Getting Used To It.

I just checked the Pioneer Press web site and it is 1º F as I write this. Despite the cold, it did snow a couple of fluffy inches. I shoveled before work and after supper today although the snow was so light and airy I could have used the leaf blower.

Shoveling did allow a couple of things:
1. Time outside. Today was the first significant amount of time I spent outside that didn't involve walking into a building from a parking lot.
2. I noticed fresh tracks. There is another small mammal prowling around my house. I noticed tracks circling our house and branching off to the neighbors. I just got rid of the bush-eating rabbit (due to his fatal fall into my egress basement window well).

The cold is affecting my workplace. Kids at school have not been out for the past 4 school days and it's taking it's toll on the teachers and students. Even having the kids gets dressed and run around the building for 3 minutes would be an improvement.

I've adapted comfortably to the cold by doing the following:
1. Idle the car before driving. I'm afraid if I don't, the important parts of the car will snap, shatter, or explode.
2. Wear hat, boots, gloves, and coat outside. Like Dad used to say as we dressed to do chores as kids, "It's not a fashion show." And like Garrison Keillor has said,"There's nothing fashionable about winter. Especially when the cold causes a constant trickle to run from your nose."
3. Lotion my hands obsessively. This is the pothole season for skin. Since I work with 26 germ-carrying kids a day, I wash my hands a lot. Wet skin + cold = cracks.

Driving to work today the boys and I came across a semi-truck struggling to get up the St. Boni hill. This hill is a steep 300 yard climb from stop lights. It's no problem if you've got a running start, but if you have to go from a dead start you better have 4-wheel drive. I saw the problem in front of us as we waited at a red light. We detoured around it and later came upon a Minnetrista cop in the ditch. I'm glad my morning didn't start like that.