Sparkling diamonds scattered across the white drifts. Oh, I wish that I could collect the diamond dust for money. Alas, it is an optical illusion of ice crystals and sunshine. Lovely but a pain in the bum to shovel. You have to scrape the snow down to the cement or risk having it melt just enough to transform into ice.
Winter has been extremely arduous this season. Typically, it would snow and then be followed by several days of cold sunshine. Unfortunately, it is more likely to snow, snow, be dang blasted cold, have a half-day of sunshine and then snow again. Some weeks I toss snow three times. I do like my Ames True Temper shovel with a Versa-grip handle. It has a small metal blade on the bottom but the plastic composition is light. Info at http://www.amestruetemper.com/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=565&FamilyId=676&LineId=675 Yes, this is one of those rare occasions when I make a product endorsement.
It takes me about an hour to shovel or use the snow blower to clear off the driveway, sidewalk, and back walkway between the garage and house. My snow blower is wimpy so it can only hurl a few inches of fluffy stuff. If I have enough time and energy I clean off my neighbor’s sidewalks since we have a lot of pedestrians walking dogs or going to the bus stop. I particularly despise the snowplow splat of snow that gets tossed onto my sidewalk and clogs the end of my driveway. It is dense and difficult to remove; chiefly upon coming home after work and dusk has fallen.
The Polar Vortex was especially difficult to endure. Your skin will freeze within minutes and automobile batteries are less reliable in the extreme cold weather. A friend who resides in Hawaii emailed me that she “could not imagine” how cold it was in the upper Midwest. Believe me, we don’t like it either. You cannot fool with Great-Grandmother Earth aka Mother Nature. She is firmly in charge.
Blizzards are a rarity in the Twin Cities. It is rather frightening to not be able to see only a few feet in front of your face because the wind is blowing the snow intensely. It is easy to get disoriented and the wind-chill will bring on hypothermia. Sadly, people die out in the cold every year or have fingers, toes or nose amputated due to extreme frostbite. Heart attacks while shoveling, and falling from roofs while trying to clear snow or ice dams also harms people.
After a few days of being trapped inside due to snow or cold, a person can develop a case of “Cabin Fever.” One is strongly compelled to get out of the house or scream from boredom and stress. I was utterly irritated with my employer for not closing the office during the Arctic Inland Hurricane. When the public school system closes, so should all businesses. It isn’t safe for kids, adults or animals to be outside.
This is typically the coldest week of winter in MN, spring should be only 100 days away... we hope.
Stay warm!
Copyright © 2014 by Ima B. Musing; All rights reserved
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Thursday, April 11, 2013
ROAD CAVITIES
Brown, tan, and grays everywhere you look. The ground remains frozen as the snow melts revealing the trash and sand dispersed during the cold months. We need some gentle rains of less than an inch to help thaw the soil. Instead, the Twin Cities (and much of the Midwest) was coated with another heavy layer of snow. Now is the winter of my discontent!
The roadways are chock full of cavities, wrecking havoc on tires and auto suspensions. A couple years ago on my way to an interview I could not avoid a deep pothole. The affected tire developed a bulge on its side so I had to get it replaced. Tires are very expensive and I was irritated beyond words. The road dental crews need to fill up the crevices with asphalt.
I am crabby about the extension of winter. It is mid-April; I ought to be able to rake away the debris. I want to start my peas and other cool weather plants that can endure 40-degree nights. I want my eyes to be overwhelmed with green and my nose filled with the essence of chlorophyll. I want to hear the happy chirp of birds as the leaves and tulips emerge from their slumber. I want to shed my heavy coat and boots for at least six months. I don’t mind winter but it should vacate by the end of March.
Seeking Spring.
© 2013 Ima B. Musing
The roadways are chock full of cavities, wrecking havoc on tires and auto suspensions. A couple years ago on my way to an interview I could not avoid a deep pothole. The affected tire developed a bulge on its side so I had to get it replaced. Tires are very expensive and I was irritated beyond words. The road dental crews need to fill up the crevices with asphalt.
I am crabby about the extension of winter. It is mid-April; I ought to be able to rake away the debris. I want to start my peas and other cool weather plants that can endure 40-degree nights. I want my eyes to be overwhelmed with green and my nose filled with the essence of chlorophyll. I want to hear the happy chirp of birds as the leaves and tulips emerge from their slumber. I want to shed my heavy coat and boots for at least six months. I don’t mind winter but it should vacate by the end of March.
Seeking Spring.
© 2013 Ima B. Musing
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
MOVE IT
Snowflakes are beautiful. I love to be sitting in a warm home watching them fall from the sky. They cover up the ugliness of the earth below. I despise being away from my abode and having to trek in their wake. I’ve been in winter auto accidents and my anxiety level raises whenever I consider traveling on treacherous roads.
Snow deluged the Twin Cities during this past weekend. I spent early Sunday afternoon using my wimpy snow-thrower to push off about eight inches of accumulation. It was exhausting and then frustrating when four more inches fell after I completed my task. I began to fear the commute. Late Sunday afternoon I logged online and went to the Metro Transit website to determine the best route. While in college I rode the bus exclusively and mostly enjoyed the commute. I didn’t purchase an auto until I was out of grad school.
Monday morning I decided to take the bus to work after clearing off the sidewalk since there are many pedestrians in my neighborhood. I gathered my bus-fare of $2.25 in quarters and waited at the corner. I lingered and hung around as my feet became cold. I figured the bus would be late but didn’t think it would be so terribly delayed. Finally, it arrived.
Riding the bus can be enjoyable. If you seek passage on a regular basis, you get to know your neighbors while waiting for the huge vehicle and meet people who ride on the same schedule. It can be a very jovial experience. I was surprised that the atmosphere has changed. The people on my bus were not friendly. They pulled out their smart-phones or stared into space with their headsets humming into their ears. Naively, I got off at the stop the online scheduler suggested to transfer and loitered as the crowds rushed by. Eventually, the bus appeared and ferried me to my destination. I was an hour late for work, but my boss wasn’t upset.
After completing a day of labor, I had to reverse my trip. I had logged online again and learned some alternative routes. The MTC website should show an array of options from starting point to destination all on one page. I decided that I only wanted to relocate once. The more transfers, the higher the chance that there will be a delay. I caught a bus and went to a busy bus-stop in downtown Minneapolis. I felt envious of the people with a smart-phone application that could tell them about the whereabouts of their bus using GPS. I had to keep glancing down the street hoping to see my mode of transport approaching. The bus-stop should have a ticker tape stating when the busses are coming in, just like an airport.
I didn’t have to dally for too long and the second leg of my route went well until we got stuck. Actually, a vehicle in front of the bus became wedged in the snow-ice and we couldn’t move. It was too far for me to walk home. The bus driver never got on the speaker to tell us what was going on. He spoke with the people in the front rows but I couldn’t hear him. I eventually got off and strode to another bus-stop to catch a different bus. I still had to trudge three blocks to get home in the cold. It had taken me two hours from leaving work to getting to my house. I was chilly, tired, hungry, and crabby. What a wretched re-introduction to public transport. I will ride again, but I just hope it won’t be such grueling experience.
Ride da bus!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing
Snow deluged the Twin Cities during this past weekend. I spent early Sunday afternoon using my wimpy snow-thrower to push off about eight inches of accumulation. It was exhausting and then frustrating when four more inches fell after I completed my task. I began to fear the commute. Late Sunday afternoon I logged online and went to the Metro Transit website to determine the best route. While in college I rode the bus exclusively and mostly enjoyed the commute. I didn’t purchase an auto until I was out of grad school.
Monday morning I decided to take the bus to work after clearing off the sidewalk since there are many pedestrians in my neighborhood. I gathered my bus-fare of $2.25 in quarters and waited at the corner. I lingered and hung around as my feet became cold. I figured the bus would be late but didn’t think it would be so terribly delayed. Finally, it arrived.
Riding the bus can be enjoyable. If you seek passage on a regular basis, you get to know your neighbors while waiting for the huge vehicle and meet people who ride on the same schedule. It can be a very jovial experience. I was surprised that the atmosphere has changed. The people on my bus were not friendly. They pulled out their smart-phones or stared into space with their headsets humming into their ears. Naively, I got off at the stop the online scheduler suggested to transfer and loitered as the crowds rushed by. Eventually, the bus appeared and ferried me to my destination. I was an hour late for work, but my boss wasn’t upset.
After completing a day of labor, I had to reverse my trip. I had logged online again and learned some alternative routes. The MTC website should show an array of options from starting point to destination all on one page. I decided that I only wanted to relocate once. The more transfers, the higher the chance that there will be a delay. I caught a bus and went to a busy bus-stop in downtown Minneapolis. I felt envious of the people with a smart-phone application that could tell them about the whereabouts of their bus using GPS. I had to keep glancing down the street hoping to see my mode of transport approaching. The bus-stop should have a ticker tape stating when the busses are coming in, just like an airport.
I didn’t have to dally for too long and the second leg of my route went well until we got stuck. Actually, a vehicle in front of the bus became wedged in the snow-ice and we couldn’t move. It was too far for me to walk home. The bus driver never got on the speaker to tell us what was going on. He spoke with the people in the front rows but I couldn’t hear him. I eventually got off and strode to another bus-stop to catch a different bus. I still had to trudge three blocks to get home in the cold. It had taken me two hours from leaving work to getting to my house. I was chilly, tired, hungry, and crabby. What a wretched re-introduction to public transport. I will ride again, but I just hope it won’t be such grueling experience.
Ride da bus!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
ICE HOUSE COMETH
Only rarely do I wish for cooler weather. This is one of those days. At 8am it was already 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a forecast of 100+. Add in humidity and the heat index will be at least 113+. Ugh. My body prefers to be under 80 degrees but I really don’t like it under 0 degree Fahrenheit either.
No air conditioning in this old house. I procured a window unit when I moved in but it isn’t strong enough to keep even the first floor cool so I don’t bother to install it anymore. I am usually content with a fan but that fails when the heat index gets over 90 in the house. I venture to the library to cool down because it is generally quiet and I can use the computer. Alas, all libraries are closed for the Independence Day Holiday. I will sometimes hang out at the mall but nary a comfie chair can be found, its loud, bad lighting, and I don’t think they like it that I don’t have money to spend. I even bring my own water bottle to sip.
I will retreat to the basement to read a book. I can drag down the tv and dvd player to watch movies that I check out from the library. Unfortunately the tv-dvd is about fifty pounds and I worry that I will fall and we both will break. If I am fortunate, a friend will take pity upon me and invite me into their coolness for a few hours. Someday I’ll install an air conditioning unit but right now I have to concentrate on paying the bills. Unemployment still sucks.
Nighttime is tricky. I open a window on one side of the house and have an outward facing box fan in the window of my bedroom. I turn it on and it sucks air from the other side of the house to create a breeze. My bed is about six feet from the door so I partially shut it to direct the breeze across the bed as it travels to the outward blowing exhaust fan. I haul up ice packs from my freezer and place them on the side of the bed near the door. As the wind blows over the cold packs it creates a small area of cool to flow over my body. I use one bendable ice pack under my neck and this mini-ice age works well enough for me to get to sleep.
I really need to slumber in my bedroom because that is where my CPAP machine is located. I need the CPAP to waft air into my nose at night or else I stop breathing. The machine is too cumbersome to haul around. Rock and hard hot place, indeed. It only becomes uncomfortable when the ice packs warm up to room temperature. If the ambient temp has not fallen below 80 then I will wake up. I go into the bathroom and wet myself down in the shower to create a temporary swamp cooler effect. Plus, drink several glasses of water.
Stay cool and have a terrific 4th of July!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
WHITEOUT
No depth perception and bitter cold. White obliterated the outside world. The snow was blowing so intensely that you could not see more than a foot in front of your face. Perilous situation. Life on the prairie has its hazards and whiteout blizzard conditions is one of them.
My grandparents had huge metal eyehooks located on the corner of each building about four feet from the ground. Every fall they would string long ropes from one hook to another. It was annoying to have to duck under the rope. However, the rope was a lifeline. A sudden squall from the prairie would powerfully scatter loose snow so that you would not be able to determine where you were in the yard. If you could find a rope, you could locate safety inside a building. Most country dwellers left one door unlocked during the winter to make certain that you could get out of the wind. Too many people die of hypothermia a few feet from safety or just outside a locked door.
Sometimes a storm would blow up while we were at school. It was too treacherous to let the country kids travel home. The bus may drop them off but they could get lost walking down the driveway. Lana and her sisters or other country kids would stay with us during blizzards. I would call home to get permission and we would be let out of class when there was a break in the wind. We would dash home and my mom would call the school and their parents to verify that we had made it safely.
Wind is unpredictable. One blustery day Lana and her younger sister Lisa came home with me. We trudged over four foot tall drifts for two blocks without a problem but then the wind gusted and landmarks disappeared. We linked ourselves together using our coat belts and I led the way slowly. We found my neighbor’s house that always left their garage side door unlocked. The neighbor wasn’t home but I went in to call my mom and left a note apologizing for the snow in the garage. After about ten minutes the wind decreased enough for us to keep walking. The three-block journey took an hour and we were exhausted. Mom called the school and Lana’s parents. The storm howled for three days before Lana’s folks were able to safely journey into town.
Blizzards cause the Minnesota State Highway Patrol and Minnesota Department of Transportation to shut down the roads. Anyone traveling is taken off the thoroughfare and brought into town. The hotels quickly fill and then the trekkers would be sent into private homes. My parents would accept strangers into our home on the weekend and if we didn’t have country kids during the week. We had a lumpy fold out couch to hold two people and a couple cots. Not the Ritz but better than freezing in a ditch.
I was in grade school and my siblings were in high school when four college students arrived on a wintry Saturday. Males. They were nice but flirted with my sisters. Dangerous. My dad was so paranoid that he pulled out a sleeping blanket and stayed in the hallway that night to make certain that no hanky-panky occurred. The four young studs departed after lunch when the roads were deemed safe. One of them even sent a thank you note and twenty dollars. Another time a couple stole from us so they were the final visitors allowed. A few years ago the city switched to setting up a Red Cross shelter instead of placing strangers into private residences.
I always have a disaster kit in the trunk of the car and another in the house. Usually there isn’t much danger living in the Twin Cities. I’ve been stuck in at home for two or three days due to a snowstorm. I don’t travel out of the Cities during the winter very often due to several near accidents. I call my parents instead of visiting. Prepare yourself, family, friends, and pets for disaster. Make an emergency kit with instructions from www.ready.gov and take classes from the Red Cross.
Dairy Farm Tails, Part IV more posted January 26th, January 30th, and February 6th.
Be Prepared.
© 2012 Ima B. Musing
My grandparents had huge metal eyehooks located on the corner of each building about four feet from the ground. Every fall they would string long ropes from one hook to another. It was annoying to have to duck under the rope. However, the rope was a lifeline. A sudden squall from the prairie would powerfully scatter loose snow so that you would not be able to determine where you were in the yard. If you could find a rope, you could locate safety inside a building. Most country dwellers left one door unlocked during the winter to make certain that you could get out of the wind. Too many people die of hypothermia a few feet from safety or just outside a locked door.
Sometimes a storm would blow up while we were at school. It was too treacherous to let the country kids travel home. The bus may drop them off but they could get lost walking down the driveway. Lana and her sisters or other country kids would stay with us during blizzards. I would call home to get permission and we would be let out of class when there was a break in the wind. We would dash home and my mom would call the school and their parents to verify that we had made it safely.
Wind is unpredictable. One blustery day Lana and her younger sister Lisa came home with me. We trudged over four foot tall drifts for two blocks without a problem but then the wind gusted and landmarks disappeared. We linked ourselves together using our coat belts and I led the way slowly. We found my neighbor’s house that always left their garage side door unlocked. The neighbor wasn’t home but I went in to call my mom and left a note apologizing for the snow in the garage. After about ten minutes the wind decreased enough for us to keep walking. The three-block journey took an hour and we were exhausted. Mom called the school and Lana’s parents. The storm howled for three days before Lana’s folks were able to safely journey into town.
Blizzards cause the Minnesota State Highway Patrol and Minnesota Department of Transportation to shut down the roads. Anyone traveling is taken off the thoroughfare and brought into town. The hotels quickly fill and then the trekkers would be sent into private homes. My parents would accept strangers into our home on the weekend and if we didn’t have country kids during the week. We had a lumpy fold out couch to hold two people and a couple cots. Not the Ritz but better than freezing in a ditch.
I was in grade school and my siblings were in high school when four college students arrived on a wintry Saturday. Males. They were nice but flirted with my sisters. Dangerous. My dad was so paranoid that he pulled out a sleeping blanket and stayed in the hallway that night to make certain that no hanky-panky occurred. The four young studs departed after lunch when the roads were deemed safe. One of them even sent a thank you note and twenty dollars. Another time a couple stole from us so they were the final visitors allowed. A few years ago the city switched to setting up a Red Cross shelter instead of placing strangers into private residences.
I always have a disaster kit in the trunk of the car and another in the house. Usually there isn’t much danger living in the Twin Cities. I’ve been stuck in at home for two or three days due to a snowstorm. I don’t travel out of the Cities during the winter very often due to several near accidents. I call my parents instead of visiting. Prepare yourself, family, friends, and pets for disaster. Make an emergency kit with instructions from www.ready.gov and take classes from the Red Cross.
Dairy Farm Tails, Part IV more posted January 26th, January 30th, and February 6th.
Be Prepared.
© 2012 Ima B. Musing
Thursday, December 15, 2011
BRIGHT LIGHT
Cloudy days during winter are the pits. I’d rather have it sunny and cold than cloudy and warm. However, I was happy for the rain because it will help the trees and perennials survive the dry cold air. My seasonal affective disorder/syndrome is in full reign when the clouds block the sunshine. I crave carbohydrates, especially a sweet treat and salty treat simultaneously like cookies and potato chips.
Add in my monthly menses and all I want to do is sleep and eat junk food. Not helpful. I have a full spectrum light, which I have on a timer to make certain that I don’t forget and operate it for an hour after sunset each night. I generally wake up okay so I don’t need it in the morning. However, on overcast days I will turn it on whenever I am near just to trick my brain. I take a daily dose of St. John’s Wort and that seems to be enough to alleviate the blues.
Stress and anxiety of unemployment makes SAD worse. I have learned that distraction is a good thing. My main life focus right now is job search. When I have extra time I work on projects around the house, read, blog, herd cats, and hang out with friends. I strive to be physically active but the cold bothers my lungs and malls cause me to sneeze. I’ll be shoveling snow when that falls. I need an inhaler for my asthma but that will have to wait for the job…
Long night’s journey into day will begin soon (winter solstice), though the temperatures seem to dip into the recesses of the Artic for a couple months afterwards. Gloom and doom. Difficult to hold onto optimism. I want to be self-sufficient again. I’m accustomed to taking care of myself and prefer to help others than be a recipient. It isn’t about arrogance; it’s just that I feel better when I am assisting others. This bee wants to buzz!
Seeking Sunshine!
© 2011 Ima B. Musing
Add in my monthly menses and all I want to do is sleep and eat junk food. Not helpful. I have a full spectrum light, which I have on a timer to make certain that I don’t forget and operate it for an hour after sunset each night. I generally wake up okay so I don’t need it in the morning. However, on overcast days I will turn it on whenever I am near just to trick my brain. I take a daily dose of St. John’s Wort and that seems to be enough to alleviate the blues.
Stress and anxiety of unemployment makes SAD worse. I have learned that distraction is a good thing. My main life focus right now is job search. When I have extra time I work on projects around the house, read, blog, herd cats, and hang out with friends. I strive to be physically active but the cold bothers my lungs and malls cause me to sneeze. I’ll be shoveling snow when that falls. I need an inhaler for my asthma but that will have to wait for the job…
Long night’s journey into day will begin soon (winter solstice), though the temperatures seem to dip into the recesses of the Artic for a couple months afterwards. Gloom and doom. Difficult to hold onto optimism. I want to be self-sufficient again. I’m accustomed to taking care of myself and prefer to help others than be a recipient. It isn’t about arrogance; it’s just that I feel better when I am assisting others. This bee wants to buzz!
Seeking Sunshine!
© 2011 Ima B. Musing
Thursday, January 28, 2010
MIDWINTER BLUES
Honey, it’s cold outside (also, one of my favorite songs). Some days are mind-numbingly cold. You step outside and despite all the layers – you feel chilled. The cold permeates and bites your eyeballs; it burns the inside of your nose or mouth when you breathe. I wonder why I reside in a northern locale, why, why, why??? The optimist in me states, “It could be worse.” True but I still curse the tilt of the planet when under 0 degrees Fahrenheit occurs.
20 to 80 is the temperature range that I prefer (Fahrenheit scale). Snow is beautiful to view. It changes the landscape without devastation. The city where I reside requires the residents to shovel their sidewalk within 24 hours of the end of a snowfall. An inch or two of fluffy stuff is fine and good exercise. That is not a problem unless I have to travel to work the next morning. It is horrid to get up an hour early just to shovel, come in the house to change into work clothes (I really should take another shower) and zip to work. After a snowfall the roads are iffy so I have to take extra time driving. Ugh.
I love my garden so I tolerate winter. I would prefer a briefer chilly season with less cold and snow. It would be more tolerable if the cats would shovel. I have a small profoundly expensive snow-blower. It sounds like a hair-dryer on wheels but it is helpful. Perchance to dream of a huge Toro someday… I’d love to have an electric lawnmower, too.
Shovel, shovel, shovel that blasted snow!
© 2010
20 to 80 is the temperature range that I prefer (Fahrenheit scale). Snow is beautiful to view. It changes the landscape without devastation. The city where I reside requires the residents to shovel their sidewalk within 24 hours of the end of a snowfall. An inch or two of fluffy stuff is fine and good exercise. That is not a problem unless I have to travel to work the next morning. It is horrid to get up an hour early just to shovel, come in the house to change into work clothes (I really should take another shower) and zip to work. After a snowfall the roads are iffy so I have to take extra time driving. Ugh.
I love my garden so I tolerate winter. I would prefer a briefer chilly season with less cold and snow. It would be more tolerable if the cats would shovel. I have a small profoundly expensive snow-blower. It sounds like a hair-dryer on wheels but it is helpful. Perchance to dream of a huge Toro someday… I’d love to have an electric lawnmower, too.
Shovel, shovel, shovel that blasted snow!
© 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)