*Winter Survival Questions**

[elizabethann]

A tropical heat wave...

The temperature is up - to - 7 F! Woohoo, we broke zero! Tomorrow's forecast high is 18 F. The only good thing about an unexpected snowstorm is that snow on the car conceals how grossly dirty the car is because it's been too nasty cold to go to the car wash. Hurry up, spring!

I have to laugh at your post. I had to put something in my wagon's trunk this morning and ended up getting all filthy. I had that white dirt from my car all over my mittens, pants & jacket. It was gross.

[cyber-sibes]

Thought of another thing we do here in the cold. We have winter curtains and summer curtains. I grew up with this.

Holy cow, Sandra! I forgot all about changing the curtains! I grew up with that too! Maybe it's an east-coast thing? (Mom was from MA)

[areias]

It's now a balmy 65-70 degrees, and I was sweating while out riding my horse. It's supposed to be 75 tomorrow and through the weekend.

[Lizzie]

Thought of another thing we do here in the cold. We have winter curtains and summer curtains. I grew up with this. The winter curtains are heavy drapes. My mom even made one pair of fiber glass lined drapes for the living room. Summer curtains are sheers, lacy, and stay at the sides of the windows. Winter curtains get drawn across to help keep the heat in. I remember spending a week or more visiting aunts, neighbors and friends helping with the change over.

I do this also since I still have the aluminium framed windows the builder put in. I've caulked all around a few times, but I still need to keep them covered all winter. I don't even open my drapes at all during winter except for the windows that face south-east when we have some sunshine. I only heat two rooms in my house so keeping the windows tightly sealed is super important.

I grew up in homes that only had a fire in the kitchen and living room. The bedrooms, bathroom and hallways were unheated and bloody freezing. Funnily enough, I moved from that environment to Greece for a few years and became depressed by the constant warmth. Imagine not appreciating being able to wear only a skimpy cotton dress and flip-flops in December! I need seasonal change.

[cassiesmom]

Holy cow, Sandra! I forgot all about changing the curtains! I grew up with that too! Maybe it's an east-coast thing? (Mom was from MA)

I too forgot about taking down the summer curtains and hanging the winter ones! They were heavier than the summer curtains to keep the cold out. My grandmother lived in Minnesota when she was little so it might be an East Cost and Minnesota thing that moved to Chicago. I was just thinking this morning I should have heavier curtains on my windows.

[cassiesmom]

It's now a balmy 65-70 degrees, and I was sweating while out riding my horse. It's supposed to be 75 tomorrow and through the weekend.

I think I'll head down to Tampa and see if areias needs help mucking out.

[dogzr#1]

It was a 'chilly' 75 degrees today with party cloudy skies. Wonderful weather for a light sweater and a great day to be outside! I want it to be cold though! Like... having a high of 45 degrees with rain or something. We've had a couple days like that during this past winter, but too few IMO. I wouldn't say that I WANT to switch weather with some of you guys...but maybe you can sprinkle some of that 'coldness' over Texas!

[GreyhoundGirl]

It was a 'chilly' 75 degrees today with party cloudy skies. Wonderful weather for a light sweater and a great day to be outside! I want it to be cold though! Like... having a high of 45 degrees with rain or something. We've had a couple days like that during this past winter, but too few IMO. I wouldn't say that I WANT to switch weather with some of you guys...but maybe you can sprinkle some of that 'coldness' over Texas!

Well, if you are coming shopping in quebec with moi you'll get your share of "coldness" My friend who lives where I bought my belt said it was -39 yesterday, plus the windchill. Yikes! Here today it was a "chily" -32.

[Daisy and Delilah]

A tropical heat wave...

The temperature is up - to - 7 F! Woohoo, we broke zero! Tomorrow's forecast high is 18 F. The only good thing about an unexpected snowstorm is that snow on the car conceals how grossly dirty the car is because it's been too nasty cold to go to the car wash. Hurry up, spring!

WHOA!!! All the way up to 18 tomorrow? Break out the shorts and flip flops!! I've heard the weather reports for Chicago all over the news all day. I know alot of you are really starting to do a "Spring Dance"

[Freedom]

Hey Terry when you are on NOAA, check on Mount Washington. It is in New Hampshire, and has the harshest weather!!! And remember, scientists are up there ALL winter!!!!

[ramanth]

Well, we just figured out why our apartment has been so cold. The thermostat isn't properly working and there is no weather stripping around our front door!

Everytime someone entered or exited the building, it was sucking the warm air right out of our apartment.

We've had the furnace set at 75 and the thermometer we have says the apartment is 61 F. Maintenence is stopping by this morning to install weather stripping and a new thermostat.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I feel sorry for those poor scientists, Sandra!! What a dedicated group they must be(among many others of you here on this board). According to NOAA......does it ever warm up in that place?? I wonder if elizabethann is close to that area.

[Freedom]

Oh yes, I think it reaches 70 in the summer. It is a HUGE tourist attraction in summer time. Youc an either drive your car up or take a tour bus. I have never driven, the road loops and twists and you are constantly on the edge of the mountain; and coming down you ruin your brakes. I've been up in the tour bus 2 or 3 times. Wonderful views!

Here is the link to their observatory:
http://www.mountwashington.org/

Another good one, with photos.
http://www.mountwashington.com/weather/index.html

Here is the story of the auto road:
http://www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com/

Alittle known factoid: If you own a Honda, and you approach the ticket booth to driv eup the auto road yourself in your Honda, you are provided with a ticket for the tour bus instead; the Honda Corp knows their brake system can't hold out on the drive back down. At least, this was true in the 1980's!!!!

[Karen]

There is a third way to get to the top - the cog railway!

We've been up, in the summertime, and while it was 80 degrees that day at the bottom, it was only 60 or so at the top, so I got a sweatshirt out of the trip - they smartly sell them - as well as other trinkets - at the hotel gift shop at the top!

Mt. Washington is the highest of the White Mountains, elizabethann is - like most of New Hampshire's human residents - at a much lower altitude!

[pitc9]

It's gotten up to 16 here today! With the windchill of Zero!

Funny thing is... it doesn't FEEL warmer than yesterday's high of 12!