FORGIVE ME if you’re not from Minnesota. But we Minnesotans obsess about the weather, especially in winter. We have good reason. With snow and cold hanging around for six months or more, the weather definitely impacts our daily lives.
Take my life.
Sunday night my husband grilled chicken and potatoes in the Weber grill atop the snow mountain that was once a backyard patio. The temperature hovered around 10 degrees.
This morning, when my 16-year-old left for school, the temperature registered 15 degrees. That’s 40 degrees warmer than the minus 25-degree reading on Friday morning when he refused to walk eight blocks to school.
The past two days I’ve had an upstairs window open with a fan blowing hot air outside. Sounds crazy, I know. But I’ve been staining and varnishing window trim on the second floor and the fumes were getting to me. I had a headache. My mouth tasted like stain and varnish. Not healthy. So for some six hours, that window remained open on Sunday and is still open today.
But, hey, the temperature this afternoon is a balmy 28 degrees, so it’s not like I’m allowing sub-zero air into the house.
WHAT TYPES of crazy things have you done in the cold of winter?
© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
I have SEEN people jump WILLINGLY into a lake of cold water. Me, I like to think I am brighter than that! Shorts in the snow I did one winter before we got ready to go to Florida…
I’ve SEEN many a polar bear plunge on TV and have always wondered how those participants can possibly jump into an icy lake. But it’s for a good cause–usually to raise monies for something. Still…, I doubt I could take the plunge or wear shorts outside in the winter, even if I was heading south to Florida.
My Uncle in Pine Island cooked outside all winter. We were there for a visit in February 1978 and he cooked our steaks on the outdoor grill, at that time I thought he was batty. Since your husband does this too, maybe my Uncle wasn’t so batty after all?
Wind chill factor that visit was -60. Along with beautiful sunny skies.
My husband loves to grill and I really appreciate it because this gives me a break from cooking. He once made a Christmas turkey in weather that was 25 – 30 degrees below zero.
My husband smoked a 17 pound turkey on his homemade smoker last week when it was -25 degrees out……it was delicious!
The grilling in winter Minnesota men should form a club. Good for your husband to smoke a turkey in such cold temps. Sounds mighty tasty on a harsh winter day.