Winter just does not want to end – oh joy, oh joy

We are snowed in again. It snowed most of the day Friday and then froze solid last night. I commented in any earlier post that I would not complain about the cold again this winter. Well, this post is not a complaint. I have resigned myself that this winter is one of the tougher ones, and that complaining will not bring spring any quicker to the "Sun Belt." Besides, Punxsulawney Phil saw his shadow and we all know what that means.

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I was reviewing my journal this morning and came across comments about my love for winter.

"It is unusually cold for northern Georgia this morning. It is 13 degrees and the high might reach 34. We thought we moved away from this type of weather. My hands and legs are not functioning well this morning ... the cold makes my hands more clubs than functioning fingers and hands. They just do not seem to want to work. The cold also affects my ability to use my legs. I find myself feeling much weaker. Even though temperatures in the house are still comfortable, the cold still seems to affect the functioning of the muscles. I wear long underwear, wool socks, a hooded sweatshirt, and even have heat packs for my gloves. They all seem to help, but they do not eliminate the problem. Fortunately, we are supposed to be in the 60's again for Christmas."

Being born and raised in Minnesota, you would think these Georgia temperatures would not bother me. Winter was just a part of Minnesota weather and it never slowed us down. As a teenager, we camped out when it was 35 below zero. We would hunt, fish, hike, and play football and basketball outside no matter how cold it was. One of our favorite pastimes was to wander around town during snowstorms and help people when their cars were stuck (or occasionally buried in snow). We even would snow ski in the ditches of country roads while being pulled by a car. I think you get the idea. Winter was not a hardship in Minnesota. It was just another playground for kids.

I found this cartoon and it made me laugh. If you have ever milked cows in the wintertime, you will appreciate it.

Now, when the temperatures drop below 50 degrees, I have to wear gloves. It is frustrating when you are unable to pick up a piece of paper or a glass because my fingers and thumbs will not work. If it is cold (for the Sun Belt), by the time I come in from walking my dog, I have to run my hands under warm water or wrap them around a cup of hot tea or cocoa. When the temperatures are below freezing, I use the heat packs and they help. I also wear wool gloves inside of wool and leather choppers.

When we lived in Pennsylvania, many times while shoveling the driveway my hands just could not grip the shovel. Often I would just rest the handle on the wrist to continue to shovel the snow. If it was slippery, my legs would become fatigued quickly while trying to stand or walk. I would dread falling down because I knew I would not have enough strength to stand up without help. One time during a heavy snowfall, I walked through three foot of snow to fill up the bird feeders near the back of our property. On the way back to the garage, I lost my balance and went down. In the deep snow, I just could not stand up. No matter how I much I tried to leverage myself, nothing worked. I ended up crawling through the snow to the garage.

I was recently reading the KDA Forum. A fellow KD'er recommended something that might help during these abnormally cold days. "I have found when in severe pain to buy ThermaCare products. I use the lg/Xlg back warmer for back, neck, fingers (I wrap my hands in them), etc. There's one for knees! The neck one doesn't seem to give off enough heat. It makes a car trip bearable, the nighttime manageable, and daytime I can somewhat keep up with my kids. Well worth the cost. I buy in bulk at SAM's." I am not considering these ThermaCare products for pain relief; I want them to warm my body.

I wonder if Punxsulawney Phil would ever consider accepting a bribe?

 
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