Coping With The Cold.

Being new to dealing with truly frigid weather, we had to stock up on apparel that could get us through an Idaho winter. Of course, we had gloves and sweaters and jackets and wool socks, but we needed more. A lot more. So we hit REI and bought fleece jackets, vests, and thermal underwear (both silk and wool).

We also found some cold weather gear that we as long-time denizens of a subtropical climate zone had no idea even existed:

Fleece-lined waterproof snow boots rated to -48F.

Waterproof, Thinsulate-lined shoes. MMM-toasty.

And my personal favorite: flannel-lined jeans.
Like a cozy flannel blankie for your legs.

So we're prepared for the worst, but so far it has not happened. Other than the big dump in early December, we've seen little snow, and the little we have seen tends not to stick. Temps have been mostly in the high 30s to low 40s, dipping into the high 20s in the early morning. We've had a couple mornings in the teens, but mostly not. This means that the chore of scraping the ice off the windshield is usually minimal. (It's significantly more difficult when the temp is in the teens than it is when we're enjoying a brisk morning in the high 20s or low 30s.)

Most people tell us that this has been a mild winter, but others claim that this pattern has been typical for at least the last ten years. All we know is that it has been quite bearable, far less frigid than we had imagined, especially since we rarely spend a lot of time out in the cold. And it looks like the worst is over: this week we're enjoying bright sunlight and temps in the high 40s, practically balmy. Not that we wouldn't welcome a little heat wave, say 60-70, for a few days, but we're quite thankful that we've avoided the horror that has hammered the Midwest and the East.

P.