We have lived in MN since 1987 and it has not happened yet, but I am hopeing for a “brown Christmas”. Not ‘just because’ I am a ‘scrooge’ when it comes to holidays, but I am very happy with a dry frozen ground. Although we did get a light covering of slushy snow last night, that should evaporate in a few days.
I can’t help but remember what the “wooly worm” told me back in the fall. Kind of hate to bring up that “old wife’s tale”, but according to the legend, so far he is still right. According to his coloring we were to have a mild first part of winter, but then a nasty spring. It I very rare that we make it to mid-December and have not even had a decent snow yet in our part of the state. I think the twin cities have had more snow than we have. We have only had a couple dustings at our location. In fact we are in a fall drought and it was only yesterday that we had enough moisture to risk burning some brush piles that needed the torch.
One mild winter we did make it to Dec. 23 before getting snow that made for a white Christmas, but that is as close as we have come. At this point we have had such a mild fall that it is hard to think of complaining about any bad weather. Compared to what is “normal”, if there is any such thing, we have been in extreme ‘high cotton’ this year, so far. Only one day did we work outdoors that was even mildly uncomfortable and that was mainly due to a roaring wind, more than the actual temperature. I think we have only had a night or two that reached zero. We have seen much colder weather than that in early November, so we are a month past due to begin with.
After seeing many winters that can only be described as “hard”, it has been a great blessing to have had this mild year. The only thing that would have made it better, would have been to know this in October! We surely could have put off a lot of work that we rushed to get done before the snows hit, or at least have taken our good old time at preparing for them. Even the firewood pile still looks healthy, compared to what it generally does this time of year.
While we bask in the nice weather it is practically certain that soon we will forget all about this and be wishing for spring. It is remarkable how the human mind works. It will only take about a week of sub-zero weather to make us think we have been cold “forever”, especially if it hits us quickly as it is likely too this year. It takes a few weeks of cold for the body to adjust to the ideal and get the blood flowing properly. This year we have not had enough cold for our body to even realize it needs to ‘adjust’. We had a few days of cold a week or so ago and my body went into protest, I could not stay warm. That is why it is better if we get cold and just stay cold, once you endure a few days of it, you are acclimated and are able to go about your normal activities with very little attention paid to the temperature.
Speaking of staying warm. We heat with wood. That means at night, either someone gets up to put wood on the fire or the house is rather chilly by morning. It used to not be a problem, either me or my wife would be up and feed the fire. Somehow as we have aged, neither of us want to make the trip down the stairs to feed the fire, consequently it is in the 50’s when we get up in the morning. This is normal life for people in our part of the country who heat with wood, no big deal. I know plenty of people who prefer to keep their house cold most all the time, I just don’t happen to be one of them. Since middle age has crept up on me, I stay cold most of the year! The joke has been that “old men” in MN never shed their long underwear, expect maybe for the month of July. That used to be funny, but not anymore, I can quickly see that time approaching for me. I have to endure a lot of abuse from “Nordic types” on account of this too, but it make no difference, if I am cold, I’m cold.
Last week my wife bought me an electric blanket. Now that is a luxury I wonder how I have lived 50 some years without! My image of an electric blanket was the style that was common years ago. I remember seeing such a thing and it seemed heavy and stiff. I wondered how it could have been comfortable to sleep under. But the ones on the market now are a lightweight fleece type that is soft and hardly more bulky than a sheet. This blanket covering a light quilt makes my night much more comfortable, I don’t care how cold the house gets! Oh yes, our daughter has one too, so no one has to be cold during the night, unless the power goes off, then I can either get up and put wood on the fire or get my heavy wool quilt back out.
What this has to do with a “brown Christmas” I have no ideal, but such are the ramblings that goes on in “Ernie’s World”.
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