Cold - how do you stand it?

[VaSteve]

It's been cold here in the Mid Atlantic for a couple of days. In the 20's and really windy which is rare here. I hate the cold and have been cooped up indoors for the last two days (spent new year's in the garage on a project). Got me thinking...I know there's a bunch of you all over this country in much colder places like MN, MI, etc. How do you stand it? How do your kids deal with it?

[porsche4life]

Its been like that here too... My solution... Only go outside when necessary....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yeah the cold sucks but I see it as an excuse to get caught up on all the indoor projects I have backlogged. I haven't really noticed. A few minutes in the AM to warm up the car and a few minutes walking from the train station to work. No biggie.

Read more books I guess.

[peppy]

Bourbon seems to help

[TimT]

On the deck at my house in Vermont the other day



I have almost a cord of wood in the basement, and two cord outside under tarps.. Lots of books, puzzles, plenty of food and beer..wine, hard liquor ..satellite tv. dvds etc...

I do get stir crazy though sometimes.... then I go out on the lake and chat with the ice fisherman... those guys are truly insane..

The nearest store is about 30 minutes away....

Oh can see the Aurora Borealis some nights...

I like it here...

heading down to the flatlands tomorrow...

[TimT]

pic lost detail when resized...

Thermometer reads -10F

[Oh Haha]

Unless it's single digits or below, it really isn't a big deal. You just have to dress for it.

I took the Christmas lights down today and some other small jobs outside today and I had only running shoes, sweatshirt, jeans, and a light coat on. I think it was around 20 degrees at the time.

If it's stupid cold and the wind chill is below zero we stay indoors.

[djmcmath]

It's cold here, too -- well below freezing, without even the snow to make it entertaining. I'm using it as an opportunity to identify and repair the drafty spots in my old house. It's much easier to find them when the temperature differential is this extreme.

[Embraer]

windchill was in the negative teens last night here. ...the kind of cold that sucks the air out of your lungs and makes it hard to breathe.

just wear layers, with gloves and a hat. i don't mind it, but the cars hate it. power steering fluid congeals in those temps...

[71T Targa]

It was -16 last night. There was frost on the front door hinges. Inside...

[911Rob]

From the Great White North.....

there's something called "tempering" and its a lesson I've taught all my kids. We get tempered to our climates. I can swim in freezing cold water and I can stand minus temps without a jacket.... How? You temper yourself to the climate. You have to learn how to re-climatize your body to the temps..... it's easy to do and also a mind set.

Your body gets used to a certain condition and then it adjusts to it, if you change the condition then you get cold or hot; you'll see the Californians wearing jackets in their winters when the temps are like Tshirt weather for us.

You may not notice this as much in warmer climates, but I used to work in Edmonton, outdoors and the first time it hit -20C we'd just about crap (November), then it would get to -30, -40, and sometimes colder well into January. By the time the temps hit back to -20 we'd all be running around without our jackets saying how warm it was. This is a true story.

It also becomes a mental thing. If you tell yourself that the water is too cold to swim in at 65F, then it is and you'll have to wait until July when it goes over 70F; but if you tell yourself that 65 is acceptable, then you'll be water skiing like a pro in no time because you just extended your water skiing season by 3X's

Hope it warms up for you..... I always tell my wife she should've been a California girl, she doesnt care for the cold either.

[Racerbvd]

Put the cold out of your mind, if you keep thinking about the could, you will stay cold.. As I type this, it is a freezing 42F here in FL.

[Rick V]

Well it bothers my hands and knees so badly that I don't notice my teeth chattering.

[widgeon13]

I ski patrolled all last week and 11 hours yesterday, one day last week it never got above 0 and the wind was blowing 18 - 20 mph, putting the wind chill somewhere around -15. When it did get to 20 degrees on one of the days it seemed balmy. Being in and out all day yesterday, when i got home I was cold and it took me a while to get comfortable. The wind makes it really uncomfortable for me but I wear Columbia long underwear under snow pants and goretex parka and mittens when it's really cold and I'm actually quite comfortable.

There is no doubt, it takes some getting accustomed to the cold. I know when I'm outside all day I consume more calories and easily burn them off staying warm and working.

[VINMAN]

I'm one of those freaks that actually enjoys the cold. Love the snow. Always was big into winter activities. Skiing, winter camping, ice climbing, moutaineering. Got a camping trip coming up in a few weeks up in NWNJ.
Just gotta dress for conditions!

[Buckterrier]

Keep your core warm.

[m21sniper]

I hate the cold. I hate everything about it. In my youth i could tolerate it. Now i totally avoid it. I tend to hibernate as much as possible in the cold months here.

[Rick Lee]

75 and sunny here today. Gawd, I love it in AZ. I never want to see snow again and I certainly will never live somewhere that I can't wear shorts every day.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

You may not notice this as much in warmer climates, but I used to work in Edmonton, outdoors and the first time it hit -20C we'd just about crap (November), then it would get to -30, -40, and sometimes colder well into January. By the time the temps hit back to -20 we'd all be running around without our jackets saying how warm it was. This is a true story.

Yeah, you get used to it. I grew up in temps much mellower than Chicago's winter. Now when I go home to visit for the holidays, they think I'm nuts for wearing just a sweater when it's 45-50 degrees.

I do draw the line at running in this crap - I lay off my training once temps are in the teens. I passed a couple just a bit ago, running in 7-degree weather. Running friends say it rips the fat off, though.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

75 and sunny here today. Gawd, I love it in AZ. I never want to see snow again and I certainly will never live somewhere that I can't wear shorts every day.

Remind us how much you love it when it's 140 and you cant walk outside because your shoes will melt.

Az....no thanks.

There is such a thing as a happy medium.