First Storm

The first storm of the season blew in last night, and it is, indeed, all about the wind.  Perhaps being on the second floor causes me to be able to hear and feel it more, but it was pretty impressive waking up in the middle of the night to realize building vibrations from the wind were shaking the bed.  It felt like someone else was there just gently shaking on it.  In fact, I had a bit of a start when the electricity went out and came back on.  All at once the printer/scanner started rebooting, and with the bed moving at the same time I thought, just for a second, that someone was there!

Of course, being a holiday today, I was looking forward to getting out more than what I have, but it's given me a chance to see just what a storm is all about.  The winds today have been sustained anywhere from 30 to 40 mph with gusts to more than 50.  I know that with winds like this in Miami we would have been advised to stay inside.  I didn't know if people would stay inside here; there was much less movement since it was a holiday anyway.  This morning was more blustery than the afternoon, and all I saw were a couple of cars on the road.  I had wanted to go to the grocery store to get just a couple of things that I needed in order to use up some perishables I already had before leaving town next week, so I was glad when my neighbor said she would be up for walking there with me (it's time to stop using the ATV). 

It took about 15 minutes to get all my clothes on:  the t-shirt I had on, long sleeve t-shirt, fleece jacket, coat, glove liner, glove/mitten combo, balaclava, scarf, knit cap, snow goggles, long johns, flannel-lined jeans, poly sock liner, thick socks, boots.  I was, however, toasty-warm on the way there.  It wasn't as cold as it looked from the window.  It's gotten down to about -5 so far.  Today, with the snow, it was warmer -- up to 10.  But I thought the wind would make it icy.  (It must have been much colder in Noorvik the other day when I got off the plane because with the wind there it felt super cold.)  It was actually a very nice walk to the store.  It's the little things that make a difference.  The coat (I'm speaking in terms of "so far," I know I have much more to experience), doesn't make all that much of a difference.  You can layer up underneath it to stay warm.  Mittens, though, are much warmer than gloves.  The scarf is essential for covering mouth and nose that can feel the cold quickly.  I have to work on getting more scarves.  I'm using one Mom gave me when I went to work in Boise a couple of times one winter.  It works well, but it's a little short.  Long scarves are great because you have to pull on the ends occasionally to keep it snug around your face or neck.  Today, with blowing snow, goggles were the jackpot.  Without goggles, the cold and wind make you tear up and squint, and you just can't see anything. 

I did have on a few too many layers, though, or at least I should have taken more off at the store.  I was sweating by the time I checked out (maybe 15 minutes), and that's not a good thing.  It's a bit of a hassle keeping up with all the pieces.  I need an extra bag just to carry them all when not in use.

I did carry the camera today, and my neighbor got one photo.  Some didn't turn out well because the snow made big spots on the lens.  But here you have it -- the Michelin Man in blue!  This was about 4:30 p.m.