Friday, January 8, 2010

Fighting Back

Well, here we are in southwestern Missouri where the high temperature today was a whopping 5 degrees. When I lived in central New York, getting lake effect winds and snow, I expected these temperatures, but in Missouri??

I'm pretty well convinced that humans are meant to hibernate.


We have toads and frogs in the back yard that dig themselves into the ground to spend the winter. We'll see them again in late spring, when they pop their little heads out of the soil under the deck.


Bears certainly know enough to grab a long nap in the cold weather.


This cute little field mouse has a snack nearby for when warm weather comes and he wakes up.


Squirrels and chipmunks should know enough to hibernate, though the crazy squirrels that built new nests in the tree just outside our bedroom window don't plan to sleep while we're filling the bird feeders with tasty seeds.

I'm hoping that the skunk that invaded our yard a few months ago is soundly asleep. Better yet, maybe he moved to another county to hibernate.

Since neither my dogs nor my husband will let me hibernate for the next couple months, I've decided to get serious about fighting this cold.


First I dug out my sheepskin mittens that I took to Russia with me. Who goes to Russia in the middle of winter, you ask? I did. I blame the movie Dr Zhivago. Remember that scene where Zhivago and Lara are riding in their sledge thru the snow covered countryside? Everything was clean and frosty and beautiful. It was all that, but it was cold!!

These mittens are super warm. Never mind that they're so thick that I can't bend my fingers with them on. Forget trying to grasp anything with one hand. At least my hands were warm.


I took a heavy knit hat with me to Russia, but it wasn't warm enough, so I went native, so to speak, and bought this blue fox hat. This thing is super warm.


Mama bear is modeling it for you. I tried to get Samba to wear it, but her head is shaped wrong for it. These hats are really comfortable and so warm that you need to remove it now and then to let your head get some fresh air. I love this hat, but don't get a lot of opportunities to wear it here. This is one of those times.


Another necessary piece of clothing in Russia was leg warmers. Mine were red and I pulled them up over my knees. My knees get super cold, even when it isn't below zero degrees. I don't know where my leg warmers went. I think I got rid of them when we moved here. Who would expect to need leg warmers in Missouri? Now I need to find some. Do you think Walmart knows what leg warmers are?


To round out the picture, boots. Mine were brown, but similar to these. I loved those boots. Now I have some tan suede boots, but they aren't as much fun as those boots were.

So with my long, hooded stadium jacket, sheepskin gloves, Russian fox fur hat, leg warmers and heavy boots over my jeans and heavy sweater over my flannel shirt, I'm ready to brave the back yard to scoop poop. Not quite as glamorous as world travel, but a necessity of life.

16 comments:

LizzieJane said...

Oh you poor thing. I don't like the cold either. You do seem very well prepared though. I guess if you ask nicely I am sure some of the gang will come and give you a hug and keep you warm.
Have a nice weekend Sue and try and stay warm.
x

Sally Ann and Andy said...

Those are a lot of clothes. Mommy wears two hats. One is very silly. It is snowing in Atlanta, and it is very cold. I had to wear my winter coat today. Stay warm
Sally Ann

gMarie said...

Well I bet you looked fabulous! Too bad Mr. PWB didn't snap a photo of you.

What did you do wrong? JB and I made a deal hours before bringing Dudley home - unless I'm walking dogs alone - I don't do poop. Not on a walk, not at the dog park and certainly not in the back yard. It gets done, always, but never, ever by me!! g

Stella said...

I bet you have to get your knitting needles out for the leg warmers. You can send the blue fox hat to me.

25 below again tonight but hopefully starting next week, we will be in the aboves, like 20 for instance!

Keep warm and I will try for the same.

Cheers and hugs,

Jo and Stella

Scrabblequeen said...

Southwestern MO? I have a kid who lives just over the border from joplin (KS) and one who is up at Lake of the Ozarks. Are they freezing too, and not saying?

soulbrush said...

oh no, i am rolling on the floor with laughter, not at the icy cold, we have that too, and it is awful!!! but at the picture of you trying to wear all these clothes and then going out to do the 'poop scoop'!!!!...pleeese model them all for us, put the whole lot on and let rob take a photo, and if we can even see your face under all that i bet it will be hysterical.pretty please.

Lapdog Creations said...

Oh I think you should dig it all out and model for us!!!!

Kerry said...

Oh, those pink shaggy boots. Wouldn't you love them now?

Marjie said...

A relative was visiting from Southern Calif. about 5 years ago, and she had a friend who desperately wanted some of those furry boots. My relative found and bought them here, and shipped them to her friend, who tromped around LA in furry boots that winter. That said, I'm hibernating, too. Even with furry boots and a blue fox hat and those wonderful mittens, which I'm sure I could drive in, I'd be hibernating!

And, yes, my header is my back yard. The picture is taken from about 40 feet out my back door.

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

The cold has been ridiculous and unrelenting. But they say next week will be better. Can't even find the poop to scoop it here.

Woos, Phantom and Thunder

Molly the Airedale said...

Wow! Your mom is stylish scooping poop! Our mom isn't nearly as glamorous!
Stay warm!

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

Martha said...

We know all about the cold over here in Scotland!
Our mum is even wearing a hat! Something she never does but this is the coldest winter ever that she can remember.
Of course we dogs are quite happy in the snow but our humans like your thoughts on hibernating!
A nice big meal and then getting tucked up for winter awakening in the Spring is most appealing!
love
Martha & Bailey xxx

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

Our Mom has insulated bibbed overalls and a really heavy coat - she looks like a tubleweed - BOL!! If she fell she'd roll.

XOXO
Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Java

SissySees said...

I think leg warmers have had a small resurface in the fashion world, so you MIGHT find some... And I was fussing about 11 degrees at 8:30am here! I don't know what the low was, and don't care to find out.

i said...

Brrr...that sounds really cold! It's really hot where I am now.

Vivian said...

You find the cutest pictures. We are complaining about cold too, in California, a whopping 57 degrees. Stay warm!