Not Balmy
Today has a balmy 12º Fahrenheit high for temperature. When it is this nippy outside we get out the heavier ski gloves. Then we add these 2 little heat packs, that are warm little angels that fit into our gloves giving us a much more comfortable experience outside as we do our chores. It doesn’t hurt to throw a few of these hand warmers and toe warmers into your car emergency kit during the winter either. Get them at Costco.com you can find them by just searching for Little Hotties Hand and Toe warmers, it is a purchase you will not regret. By the way, another really handy thing is an extra pair of dry socks in the car, You never know when you can get stuck outside in the winter, and a little warmth comes in so handy when that does happen.
Winter Chores
You can see that the layer of snow is only a little. Thought I’d share a little bit of down-home knowledge from people who have lived through quite a few winters up here. In the Inland Northwest we clear out the walkways, then the vehicles, and let’s not forget the satellite dishes so we can still get internet and dish. Make sure the generators are fuelled up and full of fuel and cover anything needing protection from winter that is outside.
The weather station predicts that we can anticipate more cold weather for at least a week along with single-digit temperatures. Which means ICE. So, our goal is to clear out everything we can before it starts again. It is so much easier to move snow than ice. It is not balmy as we step outside. But, the cold doesn’t seem to bother us if we stay ahead of the chores.
Remember that any little inch of exposed skin in these frigid temps is a good candidate for frostbite. Believe me, frostbite is quite ugly or even gross and is massively painful. It is a sneaky bugger that acts a lot faster than you would think. Cover everything up and stay warm. For heaven’s sake, do not stay out in the cold if you are wet. Layers are absolutely miraculous. They can be removed to prevent overheating and the multiple layers will actually keep you warmer.
Good luck Val, really! Hold still you two. Ha Ha!
You can tell that these two woofers love to go outside and play in the snow. Max runs everywhere in a cloud of white powder smelling all the deer tracks in the snow. He makes the whole perimeter circuit in a flash.
Hurley prefers to roll in the snow and jump up and down in front of me, as he tries to cool off from his heavy sheepdog-type curly coat.
Fun with dogs & sprinklers. We have discovered an entertaining sprinkler fascination for one of our dogs. Max goes crazy playing with any sprinkler as he takes off running, jumping, and trying to snatch droplets out of the sky. Here is his serious face as he notices that I have the sprinkler ready to spray in my hand.
Of our two children in retirement, “Max” is our tri-color guy who is a running child, and the more sedentary redhead is “Hurley” who is more elderly. Hurley likes to sit in pools of water or mud instead of chasing a sprinkler around. Hurley sits in the background watching as Max sprints to catch the water.
Hot dogs and smores at 8º Fahrenheit. We bundled up and went outside to enjoy hot dogs and smores by the fire. Brrrr! Grandparents and Grandkids were on a mission to enjoy this country day together even though we may turn into icicles ourselves.
Notice our handy dandy extendible camping forks. Only Grandparents have stuff like this! First, we brown our hotdogs in the fire, then eat them with ketchup. Grandpa was our ketchup dispenser boss. Yummm. The dogs stood on the side watching. They were certain that we were doing it wrong because they were not getting any. Especially, the hot dogs but honestly they wanted the marshmellows too.
Next, we switch to the fine art of making smores. Putting perfectly browned marshmallows between graham crackers with chocolate is so yummy. Smores! So, now we have sticky cold fingers, but we continue to make more marshmallows.
Unfortunately, with the temp so doggone cold our fun time is cut-short. Which, is probably a good thing. It saved us from a terrible sugar overdose, well not really. It is just a fact of life that you gotta stop when your fingertips go totally numb. Right? Or maybe it is when your brain is in a constant state of confusion from an overload of sugar and you can’t find your way back to the house. Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore.
