Temperatures have been the stories lately. Both stories ended better than they began.
I'll start with cold. We moved back north for family. We're getting older, and are well aware that time has its limits. There are grandchildren and great grandchildren, and we'd both like to see more of them, and not be strangers. It doesn't mean we connect like next door neighbors, but we do manage to see them more. We also see our own "kids" more.
The pay for that is winters. That means cold temperatures for bodies which have forgotten how to adjust after twelve years living where it might hit freezing once or twice a year, and maybe we needed to wrap an outside water pipe or run the water every couple hours over one night. Maybe even both. Maybe neither when the drop stopped at 35 degrees. As for us personally, we stayed cozy except for half a minute running a bag of trash out to the garbage can, possibly even without a jacket, and bare footed. OK, I won't be annoyed if you call that "spoiled". We loved it.
Cold was slow in coming this fall to this part of Minnesota. It barely stopped hitting highs in the mid 50s when we got our first snowfall, and that melted away in time for more leaves to fall and squirrels to keep raiding before tucking away in their aerial nests.
It had to end. Rabbits are leaving footprints in half inch snowfalls now and they show for days because nothing melts. The lakes are starting to freeze over enough to support a little snow and turn white. They're not sturdy enough to support anything else, so there are already rescues happening... or perhaps just recoveries in certain cases. News reports are vague, and we are reminded "they're not dead until they're warm and dead." An occasional open bay in our area reveals that not all the ducks and swans have flown south yet, and I feel as sorry for them as I do for myself. Because when I head to work in the morning, it means starting up the car at 6:30, running it long enough to start to warm up so my muscles are not locked rigid and shaking for the trip.
It isn't enough heat in those trips to thaw my washer fluid. Turns out I was wrong when I thought I'd fixed it - not enough draining off water to make room for the antifreeze. I'm hoping tomorrow's anticipated 33 for a high will do it. I need to drain more mostly-water from the lines and add more antifreeze to them so they're good for giving me a view when it drops down to or below zero again. It's just a bit too challenging to drive when one can't see, especially two hours before the sun pretends to pop up. Cold cars are new to me because even in the old days, it only took two miles from the driveway to be able to get heat pumping into the car, and driving all day kept it - and me - warm. Now most trips are 5 miles or under. Even the next big town over isn't far enough over to thaw the washer fluid lines, and that's a 24 mile round trip.
I finally changed out a couple things to make my own life better. I switched a ball cap for a knit one, and bare hands for leather gloves, but then when my fingers were still cold, swapped those for ski gloves. OMG wonderful! I've never skied before so never thought to get ski gloves. They're the perfect combination of flexibility and warmth, with the comfort of a soft inside. Of course, as in so many other choices, I went to the men's department for them. It's where actual quality can be found, like in shoes, heavy hunting socks, or heavy sweatshirts. Fashion be damned!
I do have one really nice thing for winter warmth, a down jacket. I've worn it twice. There are issues, however. The first one is on me: I've been saving it for the really cold days. Nevermind I'm miserable in the cold now. I keep telling myself maybe I'll finally adjust, and I'd better or once it's really cold even the down won't be good enough.
Silly? Let's not get smug about it, eh?
I found if I try to put the hood up, it's a bit oversized. By "a bit" I mean it comes forward and down to my mouth! I have to wonder whether the really big hairdos are coming back in again, and they are so bouffant they actually raise the hood so one can see where they walk and where cars are coming from, or if the designer actually thought they were a practical idea. Maybe their fame has "gone to their head", so to speak? There are no pull strings so one can tighten it around the face. No snaps to bring it together. It would be something of a head scratcher but I can't reach it way back under the hood. So, make sure one of the knit caps is in a pocket. And the ski gloves in the other. Where the car keys, phone, and pocket book go after that....
But the other issue is actually getting it on. Yes, the size is fine. Perfect in fact. My shoulders aren't. Both of them hate to do anything involving strength or flexibility above their own height. And dressing in multiple layers counts on the hate list. Even a sweatshirt or fleece top over another knit shirt is a challenge. They tend to first get trapped at the elbow. Maybe you're scratching your head and asking Huh? Wha..? Next time you add a non-slick layer over another, tuck your elbows in to your side and try to proceed. If the second top gets past that point it invariably is twisted at the shoulder and never quite gets up on top of it. Or them, as most of us have two.
Believe it or not this is turning into a good thing... when Steve is awake. Now we've long since had things worked out where I can help him get stuff up off the floor where his back refuses to allow him to bend for it. It frustrates him and encourages him to feel inadequate when he has to ask for help. I insist it's not necessary, it's just what life is these days, and point out his other reliable good points. Besides, reaching the floor is easy for me. But now I'm the one needing his help in getting dressed for cold weather. I'll start the needed garments and wander out to the family room looking like a trussed headless turkey or whatever - he's much too polite to say - and I can back up to him while he sets everything straight in a minute, or two with really stubborn clothing.Winter has found a way of putting us back on equal footing again. Not that it was necessary, but it's brought us even closer to each other. We "work" as a team. Balance is restored.
Warmth has made some changes in the household as well. You all know Steve's back has just gotten worse as time has passed. Practically everything that can affect a back has taken a toll on his, and things that help for a while quit making a difference down the road. My avid fisherman hadn't dropped a single line last summer, with lakes and rivers all around and rides and invitations regularly on offer. We don't go together in the car unless necessary, not to visit family, see places with great memories where we'd like to make more, almost nothing but doctors' appointments. He decided he needed to adjust his 1-to-10 pain scale recently when way too often 9s were being overwhelmed by 12s.
Along came Black Friday sales, and by 'Friday" I mean all week. But you already know that if you've been awake. Something caught my attention in an ad, so without giving it away yet, I asked him if he had any idea if heat would help his back pain. After all, he regularly uses a rice sock heated in the microwave for three minutes to drape across his knees when they ache. He thought it might be worth a try. Medication cocktails haven't done much. Neither P.T. nor inactivity have done much. Surgery needs to be repeated but we're waiting on that. So I went ahead and ordered his early X-mas present.
It calls itself a vest, though it has no real front, just a long wide back and two extensions that drape over the shoulders. There also are a couple pair of elastic straps connecting in front to hold it in place while it's plugged in and working. During that time - in 30 minute intervals - you have your choice of heat levels and vibration patterns. For well over a grand more than the standard lift chairs, like he already has, there are lift chairs which have those extras built in. Of course, if anything wears out the whole thing needs to be replaced - at a price much steeper the next time, because that's always the way. We had given that a thought... and walked away. This thing has a warranty and cost less than $50, including that warranty, shipping and tax.
He tried it right away. There was a bit of figuring what connected where, and how to add one more thing to the power strip so they didn't block each other, of course, since those prongs always emerge from big clunkers instead of small plugs. Once connected, Steve pushed the right buttons, leaned back into gently vibrating heat... and slowly let a big smile envelop his face.
Merry Thanksgiving Christmas!
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