*Winter Survival Questions**

[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.

[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

[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!

[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.

[Freedom]

Golly, you hit a spot for sure, this thread grew fast!!!

I think we should start a collection and bring Daisy and Delilah's mom up here for a week right now so she can experience all the fun first hand!!

The serious reason for keeping the gas tank full has been mentioned, to avoid condensation. But another reason is that, if the cover to your gas cap freezes, then you can't ADD any gas until it thaws! And yes, the doors may freeze shut, especially on the side getting hit with the wind. Many times I've only been able to open the passenger side and had to climb over to the driver's seat. Not too easy with bucket seats and the shift on the floor there!

There is stuff you can add to your gas line to help prevent freezing and condensation. And of course antifreeze in the radiator is a must. You better make sure you are using the right window washer or your wipers will freeze to your windshield and you will have a sheet of ice on there. For years Dad took his car in every Spring and every Autumn. Autumn was to winterize the car, have all the warm weather stuff drained out and the cold weather stuff put in. We use a different oil in the car in the cold weather, than in the summer, too. Then in Spring, all that had to be drained and the warm weather version put in.

I used to enjoy winter, when I was younger. I was into sledding, toboganning, and skiing. Now I can't do any of that stuff and I do not enjoy winter as much. I do find I plan my trips, based on the weather. Today for example I did NOT go out, and Sugar did NOT get her 30 minute walk. She was just in the backyard a bunch of times to stretch her legs.

When I worked in a professional office setting, it was common for women to keep "work shoes" in their desk drawer. You come in to work and shed all the outer garb, the boots and multi pairs of socks, and put on your "professional" look. Many women spent time in the ladies room adjusting their hair, and I mean TIME, with blow dryers and curling irons and all. Makeup is GREAT to protect your skin in the cold, so women always came in with that already on. Some of us even wore our glasses to commute and switched to contact lenses after we arrived. Since the cold wind can make your eyes water, that is not a good way to keep your contacts in. Many of the men where I was working came in and shaved after they arrived. Didn't like the cold on the just shaven skin.

I grew up in Massachusetts; in my 30's I lived in Maine for 5 years. I thought I knew what winter was. HA! Their snow plows for clearing the roads are humongous! My last winter there, we had a total of 127 inches of snow. That was it, I said "I'm outta here before another flake hits the ground!"

If you grew up in cold weather climes, you grew up seeming to "KNOW" all these things, it is interesting reading this thread and realizing how much we do "naturally."

[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.