The Answer's in Layers

As any good musher knows (and as Mama Pea over at A Homegrown Journal, reminded me)the way to stay warm in bitter cold weather is layers. You layer, layer, layer. First you put on your "unmentionables", which I won't mention. Next is your long underwear. Under Armor is the "in" brand right now, but I'm not very "in".

Now you find a long sleeved T and a pair of leggings to go over the longjohns.

Alright, next a sweatshirt...

and some insulated windpants.

Don't forget your feet. A good pair of socks and some Smart Wools.

Okay, now you're set to read a good book. What if you decide you want to go outside? You'll need-a set of warm coveralls.

If it's really nasty, a jacket to go over the coveralls. (I don't usually need this.)

Some choppers, some liners, a neck gator, and a hat to wear under your hood-

And a good pair of boots...

I recommend Steger Mukluks. They are so very warm. I had a pair for 15 years and they are fantastic. Now, I have a pair of packs. So there you have it. Stay warm. :) P.S. Please excuse how cruddy the clothes look. They're my barn clothes and just look like it.

No End In Sight?

I guess this is the time of year when it's easy to get tired of winter and look longingly for spring. Maybe that's why I'm writing this blog of complaint. My mom says we're becoming weather wimps and I think she's right. * Our thermometer is down around -30 this morning with something of a wind chill. I don't really want to know. We've been in the deep freeze up here for about two months, I'm ready for some nicer weather. Oh, we have sun, thankfully, and every couple of weeks an unusually warm day. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 31 and that's above zero! Then more bitter cold. I am grateful for the reprieve. By the end of the month the forecast is for highs in the teens and I guess I can look forward to that. * This morning it's comfort food-French Breakfast Muffins.

After baking, leave the oven door open and stand above it. So nice and warm. This is the type of weather that has me using the dryer and circulating all of the exhaust back into the basement. I'll take heat anyway that I can get it. :) + Well, the woodstove is going, the propane furnace is going and I'm going to finish up this muffin and tea and get ready to do chores. Stay warm.

Getting Ready for -30

Getting ready?  My honey said "Back in the day, we never had to get ready, we just were."  And it's true.  Living in Northern Minnesota, you just expected  a couple of weeks in January to be at -40 every night, with highs of -20.  Not so now.  The last few years have spoiled us and we start to whine whenever the thermometer drops below -10.  We are wimps.

The cold is coming and I figured the livestock and critters are about as prepared for it as we are-not.  This morning was a balmy 25 above and a great morning for being outside.  I threw more bedding in with the ducks and chickens, more bedding for the goat, also.  The cows got extra hay and a bale in the lean-to for bedding.  The bunnies are brushed and bedded.  I made my dog a new shelter as her doghouse faces north and she won't let me close the door to keep the wind off of her.

I insulated the chicken coop that the chickens won't stay in with straw bales and this should keep her nice and toasty.
Brought some firewood closer to the house so that I don't have to go out to the woodpile tonight.

"They're" predicting between -20 and -30 for the next four nights with up to 40 mph gusts of wind tonight.  The wind has picked up out there but it's still above 0.
Stoke up the stove and stay warm.

Minnesota Cold

At five am, the moon was shining so bright that I didn't need a flashlight outside, but it was coldddddd. 
I knew it before I even went outside because the house was popping and making small exploding noises as the wood was contracting.

 Stepping  outside, the first breath made me gasp.  Just like the old days......
How cold was it?
Well...I went to start the van to let it warm up and it actually moaned before deciding whether to start or not.  Once started, it still was undecided as to whether it should keep running.  My daughter's car wouldn't start at all.

Going out to the barn, my nostrils were frozen together, making it a challenge to inhale.

My jacket started making funny noises, cracking and sqeaking making me wonder if I touched it, would it shatter?
The snow sounded the same as my jacket.

Climbing into the van, the seats felt like plywood.  How can upholstery freeze?  I didn't think that there was any moisture in car seats.

Then, of course, there's the flat tire syndrome.  The part of the tire that rests on the ground, freezes flat and makes a kerplunkety,plunkety,plunkety noise going down the road, and gives you the added benefit of feeling like you're driving without shocks.

It's for this reason that we don't have a thermometer.  Who really needs to know  how cold it is?  Once we were in the van, we had a thermometer and it read -40.  Just like the old days...