10 survival tips for the coldest day of your life

Coldest day survival tips

Have you ever known ahead of time that a certain day was going to be the  _______  of your life? Fill in the blank with: worst, longest, happiest….? Well I knew going into today that it was going to be the coldest day of my life, and I have indeed had some very cold days, living in UP NORTH, Wisconsin as I do.

How does one prepare for the coldest day, when even the days leading up to that one date are cold in themselves? Do you just wing a monumental day such as this, Coldest one?

Well, I can tell you I did a little preparation:

1. Check your calendar. If you have an appointment in the “Big City” of say, Wausau, (an hour and a half away) reschedule it! Especially since the roads one travels to get there are not overly busy and if there is a problem, you only have minutes in the elements to handle it before your brain freezes over.

2. Fill your car with gas. This serves two purposes. First, if you have a problem on the road a full tank of gas can keep that heater going a very long time. Ideally, long enough for help to arrive. Secondly, if you are low on gas and there is even a little water in the tank, that water can freeze and cause problems. If your tank is full the problems are greatly reduced.

3. If your husband invites you to go shopping because all the stores will be empty of shoppers, decline.

4. If it has recently snowed, shovel BEFORE the coldest day gets here. If you have a pumphouse or other such that must be clear if there is a problem, shovel it, chip the ice out, clear it. You do not want to have to do this job on the coldest day of your life if you do have to get into the pump house to turn off the water main if you have a pipe burst. And just when do you think they are most likely to do this bursting? Why on the coldest day of the year, of course!

5. Start your car every once in a while. Let it run a bit. Sure you will use a little gas, but you will also know that it can still start when you need it to.

6. Teach your dog where to go potty. Go with him for a few weeks, monitor him closely. Show him pee/poo areas so he has complete confidence that he can handle the task without your guidance on the big day.

7. Things you schedule for certain days can be done earlier, or later. I suggest earlier so you don’t have them nagging on you and you can just enjoy the coldest day o the year knowing the trash is already out or whatever the task is you do on that day of the week, pick up the mail, wash the car, windex the doors, rake the roof… do it all early.

8. Call your mom. It’s probably the coldest day of her life too and she will be worried about you.

9. Stay inside, this is a perfect day to start planning your next holiday… Think warm locations!

10. Take a nap. It seems so naughty other times of the year, but a home stay on the coldest day of the year just screams nap!

Above all else stay warm!

Enjoy, only two more days just like this one! Cold. One more thing to note…. It might look beautiful out there, sunshining and all. But beware…. Hold tight, stay in and warm!

Everything you wanted to know about Shoveling

Red Jacketed Snow Shoveler, but not me.

I am a shoveler. Yes, Yes I am. While Victor is perfectly comfortable blowing snow from the warmth of the cab of his John Deere tractor, I, being the more earthy of the two of us, get a real warming out of buttoning up in my warmest red outer gear and grabbing the closest shovel to toss off a few inches of the white stuff blanketing our porches and walkways. To tread where no tractor dares!

This being my second year as chief shoveler, I have learned a few tricks of the trade I would like to share with you.

1. Don’t shovel into the wind. This is a lesson I should not have had to learn twice.. Okay. Got it? I thought I did too, but this afternoon my shovel full of snow was picked up and blown directly into my down-wind, upward-posed face as I watched my toss hurl back on me. Let me save you the bitter cold shock of making this mistake.

2. It is a good idea to be ambidextrous with your shoveling so as to not bulk up on one side and hobble around like Igor from Frankenstein.

3. Do not walk where you are planning to next shovel. Your weight will make a crushed patch of snow that won’t shovel up. Shovel first, then walk.

4. Sometimes a shovel is not the best tool for shoveling. Sometimes a simple broom and a sweep can get the job done. We have had the lightest airiest snow this season, very conducive to sweeping. Also, if you are looking to power tool the task, if it is light and blowing you can you the leaf blower. This does make the job somewhat more interesting, but definitely not quicker, not really slower either. No edge on timing.

5. Get your homecoming prepared before you leave. Simmer water for tea. Turn the fireplace on. Make it so you are in an position of instantly warming up upon return from the frozen tundra we  know as outside.

6. I can’t really afford the warmest jackets hot of the rack of our local clothing store…. But I can afford the warmest jacket from our local thrift shop and have one that I love to use for my shoveling days. It’s bright red so I won’t get lost in the snow and it has a hood. VERY important. No scarf or layers of scarves will ever replace a good hood. But you can add a scarf to a good hood.

7. Enjoy the free health club benefits of the snow removal ritual. You are working every muscle, especially if you follow tip #2. You can even shovel when you don’t have to if you want to keep the exercise ruse up without anyone the wiser.

8. Do not replace the newly lost calories with sweets and hot drinks like cocoa. Go straight to shots for the quickest warm-up.

That completes about as senseless a post as any. Although these are  good tips, most folks I know aren’t bound to a snow zone quite like we have gotten ourselves into. Laugh with me, Okay? I am really still laughing.