The North Pole seems to have moved south for the winter and we are shivering like castaways with hypothermia. Parking lots have become skating rinks, where we skid into the grocery store to replenish our emergency stash of bread, milk and toilet paper.
Plumbers are busy thawing out frozen water pipes and are expecting even more demand for their services when the temperature rises and broken pipes thaw. Furnace companies and tow truck operators are also doing a booming business.
I’ve become somewhat of an expert at slinging the ice melt on the driveway, looking for sales on fireplace logs, and watching TV reports about people that have it worse than I do. For those less familiar with harsh conditions, here’s a bit of unsolicited advice gleaned from experience:
HOW TO MANAGE COLD WEATHER
- Get out of bed.
- Turn up thermostat and get back in bed where it’s warm.
- Get out of bed again.
- Look for lost house slippers.
- Try to take a shower and get dressed.
- Call plumber to come and fix frozen water pipes.
- Use hair dryer to unfreeze lock on car door.
- Call AAA to come and start car.
- Drive with one hand at a time. Steering wheel is cold.
- Call and leave message that you are on the way.
- Try to control skids on icy street.
- Explain to neighbor that you are sorry about hitting the mailbox.
- Try to drive through major intersection with malfunctioning frozen red light.
- Sit in a traffic jam for an hour due to numerous accidents on the road.
- Look in rear view mirror and see car skidding toward your rear end.
- Exchange driver’s license and insurance information.
- Call and leave message that you are almost there.
- Park car and very carefully walk across frozen parking lot.
- Get up. Look to see if anyone saw you fall.
- Hope that your wrist is only sprained and not broken.
- Go to emergency room and have wrist x-rayed.
- Go home and call a furnace repair service to check your overworked furnace.
- Turn on TV and hear prediction for snow and more sub zero temperatures.
- Build fire in fireplace, pour a cup of coffee, and swear to stay inside until Spring.
Humor Columnist Blog 
Oh my gosh! I’m glad you made it okay. You took it in stride much better than I would have. Sounds as if your gas fireplace saved the day.
LikeLike
We had an ice storm come through after it snowed, my husband was able to use his new snow blower for the two inches of snow that we got. Tree limbs broke all over the neighborhood including our trees, but nothing hit the house. It will probably be spring before the branches will be thawed enough to move and cut off the lawn. And the furnace went out for about a week. At least we have a gas fireplace in the basement and used fans to blow the heat up the stairs. We also have a wood fireplace in the living room so we survived just fine. I still prefer the cool weather to the heat of summer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sharon. Stay warm.
LikeLike
So appropriate for our current cold snap. At least I hope it’s a snap and not an all winter thing.
LikeLike
Hello Sheila,
It is so cold here that I have little goose bumps on my arms and all the little geese are wearing sweaters. Have a great day. Jerry
LikeLiked by 1 person
The North is getting it much worse than us. I will be so glad when Jan & Feb are over. This frigid weather is over.
LikeLike