As the Snow Flies...Baby It's COLD Outside!

Pink Sunrise Before the Snows Fly
Pinks like these are a clue that snows are on the way...

See? Snows arrive in full force...
Michael is in the car on the left...ironically on his way to have snow tires put on the car!

We believe we are in the first swing of our winter season now, as the snows have arrived; and we do not anticipate temperatures above freezing from now until spring.  I'm not sure how you all feel about it, but we absolutely l-o-v-e the snow!  All of the yuck that comes with trees losing their leaves and grass and plants dying seems to turn joyous with that first snow that completely covers the ground. Hatcher Pass saw 17 inches of new snow, and the boarders and sledders have been out in droves...well, until the past few days.  We are into our third day of negative temperatures...yes, you read that right, negatives!  -2 or -3 isn't so bad; however, yesterday and today we awoke to -13 and -21 respectively here on this backside of Wasilla.  Amazingly, when we got to church in Palmer Sunday, the temperature there was nearly 4 above zero!  Such a drastic change in only a few miles -- but such is the life here.

For those of you that have not experienced temperatures that cold, allow me to delve more deeply into what happens to homes, vehicles, and your own person on days this cold:

1.  It is still possible to go outside without freezing solid; however, you MUST bundle up in layers and leave no skin exposed for any considerable length of time, lest frostbite begins to take hold.  We walked to the mailbox (1/2 mile away) with thermals, jeans, long sleeve shirts/sweaters, insulated bib overalls, wool socks, snow boots, coats, wool mittens, hats with face masks, and snow goggles or sunglasses.  Staying warm is not the issue when dressed like that. Breathing normally is...

2. You see, at certain temperatures (and we haven't figured out the exact temperature yet, except to say that it is below zero) something happens to your body when you inhale frozen air into your lungs.  The initial body response is a cough and a sputter, as if you are trying to breathe in poisonous gas.  Your body reacts (sometimes more violently that others) and tries to get you to "spit back out" any air that made it inside.  Once that situation is under control, most folks try to inhale by breathing through their noses.  This stops the sputtering, but creates an entirely new "symptom overload" for your unsuspecting nerves.  In case you have forgotten elementary and middle school science, allow us to remind you that inside our noses are tiny hairs -- used mostly for filtering out bad stuff (you know collecting the yucky dirt, mucous, etc. that tends to collect there throughout the day and making what we refer to as "boogies").  Couple those tiny hairs with what you know about the freezing temperatures of water.. and voila!  Nose hairs as stiff as boards that make it feel as if your nostrils are permanently frozen open, never to be closed and normal again!  A very deep inhale past all those frozen nose hairs leads to the chest filling with frozen air, and the sputtering begins again in earnest. Now the cycle of frozen breathing and sputtering is complete and will continue indefinitely until you return to the comfort of warmth inside you home or car.  Even boiling water evaporates on contact with such cold temperatures...

3.  Ah...but lest we forget...we should talk about homes and cars.  Temperatures inside hover between 63 and 67, and that is hot compared to the outdoors!  The warm air from inside the home crashes with the cold air outside the home, and creates nice ice spectacles on even the most insulated windows! Condensation forms inside, with resulting ice in all the cracks around the inside of the windows.

Hello Ice Creepers...it must be below zero outside!

Mealtimes are particularly brutal when the increased temperatures from the stove, oven, and/or crockpot add to the overall temperatures indoors!  And while our home is a newer home, even we have not been immune to the "ice creepers"...loving creatures that beg to get inside where it is warm, so they try to worm their way in through the cracks around the doors.  I'm not sure what people do who are truly homebound...as we have to open our doors at least twice per day to detach the ice creepers to ensure we can get out of our home in the event of an emergency.

4.  And once we get out...well, we are blessed with an automatic start for one of our vehicles.  We simply press a button and the car starts and the doors lock.  The truck...not so much. After battling the house ice creepers, we arm up to tackle to truck creepers.  Without an automatic start or a block heater, we manually start the truck and allow it to warm for at least 10 minutes before attempting to move it.  On really cold days (-20 or colder), the round tires actually form into squares -- SQUARES! So warming and driving slowly for the first few miles is necessary to ensure a smooth drive.

Before you feel sorry for us, keep in mind that the Interior (near Fairbanks) gets MUCH colder temperatures than we do.  These temperatures will usually only last a few days here, while they have been known to last for weeks there.  Engine block heaters and automatic starts are nearly as much of a requirement there as a tank of gas.  Here, we consider them "nice-to-haves," but not mandatory.

But that is why we carry "emergency kits" in the backs of vehicles.  Not your traditional ER kit, but extra snowsuits, gloves, hats, blankets, food, candles, etc.  In the event of a breakdown (particularly in a pocket that may not have cell service or another vehicle passing for hours), the ER kit could save you!  So for now...we wait...until Wednesday.

Wednesday, the temperatures return to "normal" and the snows return.  That will mean fresh wet powder for sledding and building snowmen; deeper, softer snow for tiring the dog on our walks; and a reprieve from "cabin fever."  Because let's face it...it must be really important to leave the warmth of snuggling in your home to brave temperatures like these.  We just pray for the folks who have to work out in it -- die hard Alaskans they be! Brrr!

The cold has driven the animals further down into our valley, and the moose are so frequent now that I think I'm the only one who still gets excited to see them.  They terrorize the dog, as she is afraid of her own shadow anyway, but they seem undaunted by our presence.  Even in the dead of night now, it is not unusual to see them in the moonlight bedded down out back or grazing on the tall dead weeds in the woods.

Things that go "thump" in the night...

Ethan and I made the mistake of trying to watch them through the downstairs bedroom window last week.  As we pulled the drapes back, the startled moose ran by the window, scaring us senseless!  If the windows had been opened, we could have put our hands out and petted him as he ran by.  But to hear his heavy 6+ foot body "thud, thud" against the house as he ran was just disconcerting enough that we ran upstairs to be higher than he!  If you google "moose inside," you'll likely stumble across an article about a moose who gained entry into the Wasilla Carrs grocery store last week by walking through the automatic doors!  They really are undaunted, and they go wherever they can.

So while the temperatures are colder, we are preparing for next hunting season and waiting until the lakes are completely frozen before we venture out ice fishing.  We thought we might try that last year, but the temperatures warmed up too quickly before we were eligible to fish.  I think this year will be better, as we've already seen some people ice skating on Wasilla Lake.  Personally...I think they may have been insane, as the temperatures have only been at freezing for a few days.  I, myself, wait until I see pick-up trucks driving out on the ice before I'll even walk on it.  Call me crazy, but call me warm and dry, too!

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We have also helped Ethan recuperate from his first dose of nitrous oxide and a tooth extraction. Nothing we could say could prepare him for his uncontrolled laughter; however, when the dentist said, "All done!" and he hadn't felt the tooth come out, he gave a huge thumbs up!

Tooth extraction - modern style!

Thank goodness his birthday was a few days later!  We got to celebrate pre-dawn, Frontier Alaska style.  Jeremiah Johnson happens to be one of his favorite movies, and a shout out goes to Mr. Corso for helping a young man's dream come true!  Now comes the binge watching of Mountain Men on Netflix and donning fur and leather goods!

Until next time, we love you all and miss you dearly!

"Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.
By the breath of God, frost is given..."
Job 37:9-10a