Well, it will definitely be a white Christmas here in Minot, and you know what? It’s not the Bi(n)g deal it’s cracked up to be. Has something with the forecast high being minus 5.
I have heard of minus 5, but have never experienced it
firsthand. Honestly, I’d be OK if I never did, but thanks to the Mayans being
horribly wrong, that appears to be unavoidable now.
Fortunately, I have a giant pumpkin suit on loan that has
helped me fight the cold.
This thing is warm. It’s a RefrigWear and is highway safety
orange, complete with reflective stripes. I mean, there is NO missing me in
this. (Though I do blend, because we have several of these at work and these
days, we’re all wearing them.)
I think it’s rated to something like 55 below zero, but I’m
OK with not testing that theory. However, it’s really so warm I’ve been looking
for excuses to pull it on and then go traipsing down the street. I even
shoveled something like a quarter inch of now just to test them again.
The outfit is in two parts, but so far I’ve just been
wearing the pants. They look like firemen pants; they have a high bib and
little overall-like things. (I’m sure there’s a word for these, but I’ve no
clue.) It zips and buttons up the front. The pants also unbutton/zip to the
knees, too, so you can wear cool LL Bean boots with them. (I shudder to think
of how much I’ve ordered from LL Bean since I’ve been here. This includes
today’s order, which I hope to be my last.)
The thing is bulky as hell, but it’s warm so who cares. I
love the thing. So far, though, the pants have been enough; I wear them and
then my LL Bean coat (in addition to the boots – either pair), which has a hat.
We at Hope
Village got a donation
from an oil company, Baker Hughes, for these things for volunteers to wear
while they’re working outside and fixing houses. Since at the moment, we don’t
really have any volunteers in, we’ve put them to use otherwise.
The little tag bills itself as “Visibility Safety Warmth”
and there is no doubt why “visibility” is listed first. Stand next to a fresh
snowdrift and the thing throws off an orange glow.
I’ve been walking to work, and since it turned bitterly cold
(this is the Weather Channel’s description) this week, I pulled on those
suckers – no easy feat – and hiked.
It’s fabulous. If anything, I’m sweating by the time I get
there. I’m not sure I’ll feel the same once the wind gets here, but for now I
am greatly amusing myself (as well as others, let’s be honest) by wearing the
things.
The only thing I haven’t figured out yet is the same issue I
had in Detroit.
I can’t cover my nose with a goiter or scarf without fogging up my glasses.
That’s a problem. But for now, the
cold just isn’t a huge one right now.
I made it to the winter solstice, so even though I recognize
it’s going to get horribly bitter, the days are at least getting longer.
However, I am going to be wearing that pumpkin suit as long as I can.
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