This morning, as I waited for the bus, the sign outside the bank flashed "7:00 am OF" and I wondered what the "of" was about. Then I realized: zero degrees Fahrenheit. Oh my.
The boutique has bunnies maddeningly in the window. The only thing bunny-like these days is my new-thrift-store Angora sweater. Which is very warm. These days really the only thing we can think about is Warm.
We will have earned Spring. An area-wide jubilation and victorious cheer shall ring out: no equivocating or debating sides on that one. In the huddled and shivering area of central NY, this has been the coldest winter on record.
We are bonding over this cold. We always have something to say to each other. Whether riding the bus, changing at the gym, or waiting in the post office line. "Did you see Thursday's forecast?!", "Stay warm out there!", "Gee my hands hurt, how are yours?
I never thought I'd be saying this, but when 27 degrees happened today it felt astonishingly balmy. I unzipped my coat and left my ear-flaps up. Which is the equivalent of practically ripping off one's layers and prancing about in skivvies.
It is too cold even to bicycle the 0.8 miles to the bus stop in the morning. I tried once, and upon arrival the cold had drilled into my thumbs till they were no longer mine; I reverted to a thumb-sucking toddler to reheat. The Bicycling (Very Cold For Short While) vs. Walking (Moderately Cold For Long While) debate in this case becomes the Insurmountably Cold for all activities and hands must be contained in a matryoshka doll manner of gloves>>mittens>>pockets. And one cannot utilize pockets on a bicycle.
But even with the Call To Warmth, I only drive my car if my aunt gives me That Look and wields her presidential veto power to keep me warm. But I prefer to be out in the truth of this winter, actually, and I am protected thanks to my brigade of wool and puffy coat and hat-that-makes-me-look-like-a-lamb.
And so a crunching cracking grinding swishing walk it is in the mornings, and I am lulled by the bundled movement and gaze out into the frozen rainbow sunrise sherbet which is the world. This is beautiful. And walking home at night, with the half-moon reflecting in the black ice and the points of stars pricking sharply, is also one of those times where I actually would rather be nowhere else.
But only because I have my hands in my pockets.
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| Figure 1. Angora rabbit. |
1 comment:
It's been the coldest February on record here, and we broke the local record for coldest temperature, as well. We've regularly had temperatures around -25ºC (-13ºF), with wind-chills down in the -35ºC – -40ºC range (-31ºF – -40ºF). Schools have closed a few days because of the cold. I've biked through it all, and the key is good warm clothing, lots of layers, and no exposed skin. I double-up wool glove-liners with good warm (wind-proof) mittens, and my hands stay pretty warm. Most of the time, actually, I tend to over-dress, and then I'm really thankful for the wool — it stays warm even when I sweat!
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