If'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop...

After moving to NW Montana from San Diego, it used to be fun to talk about the weather, 'Ooh man, you wouldn't believe it, it was freezing, -6 this morning, -10 with the wind chill factor!' It even because a challenge for awhile there, i.e. 'My temps are lower than yours; hell, I had to put on three layers of long underwear, two pairs of socks and a parka today just to go get in the mail!'

Then, along come John, Cut Bank John, and it suddenly went something like this (and he wasn't bragging either, just telling it like it was) - 'Minus 16, long underwear and socks? Hell, it was minus 87 went I went out this morning to get the newspaper, still wet from my shower, wearing nothing but my tiger pattern thong. I was standing there reading the paper when the neighbor's cow flew by, the wind started kicking up about then; read that a podiatrist is opening up shop in Havre, may have to go see him about muh corns...'

 

See, I knowed'it, the man is part polar bear!

 

It's so freakin' cold out there! Our snow hasn't arrived yet, but it's in the twenties with 40mph gusts; we were dispatched for five (5) tree down, power line emergencies around sunset in less than two hours. I may never thaw out at this rate...

 

We're headed into a warming trend after tomorrow (or today, whatever this day is), and for that I'm thankful; not thankful that it's going to start snowing, but thankful that I'll be able to get out an' slang a shovel and split some wood; Ibn feeling a bit cramped and housebound for the last week. I went out a few days ago to start the rigs and shovel a dusting, and man, it just didn't feel right so I bagged it after 20 minutes. Came in for coffee and checked the weather online. 3 degrees, feels like -27 with the WCF, frostbite can occur in five to ten minutes. OK, well, that explains that. Thankfully, like the ant that plans ahead, I still have two cords of good firewood, having saved the best for last...