And we wonder why we stay sick in the South….
Snow in our neck of the woods is rare, so we have a lot of fun with it when it does show up. For the first day. After a few hours of it, we realize just how cold it is outside, and begin to wish our lives away, yearning for Spring.
This Farm Wife is just not geared for long term cold weather. In a desperate move to stay warm while doing outside chores, I donned a pair of the Country Boy’s long underwear. Believe me when I say this…there is nothing worse than wearing long johns that are too big underneath a pair of blue jeans that fit perfectly. Regardless of how well the jeans fit, the long johns still sag and want nothing more than to slip down around your ankles. When you try to pull them back up, they roll over the top of your jeans, and the bottom part hug your knees.
I can attest to the fact that firewood will warm you more than once. As opposed to last year, when I think we built one fire over the entire winter, this year we have had both the wood stove and the fireplace going from the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed in the evening. And that still doesn’t help. We still use space heaters occasionally to help knock the chill off the top. You can also hear both of us muttering that we really need to insulate the walls in this old shack.
We knew though, without a doubt, that it was just too cold around here when we noticed the dogs all now have a favorite spot – and will fight to take custody of it – and that is in front of one of the heaters. If we turn it off, they will still sit in front of it and whine until we turn it on. Bonnie, the shortest haired one of the bunch, loves to sit in front of the fireplace and just stare. A couple of times we caught her falling asleep and would jerk back awake right before she would tumble sideways.
While feeding, we noticed that some of the cows had icicles hanging from their ears. When the buckets come out, we usually have a stampede, and end up being the filling in a bovine sandwich when we pour the feed into the trough. Now, they are begging to come in the house and share the heaters with the dogs.
The weatherman reported that within three days of the bone chilling weather, our temps will jump into the 70s. Of course, we still won’t be able to get outside and work or play, as those normal temps will also be accompanied by rain. I’ll barely be able to wash those long johns before the temps drop again. I would happily get out and go buy a pair that fit me, but with the first hint of nasty weather around here, the masses crowd into the grocery and sporting goods stores and strip the aisles bare of anything and everything they might possibly need to combat the weather. And this includes long johns. Of course, give it a month, and you will find all those long johns on a table at a garage sale – but who would want to buy used winter ‘equipment’ like that????
Yes, we Southerners can be wimps when it comes to cold weather. Sick ones, at that. But just give us a few months, and we will be whining about the heat. But at least we are already well prepared for that. Heatwave you say? No problem. Starting in January, the grocery stores automatically overstock with ice cream, Popcicles and water. And now, there is an ice station on just about every corner.
