive my skin nuts. I buy that stuff cheap from wickers, and then end up giving it away.

I am pretty good to go in just the top, amd bottom with jeans for in general out door doins and or thicker wool pamnts if I won't be moving much, like working in the driveway on the snow plow after i busted it up.

It is hard to find wool shirts at working costs. There is no way I will pay 40 bucks and up for a work shirt I am going to greasy, fill the fibers with wood chips and burn holes in.

I will wear a wool mil sweater as a beater, and depending a old down vest usually left open and my Balmora.

For more or less in general work I got duckie boots like LL Beaners. If I will be out in more serious cold I have lined boots made for wet.

I have other boots for hiking from leather to plastic. The plastic one are made for spikes (crampons) Last time I used that word I was accused of being rather odd..

My wife has wicked big feet, so she just wears snow shoes! ;D

[gardenfay]

Well, in my case you are talking about a 48 year old woman who lived almost 30 years in Oklahoma - not very cold - and then the last 18 has lived in SW Colorado (8 years). NW Minnesota (1 1/2), and Montana (8 1/2); anyway, the point is that these last 18 years have been in quite a bit colder climate than Oklahoma.
how do I deal with the cold?
Well, first I'll say that in Sw CO and this part of MT, the cold is so much drier than it is in lots of places that it doesn't seem near as cold. Second, most of the time here it hardly ever is real cold and windy at the same time or I think it would be so much worse; so you find yourself thankful for stuff like that.
I agree with so much that has already been said like - your attitude towards it (in my case, I sometimes remind myself what the worse days in OK felt like, so hot and humid and I remind myself that we have so few critters comparatively - like no fleas, no cockroaches, nearly no ticks, etc. etc. ) and layering is essential - thats already been discussed.
I would also like to add a few thoughts.
When I water animals, I make sure and use containers that you can dump ice out of easily, and also just give them enough for a good drink. Then the next time you water, you can just pour some water on top of the ice and not have to dump ice every time you water.
Doghouses and chicken houses - the smaller the better in my opinion. They can stay warm if you give them a chance.

I never had electricity to my henhouse; always figured I'd manage to burn it down. And I never lost a hen; had one old rooster lose a small amount of his comb to frostbite; but that is all and I had a number of -30 to-40 nights. I have bermed up snow around the animals houses and around our house when we had it available and I knew we were in for some real cold.
You also have more of a need to go prepared - even in your vehicle. have some emergency supplies along, etc.
But looks like I better get ready for it this year. We have already had a -19 three nights ago; but the cold just lasted about 3 days and now it is 40, heat wave! hehe
My b-in-law used to tease me when he would see me in the winter in CO run out to get an armload of wood in shorts and my Sorel packs; but Martin, barefoot on the ice, that hurts me to think about. yowsah!

[gardenfay]

Oh, I wanted to add something about keeping my hens warm; one is that D. insulated their henhouse and then I did something I had read about. Starting in late summer I'd put alot of loose bedding on the floor (usually a combo of straw, dry leaves, and dry grass). Anyway, you stir it and let it and the manure build up and if you do it right; you don't have too much ammonia smell; but you get a little heat from it. Works well.

[Deberosa]

Oh, I wanted to add something about keeping my hens warm; one is that D. insulated their henhouse and then I did something I had read about. *Starting in late summer I'd put alot of loose bedding on the floor (usually a combo of straw, dry leaves, and dry grass). *Anyway, you stir it and let it and the manure build up and if you do it right; you don't have too much ammonia smell; but you get a little heat from it. *Works well.

This sure does work and it reduces the number of times you need to muck out the hen house. This spring I'll get the partially composted litter out of the house - it's amost 2 ft deep in places like under the roosts!

[Backwoods_Bob]

How do you deal with the cold?
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/animals/P1050102.jpg

Throw another log on the fire! :D

...Just make sure you have a full wood shed before winter hits -

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/P3200184.jpg

Otherwise when it looks like this you'll freeze!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/P2230071-2.jpg

If you look real close in the top picture you can see a bunch of five gallon buckets next to the wood stove.
One bucket has a strainer lined with a red bandana on top. This bucket contains our water supply.

The other buckets contain snow and ice. When melted, we pour the water through the strainer to filter out the pine needles and such.

The stainless steel pots on top of the stove ( barley visible ) contain our supply of warm water.

Since we are off grid and don't have running water there is none of this nonsense about leaving water to run all the time ( what a waste! ) or electric stock tank heaters.

Our animals learn to drink when we bring them water, or wait till the next day!
The horses can bust through a half inch of ice to get at the water, but the goats will not.

We take the old water buckets inside our cottage and thaw 'em out, so we can refill them with the liquid kind and bring 'em out the next day.

We use standard quart size water bottles in the rabbit hutches. We take them in at night, refill them in the morning when they have thawed and bring them out when we do the mornings feed routine.

To get in and out of our homestead we rely on this beast -
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/P1010011.jpg

But sometimes you just run out of room to push the snow, and we have park the car at the bottom of the mountain ( or leave it where it's stuck till spring ) and snowshoe up like this -
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o320/etdbob/P1010049.jpg

So we always make sure to be fully stocked for the winter in case we can't get out at all.

[Mac_Muz]

LOL Bob. looks just like that here today. 18"+ as it is still comin on.. Yer truck is prettier than mine, but mines easier to fix in full blown mil camo...

4th body re-build and I got tired of fixin 'silver paint with clear coat.

I got 3 pair of snow shoes and my wife has 2. Fun ain't it?

That bare foot thing AA, Don't be pullin that off 'round here.. You will pick up the toes and hand carry the little buggers in a few hours time.

It is snowin so it ain't cold... It never snows in cold.. The cold comes later in NH.

[Backwoods_Bob]

Heh, I've actually rolled that truck MM, it just looks good from that angle. ;)

Yep, it's warm when it snows, you got that right.
Bad thing is, it got to warm today and now it's raining.
Now we're gonna have 18" of slush.
Man, I hate that. *

Ment to add - Yes, snowshoeing is fun!
I secretly love it when we get snowed in all winter.

I get out before dawn and snowshoe down, sometimes only 1/2 mile to where I left the car. The world is very beautiful and the brisk air wakes me right up.

The trip back home up the mountain at night isn't as much fun, but oh well, some folk run in circles to stay in shape! Not us! 8)

[Mac_Muz]

I made paper patterns from the so called manilla folders to cut from 4'x4 flat steel sheet patches as needed for my truck, car too. I did that for years and tried to match base coat clear coat to old aged paint.

Finally I got smart and used camo paint. You can beat up pannels and fix them and there ain't no hardship at all adding more camo paint.

I get some strange comments on the paint, but not many people are willing to cut me off in traffic...

Sun came out here today and made the snow heavy... I broke a plow foot in halve.. Seems odd, usually I just loose them. What happens on dirt when I don't use them to hold the blade up a little but is I pick up gravel and beat it off the windshield.

I can't wait for the ice to build up so the plowin is smooth and faster..

A buddy called me out today as his truck went down already.. Not good 2nd storm and his truck is down. I no longer plow for general hire, the gas it too steep for what folks will pay and I don't wanna hear it.

Sick of fixing busted stuff for cheap too... Couple years ago I removed all the splines on the transfer case to ft punkin forward shaft and that was steep bucks, and I had no choice but to do it stuck in a snow bank. It gets old..

I run currently pretty smooth studded tires on all 4 so they slip on purpose. Lost to many axels..

I wish there was a place under the names here to put a rough location... Every one says "here" and I have no idea in most cases where "here" is. That's why I usually add NH some where in my post..

Sometimes in a pic I can get an idea by the trees, but some trees can be anyplace in a north country setting. You appear to be in lots of Spruce, but that could be maine to Washington state with a heck of a lotta states in the middle...

[ryanmercer]

Mac you can always click their name, and if they put their location in the profile you can see it there :)

[Mac_Muz]

many don't, but I can wish... be nice if it was out plain.. I suppose there are some with privacy concerns, but a rough idea doesn't seem so dangerous to me.. But then I will give nearly anyone directions to my door.

I don't see the internet as any more dangerous than a library. Sure there's cooks in the library too. I'm probably one of them.

[AlchemyAcres]

But then I will give nearly anyone directions to my door.

I don't see the internet as any more dangerous than a library. Sure there's cooks in the library too. I'm probably one of them.

I used to feel that way...but now I know that's a VERY BAD IDEA....I've been stalked by some whackos (3 to be exact)....
It's good to be cautious!


~Martin :)

[ryanmercer]

many don't, but I can wish... be nice if it was out plain.. I suppose there are some with privacy concerns, but a rough idea doesn't seem so dangerous to me.. But then I will give nearly anyone directions to my door.

I don't see the internet as any more dangerous than a library. Sure there's cooks in the library too. I'm probably one of them.

I'm an internet celebrity, I don't really have much privacy, and honestly I don't really care either hahaha :) I'm like you, people ask where I live on irc and I give them the gps coordinates for my front door.

[machinemaker]

This morning I pulled out the Carhard insulated coveralls for the first time this winter. Its time for me to sift into winter mode, but I keep wonedering where summer went?
kent

[Backwoods_Bob]

Mac, I'm in Stevens county, Washington state.
My homestead is at 3,200 ft.

I too have taken to letting the wheels slip a bit on my snow plow truck rather than bust any more U-joints.
All four tires are quite bald now ( I run 33" x 9 1/2 " tires ).
I used to chain up the front and back, but now I just chain the back up. If I can't push the snow any more I just leave it.

I am very glad I plowed well last sunday!
We had 1-1/2 to 2 feet of snow, then it warmed up and turned to slush!
I hate it when that happens.

Now it froze again so the road is all frozen rough slush ruts... :P

Edit - Oh, those are cedar trees!
No spruce at all around here.
Got tamarac, cedar, some white pine, hemlock, Douglas fir and grand fir mostlt.

[bookwormom]

your pictures make me homesick. But your cedars sure do not look like the ceders here in Ky. and this place is full of them.

[annabella1]

How do you deal with the cold? Not very well I'm afraid, I hate it. I really want to move south.

[exodus]

It was -19 this morning and we got 24 inches of snow. We love it. Snowshoeing in the woods, cross-country skiing through the huge parks. Ice fishing (for fish, not ice). Some like the downhill skiing and snowmobiling. We all wait for this time of year. Summers are wonderful and warm. We are noted for our gorgeous autumns and our really nasty springs. But winter is special. Sometimes we wish the people from south of us didn't like it so well but alas...they do.

After a day outside, coming in for a warm meal and later a good book in front of the fire is welcome, too.

Exodus

[jen_in_southtexas]

The coldest its gotten here was about 34degrees F about 2weeks ago. That is cold for us here way down south :o and snow is unheard of but we do get ocassional freezes in winter. Yesterday was about 77degrees F. But our typical south texas weather is something like layer up one day and wear shorts the next.
Needless to say, I dont deal well with the cold but it would be nice to have all 4 seasons the way it should be. I admire you people that can deal with temperatures below the 30degree F mark. Brrrrrr!

-j

[ryanmercer]

Yesterday was about 77degrees F.
-j

You know you just made half the forums hate you now, right? ;)

[jen_in_southtexas]

Im sorry. Forecast says todays high is 80degrees F.

[Gibbonboy]

Cold is just one aspect of the climate I've chosen to live in. I've travelled all over, didn't like the weather more than I do here. We don't have horrible winters here, but do get below zero for a few days a year. We also don't have blazing hot summers more than a few days, and then the bonus of autumn and seeing the leaves change. Winter is a nice quiet time to be outside, very calming and peaceful. I worked outside year-round, just learned to deal with the cold. I agree that if you're going to be outside, never look at the thermometer. It all revolves around dressing appropriately for the climate AND what you'll be doing. Was 25 yesterday, was out splitting wood in a t-shirt over a long-sleeve thermal top, was still sweating. As soon as I'm done with that, I always have more layers available to put back on as I cool off.

[ryanmercer]

Im sorry. Forecast says todays high is 80degrees F.

Again with the cruel and unusual punishment ;) :) ;D :P

[chloe3388]

Guess I am going to be hated too, it was 85 here yesterday and we spent all day out working around the place. It was humid so it got a little sweaty.. hehe

Supposed to get cold this week down in the 50's.

I guess I live in the right area I don't do cold very well. But I would like to have normal seasons. Maybe get to pack away seasonal clothes... Shorts yesterday, sweater today..

[Northern_bushrat]

We live in northern Canada and the best way to deal with cold is to go outside and enjoy it! Otherwise you'll spend miserable weeks and months. Dress in layers, so you can take stuff off as you get warm when walking or working. Get Winterboots with removable felt liners (pac boots) and religiously remove that liner every night and let it dry and warm by the stove. Eliminates cold feelt. Wear a headband or hat.
Take dogs/cats inside when theywant to be inside. Insulate your chicken house or pile up snow around it. Having a chickencoop only 4' tall helps preserve their heat. Don't muck it out in the winter, just keep adding fresh hay/straw - it may start to compost and create more heat. If you live off grid, refill their water 3x/day or more often (with warm water). If it's really cold, you can heat up a bucket of gravel on your stove and hang it inside the coop to give off warmth.
I love winter - main thing, again, is to get out into the cold and do stuff to avoid cabin fever.

[bookwormom]

Of course I am not used to your kind of winter, but I come from the mountains and we got snowed in every winter. I love winter, except for watering the animals when the water keeps freezing.
I know that there are people who really love the cold as I met people from Siberia who were homesick for the cold.

[jen_in_southtexas]

We got down to about 32-34 degrees F this past Saturday night. That is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too cold for my bones. Im glad I dont work weekends for now. Sunday it was breezy in the 50's. Still cold for me. Needless to say, I dont deal too well with the cold.

[dinosaur]

here it ranges from 100 degrees in the summer to 15 in the winter . I will take the cold anyday. I think the best thing I like about the cold is being outside in the cold and then coming in to warm up. Sounds funny , but I just love being cold and then standing by the heater warming up. As far as taking the cold I have learned that wool sweaters , coats and pants do it for me.

[gardenfay]

the only thing that ever really bugs me about the cold here is the wind we get sometimes - when it is pretty cold and windy thats about the only time i dont enjoy getting out as much; but still do it. it just feels better to get out in it; but then i guess most coming to a forum like this are the outdoorsy type, eh? (ok, ok, im not Canadian; but still like throwing an "eh?" in now and then - anybody else ever watch the Red Green show?) LOL

[anvil]

I put my longjohns on in October,,turn them inside out around January,,and take them off in May... 8)

The best part of winter were those early morning stove stokin' "discussions",, My Wife and I used to try to talk the other into being the first up to stoke the stove,,, I Loved,, Loved,, watching her jump out of bed in all her radient glory,, dashing to the stove,,and diving back in bed for that special early morning snuggle,,, ;)

I suspect she enjoyed my dash as well as i did hers to be honest,,,

anvil

[Catalpa]

I love the cold - I love winter in all it's glory - gentle pink and purple sunrises, light pouring in my southern windows all day, and the the vibrant gold and magenta sunsets. Bright frosty nights with moonlight sparkling on the snow, the air so crisp and clear one can hear the shimmering chime of the stars singing. The wild rush of wind while skiing downhill just on the edge of being out of control, or the soft quiet of the woods explored with cross country skis. The howl of the wind plucking at the shingles, rattling the siding, the hiss and swoosh of snow flung against the windows. The endless chore of digging out the end of the driveway, all the while raging at the over-zealous county plow truck man. The gentle sunlight, happy cousin to the brutal hammer of summer, playing hide and seek with the heavy blue clouds dragging skirts of snow flakes as they scurry overland, heading for the great lake and Canada beyond. Stacks of firewood on the front porch, the smell of woodsmoke and the glow of Christmas lights in the window. The colossal cracking and heaving of plates of ice in the harbor, and the fantastic sculptures of ice on the breakwall.

Sure spring smells good, and the early tulips are a welcome sight to winter-weary eyes. Summer is time to paint, no heat bill, freshly-cut grass, softball games and big ripe tomatoes from the garden. Fall is dramatic wind-blown skies, the slow-motion fireworks of maple and aspen, the smell of the woods and a harvest gathered in, but nothing can compare to the magic of a cold, snowy winter!

How do I deal with the cold? I go out and enjoy every minute of it, then come inside and hunker in front of a good blaze in the fireplace, hands wrapped around a steaming mug of hot chocolate. The dog, by the way, has a heated water bowl and a heated sleeping pad in her kennel, and comes inside with us when we're home. Being half husky and half lab, she plays in the snow with the same enthusiam as we do.

[anvil]

Two friends came over this evening,, we had a fire and cooked burgers over the open fire,,in front of my nearly finished new shop..It was near dark,,snowing,,dogs playing and three golden eagles flew above watching us...

A most beautiful winters\near christmas late afternoon,, early evening...moment in the mountains

now i am in the living room with fire warming my home...


thats how i deal with the cold.. I too love winter

anvil

[flatwater]

Snuggle with that special person in your life or your dog.
Flatwater

[sage_morgan]

It got down to 3 today just as a temperature and the wind blowing 40 mph. I make sure I am wearing wool and I cover up my head.

Sitting by the woodstove right now (it is heating of course) I am wearing a bandanna over my forehead and a big ugly fleece hat over that. I do not look attractive, but I am warm.

Turtleneck covered with my only full size 100% wool sweater and a wool/fleece vest over that. Flannel-lined jeans. 10# cat sitting on my shins. Linersocks on my feet, and wool socks over that and those inside ugg-like boots.