On cold weather...

My mother and I had an interesting conversation the other night..We were discussing cold weather, which is a regular part of our existence in BN state. It is about as remarkable as the leaves changing or the black flies biting -- it is just there.

We decided that it is cold IFF: either a) the pipes freeze or b) the car won't start.

With her pipes and car, that would be well below -25F. For me, my car is in a heated garage most of the time, and the pipes run in it... so, they don't freeze. For me, it isn't cold -- ever.

Yea, we have a high tolerance for cold -- and low standards as to what is required for civilized life... so what?

This whole conversation came into perspective the next day as I listened to 'chick talk radio'. The talkhow host was noticing that people who are from our state don't really notice or mind the cold, while transplants get all angry and frustrated by it. This makes perfect sense -- when you grow up here, you learn to accept the cold on it's own terms. Getting mad about being cold, or wishing you lived someplace else doesn't change it -- it only makes you miserable.

Additionally, people who live where it is really cold (i.e. up by mom in the northern part of BN state) often don't pay attention to exactly how cold it is. For our purposes, -25F is cold enough that you need to pay extra attention to the cold and if you go out in the car, you should have your warmest coat and boots. Anything below that is information that can only make you surf the internet for cheap fares to Maui.

I'll never forget one Christmas when it was below -40F at Mom's (we don't know how low, because the thermometer ended at -40..)... the pipes didn't freeze (we left the water running) and my car (an ancient stationwagon) started... it wasn't cold.