Minus 50 Degrees

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

A friend living in brrr-Minnesota says the local wind chill is -50 deg. F. Her description brings the Midwest’s deep freeze closer and makes it more personal. That astonishing and brutal weather essentially snapped loose from its usual more northern position, and dropped onto our own middle and eastern parts. Aside from intense cold’s negative effects on residents’ daily lives, it hinders air travel, adds evidence of global warming.

My morning photo header is a 2016 selfie showing Rosie and me smack in the middle of Central Oregon’s worst, snowiest winter since the early 1990s. For years, this area’s old-timers warned me (a newbie) of possible periodic really heavy snows. They recalled daily snows unending and deep and wind chills registering way below zero. During my first 10 years in this area, annual snows weren’t overwhelming.

Suddenly, in 2016, snows that began falling didn’t quit for two months. Almost daily, new snow covered still-standing snow and filled the pathways we’d created. The snow depth averaged 3-4 feet, forcing us to plow, slip around, and somehow wade through its knee-high resistance. That season’s weather turned recent arrivals into old-timers. Now, we tell winter stories of our own.

That season challenged relentlessly. Twice daily, to feed large animals I waded downhill, and later had to trudge uphill. I strapped on snowshoes but found that traveling on them requires an experienced user. I tried to purchase a badly-needed snow blower, but every provider had sold out and couldn’t locate more. I attempted to shovel snow, but found its lovely fluffiness too heavy for a softie. Snow in gutters became heavy ice breaking off and leaving a gutter portion dangling outside a window. Fixers were too busy to help. When a portion of electricity failed, professional help wasn’t available. When the sink plumbing failed, I watched YouTube videos and tackled the problem myself.

Now, as an old-timer, I’m at the ready for bad winters. When the next one hits, my snow-blowers are on stand by, trickle chargers will maintain vehicle batteries, the heat pump is new, and my pellet stove is supported by stockpiled wood pellets. Heavy snows taught me lots of things. For example, I know that a broken gutter can hang until help’s available. I’ve taken pains to learn as much as possible about electricity and plumbing.

We define ourselves by how we cope. Regardless of whether we live in chosen or accidental locations, no matter the local weather conditions, individuals with the flexibility to adjust and adapt may remain undefeated.

Dear Readers, have a lovely day, and hopefully, warm weather. Diana