*Winter Survival Questions**

[PJ's Mom]

Currently I have the windows and doors open because it's a wonderful 70 degrees. But I have to say that this topic is making me cold.

[Glacier]

I'd be inside from October to May if I stayed home because it was cold. I have called into work once when with the windchill it was below-50C. Cold weather isn't a reason not to go to work up here! Schools move recess indoors, but kids are still expected to be there. We get our first freeze in late August and it is not safe to plant anything outside until mid-June, at the earliest.

We burn 10 cords of wood a year between the house and the shop. We have a propane furnace, but it only kicks in when the temperature in the house drops to the point the pipes could freeze. We only use it as a back-up in case we can't get home for some reason. There is a heater on the propane tank as well. Propane turns to a gel at -40C/F.

For our water, we buried the lines six feet underground in an insulated wooden box. There in an insulated shack over the well and pump itself. There is an electric heater in there. It has to stay at about 3C or we won't have water in the house! We have a fan set up that forces heated air into the box around the pipes.

My husband drives a diesel car. When it's cold he often borrows my truck or he has to leave the diesel running all day. At more than -15C it freezes solid in a hurry.

The dogs go through a dozen bales of straw a winter, which costs about 10 times the Southern price up here! Their doghouses are all insulated and stuffed with straw. The old dogs don't go outside for more than a few minutes in really cold weather. I carry water to them several times a day since it freezes so quickly. Their food intake doubles in extreme cold.

Layers are very important for dressing. I find Helly Hansen makes the best base layer underwear, top and bottom. Another layer of wool on top of that. Cotton is deadly in the cold and completely useless. Nothing works as well as well. The new synthetic fibers are nice and light, but in extreme temps you can't beat good ol' wool. I have several down filled parkas. Down insulates very well.

The US Army makes great cold weather gear. I have a pair of flight pants that I've worn at -45C and never been cold in them. They weigh about 15 pounds but they are toasty! The Army also makes Bunny Boots, which are also ridiculously heavy and ugly as sin, but your feet never get cold in them. I love my army surplus dealer! Fashion is irrelevant when your life depends on staying warm!

On my hands I wear a base layer of light gloves, topped with fleece lined leather gauntlet mitts. Can't work dog clasps in mitts so I have to wear the gloves too. If it's very cold, I sometimes put chemical handwarmers inside my mitts.

You have to be careful not to sweat. If you start to sweat, loose a layer. Sweat will kill you if you get stuck in the cold afterwards.

I find the dark harder to deal with than the cold. We get about four hours a day of light in our darkest months. We are up to almost 8 hours again now. I use a light therapy lamp every day while I am getting ready for work.

With the windchill today it's about -20C right now. I'm heading back out to run a second team of dogs now!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I think it's all what you get used to. I've lived in Iowa, Virginia, Arizona, and Colorado. I don't enjoy cold, but I really hate frigid temps! Luckily it is in the 50's here now, but there is still tons of snow on the ground. We had 7 weeks of snow. I'm not sure what the grand total was, but I bet it's about 4 feet. A lot of it has melted, but there's plenty left!

[mike001]

Glacier and I seem to be the only ones living in frigid conditions. We plug our cars in if it goes below -35C. But we wear downfilled parkas for walks and heavy socks and boots, toques, mitts and scarves. We got up to -28C this a.m. but it's -16C right now. At this time of year we usually have in the -40'sC so this is a nice kind of winter. Nice to live in the heat, but I bet you don't go downhill or X-country skiing, no skidooing, tobogganing, skating etc. I guess we all have our different kinds of entertainment. I must say most of us snowbirds end up in Florida or Arrizonna for the winter mos when we've had enough.

[cassiesmom]

Basically, I can't understand how you all can live in these conditions. Do your cars freeze up so you can't drive them? Are you stuck in the house or do you get out? How does any machinery of any kind keep running if outside?

Well... I wouldn't say I'm stuck in the house, but I spend an awful lot of time avoiding going outside because it's so cold out. Several of these cold days have been bright and sunny (God, if You're listening, I think that's really mean!) which helps when I absolutely must go places (petsmart, supermarket, church). I can't hit the car wash because my doors will freeze closed - I don't have covered parking. I get my revenge in that when it's this cold, it's too cold for substantial snow, and I'd rather wear 52 layers of clothes than drive in the snow. I'm definitely in the minority in that regard. The disadvantage to spending that much time inside is that you'd think my house would be pristine - like Bree on "Desperate Housewives" - but that is definitely not the case.

[Anita Cholaine]

Please feel free to laugh and call me a crazy Floridian but it's just unimaginable to me that anyone can actually keep functioning under these conditions.

Ditto!

I hate the weather in Buenos Aires, it is just getting more and more humid every year. And warmer - in winter, the coldest we get is about 40ºC, and this is REALLY cold for us.
Summer is also really warm, but it is ok for me to have a few really hot and sunny days. The humidity is what drives me nuts. I hate those warm, rainy and humid days (like today) you just feel that you cannot even breath.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Glacier and I seem to be the only ones living in frigid conditions. We plug our cars in if it goes below -35C. But we wear downfilled parkas for walks and heavy socks and boots, toques, mitts and scarves. We got up to -28C this a.m. but it's -16C right now. At this time of year we usually have in the -40'sC so this is a nice kind of winter. Nice to live in the heat, but I bet you don't go downhill or X-country skiing, no skidooing, tobogganing, skating etc. I guess we all have our different kinds of entertainment. I must say most of us snowbirds end up in Florida or Arrizonna for the winter mos when we've had enough.

Haha, where are you? It's -36 or so here now. I'd call that frigid.

I freeze in this weather, I'm at least going to get some credit for it. lol

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Currently I have the windows and doors open because it's a wonderful 70 degrees. But I have to say that this topic is making me cold.

i wish it was 70 here! this morning, it was like -30! now its like -20...

school was canceled today because of the weather..good for me, ut now for my dog. I opened the door, and she went charging out. 30second later, she was back at the door, and when I let her in, she was FREEZING!

my mom's going down to florida soon...without me! I'm soo jealous of people in shorts right now!

I think I'm going to go pack on another layer - I already have 2 on, sitting inside, with the heat on. I hate the cold. I love it when its like 20 or 30, but not in the negatives!

Some of you might be living in colder places, and I'm not tying to say that its colder or worse here. But its cold. And I hate it.

[pitc9]

Well.. we're having a heat wave right now! It's up to 11 with a wind chill
of -6!
The low tonight is 4 above, yesterday our windchills were -25.
All of the schools around of were closed today because it's so cold. Most have already closed for tomorrow too!
It's cloudy and the wind is whipping the snow all over so it looks like were at the North Pole right now!
I don't mind the cold at all and I just Loooooove the snow!
I can handle temps like this for a little while it doesn't bother me too muchl!
I put a bunch of wood in the wood stove before I go to bed to keep the furnance from kicking on all night long.
I have a remote start on my car so I can start it from inside my house and it's all warm and toasty for me when I'm ready to leave!
Sierra and Bud don't mind it either (except when the winds whip the snow around her and scare her Ugh... she's such a sissy girl!)
I have to go out and bring them in quite often because if it were up to them, they'd stay out there till they were frozen to the ground!!

[K9soul]

Glacier and I seem to be the only ones living in frigid conditions.

MN can easily have frigid temperatures. We had -40 with wind chills this weekend, that's the same as -40 C. We are often 10 to 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) above what northern Canada is but I certainly wouldn't call it balmy. It got much warmer today.. to 0 (-18 C). I'd say N Canada has the extremes more often but it can most certainly get "frigid" here.

Anyway, -30 to me feels about the same as -10 to someone who lives in a much warmer area. Acclimation makes all the difference. I thought I'd die my first couple winters here. Now I can handle it much better.

[dogzr#1]

And I though the 50's were cold! I feel like such a wimp! I can't handle temperature under 60*F or else I have to wear a sweater! I, too, can't imagine how you guys handle -40*! I would freeze to death in my own home!

[joanofark]

I only go outside if I HAVE to in this single-digit weather, but the snow days are always a big plus.

[CathyBogart]

It's been about 65 most of today and it was over 70 yesterday. I almost got a bit of a sunburn at the dog park!

[Daisy and Delilah]

And I though the 50's were cold! I feel like such a wimp! I can't handle temperature under 60*F or else I have to wear a sweater! I, too, can't imagine how you guys handle -40*! I would freeze to death in my own home!

Do I ever feel like a wimp!!! Holy Cow!! I'm just in awe over what I'm reading here from everybody. -40 I don't think I could stand it for 10 minutes. I'm just shivering on a day like today. It's around 50 here right now. Yikes!!

[chocolatepuppy]

We had -5*F last night and again tonight. It was 8* today and up to 12* tomorrow, a heat wave! Wind chills are even colder. You do get used to it a bit. When I take the dogs out it takes 5 minutes to get dressed. Lacey has sissy feet and can't stay out more than a few minutes or she will be stuck to the ground until spring!
My truck whinned in agony this morning but at least it started!
I don't mind winter or the cold, but I prefer 25* to this.