Feeling negative from the start

/ January 13, 2015

I heard the furnace running before I opened my eyes. I did not hear the furnance stop.

I heard my dear wife Karen open the door to the back porch to step out and open the back porch door so Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle could do her Tuesday morning thing and felt the dog bound back up on the bed next to me in what seemed to be a flash.

Time to get up and face reality in our cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.

Elllie B aka Dogamous Pyle is cold on Tuesday morning in Syracuse, N.Y.

Elllie B aka Dogamous Pyle is cold on Tuesday morning in Syracuse, N.Y.

Ellie B is back on the bed covers. She’s not stirring even after I poured her breakfast cup of food into her bowl.

Cold off the back porch.

Cold off the back porch.

Cold out the living room window.

Cold out the living room window.

It’s looking absolutely frigid no matter my vantage point. No steps were taken outside to capture these shots with my iPad Air.

OK, let’s get a sharper shot on the situation with the new LG.

"Today" tells me the temperature.

“Today” tells me the temperature.

The true tale of the degree of this morning cold is seen on the bottom right. That’s minus-5 F at 7:51 a.m.

Don’t worry, it has to get better, right?

Keep looking at the bottom right corner.

Keep looking at the bottom right corner.

Nope. Make it minus-7 F at 8:02 a.m. That’s straight temperature, mind you, not wind-chill. The local weather guy Peter just told me that’s 20-below.

Good morning from Syracuse, N.Y. I hear Karen stirring still as she gets ready to depart for her job at SMG. I’m again working from right here on my recliner in the living room. Better deal this day for me. I’ve already pulled out my new Syracuse hoodie as the shirt of the day anyway.

What’s the coldest it’s gotten this winter where you live? Did you have to go out in the cold, or did you get to stay home? What do you do to fight the cold?

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91 thoughts on “Feeling negative from the start”

  2. While not the coldest weather I’ve experienced, it was the most memorable. On January 19, 2004, my kids and I left Scranton, PA early in the morning to catch a flight to our new home in Arizona. It was -9 degrees without chill factor, -109 with chill factor (that last part I made up but Dear Lord Have Mercy it felt THAT cold.) It was as if PA was kicking me in the tail out the door! When we arrived in Phoenix, my husband was very easy to spot in the crowd. He was wearing a T shirt and shorts 😀 Sending you, Karen, and Elli B warm sunshine ~~~~~~

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  3. ha ha ha ha it is a sunny day of 32C ( apx.89F) but we do have unusually high humidity of 50 % +.. I live in a desert region so that is high for here. rug up all of you before you know it it will be spring..

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  5. I won’t tease you with my Florida weather this time, Mark. When I lived in NY, I fought the cold by stapling a quadruple layer of thick plastic in my windows and sliding doors, and filling some panty hose with dry beans and putting them in the bottom of the doors and windows. That helped IMMENSELY with keeping the warm air in and the cold air out. Recently, I just heard about using large bubble wrap and misting your windows with water then sticking the flat side of the bubble wrap against the window to help insulate. Good luck to you, Karen and Ellie B, my friend! ❤

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  6. I get it, Mark! It’s been frigid in Chi-town too. And I thank God each and every morning that I telecommute. Drive my little guy to school and then I can hunker down. Wishing you a snuggie (ha:)) and cup of hot chocolate . . .

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  7. Pingback: Spur of the moment beach walk | One Good Life in Los Angeles

  8. Do not want you to feel worse because Southern California does not get anywhere as cold as you are describing. Occasional really cold mornings might get into 30 or 40s. But we have been in the 60s and 70s this week during the day. If it was as cold here as it is where you are I would probably find it about impossible to leave the house. 🙂 If I really want to see snow I can head up to the mountains in the winter.

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  9. It’s been about -38 here at the coldest, not unusual to tip into the -40s with wind chill. I hate the cold, but it’s part of living in the great white north. I have terrific seat warmers in my car (which is also a convertible, funnily), and a hot tub, and a fireplace. Warm mittens.

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    • You are armed for the winter in the great white north, Jay. Good for you. And the summer with your convertible. Long, sunny days, if you’re way north. Really good for you! Thanks for coming by to comment.

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  10. Cool up here in Ottawa Mark. One day last week it was -25 C which is about -17 F plus windchill -34 C or about -30 F (celcius and fahrenheit are the same at -40) It warmed up a bit over the weekend (still well below freezing) but is now back down to -18 C (about -1 F) as I write this. A tad nippy. Keep warm my friend.

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  11. I miss teaching school when snow days or cold days or fog days were the way we still got paid but didnt’ have to weather the storms or bad drives. I live closer to this job now, but would go back in a heartbeat to my 40 minute commute just to have some extra nice cozy days to stay at home in my little apt.
    Mark, I have had very cold weather up on Lake Erie, so sometimes I will roll my eyes at people complaining about the cold. Also, they were starting right away in November. I wanted to say, “It is just the beginning, folks!” I don’t like freezing weather but when I put on layers including a scarf around my neck and over my nose, double warm gloves together, I could go on a nature walk like I used to when I dated Bill (or Mark). We would go for one hour sometimes, which is very invigorating. These days, minus the male motivation, I stay home after I blog or if I am not out going somewhere. The destination is what is all about lately… Thanks for showing us Ellie B’s response! Smiles!

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    • Walking in the winter is fun sometimes, and invigorating always, but you like it better than I do, I think, Robin. I stick to the mall! Ellie B doesn’t want to walk outside when it gets this cold, either. You hang in there. I try not to complain, like you say, until it gets to this point. 🙂

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  13. We’ve gotten to about -5 or -7, with wind chills down to -25. Yes I have to go out in it. But work is pretty flexible. I do have home visits to do as part of my job. But unless it’s a desperate situation they don’t want us risking our safety either so caution is advised.

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  16. matching you degree for degree, Mark. Haven’t been above zero for days. Though I hear we’re going to hit 35 (them’s Texas temps!) over the weekend so that will be lovely. I don’t go out much for work, unless I am working at the client’s which is only maybe 20% of the time. I do get out to take my kids to the bus stop (overprotective perhaps, but I don’t let them walk even the 2 blocks to their stop in these temps. Especially the little one who likes to stop and play in the snow. Should be no stopping in this weather.) And I often pick the kids up at school to take them to lessons or whatnot and in the evening we have to leave the house for confirmation, basketball, gymnastics, whatnot. Tonight it’s a band concert. Ridiculous, really. Took the new kitty to the vets this morning and they had to de-worm him (again). So I’m going to meet you point-for-point in the negative contest. Which is hilarious as I think we’re both qualified optimists as Sagittarius. What gives? Thank goodness for hoodies and working at home and furnaces. Always a bright side.

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  17. Even Ellie B looks as though she has had it with that white blanket–more of a wet blanket–of snow. I braved the 37 degrees to get my hair did, and I look very Charlie’s Angels right now, so I feel better than you do. Don’t wear that hoodie where the wind comes sweeping down the plain; I think they’re passing laws against such articles of clothing. Dang, this used to be a really great country back in the day! Well, thank God for global warming at least.

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  18. We hit -3 a few times last week. The average high in January is 43 and we have remained well below that. Very little in the way of sun. It’s quite cold today but they are predicting 55 this weekend and sunshine. The car washes and golf courses will be full.

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  23. AY, Dios Mio! Que frio! I am under my covers as I write this, Mr. B. It’s 11:21 and I can’t get up. The house is freezing and I am too cold to get up to turn the heat up. 🙂 We are experiencing a heat wave though compared to Syracuse. We are at 14 right now.

    The only thing getting me through, is knowing that I will be in my little island in less than a month. I had already accepted the fact that it wasn’t in the cards for this year…due to the 2 tuition payments we are making but my wonderful Mama would not hear it. She booked the flight for me and is waiting for me with open (and warm) arms. There is a God…and a great mom. 🙂

    Stay cozy in your hoodie!

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  24. We’re having another Chinook at the moment, so we’re warmer here than you are down there. Hardly seems fair considering we’re in Canada. (sorry) The good news is that the days are getting longer, right?

    As for your question, our coldest days are yet to come. The hardest, coldest, most depressing part of winter occurs from late January to early March. I’m bracing myself! ❤

    Stay warm Mark! ❤
    Diana xo

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  25. North Alabama got to about 7 degrees so far this winter. It’s at times like that where I miss living near Orlando – the coldest it ever got was one day spent at 30. At any rate, in Alabama it does get below freezing at times, but rarely below 0.

    Fortunately my parents are originally from Wisconsin. They love the “warm winters” down here. If it gets too cold, we just throw a log on the fire and put on an extra layer.

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  28. I don’t think it’s quite as cold in the metro area as it is out in Syracuse so I don’t remember ever experiencing less than single digits without wind chill factor. Poor Dogamus. I hope it warms up.

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  30. I’m in NC (Charlotte area)…I think we’ve managed to keep it 12 or above this year. 🙂 Thank goodness for thick socks and such. We’re all “at home” people (even John works from home most days), so we just stay in and try to pretend it isn’t happening. 🙂 Of course, last week, our heater broke…that got our attention. Fortunately, the lovely heater repair people had it fixed within less than an hour of me calling. 😀 Stay warm!

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    • That’s fast furnace work, Nerdy. Thank you, repair folks! It’s great that you have the teaching-Grace gig and John works mostly from home, too. Very comfortable winter environment. Be warm and safe when you venture into store parking lots. 😮

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  31. tough way to begin a day. and yes, i’m a cold weather inhabitant myself. i tend to hibernate into my cave during the winter months, expect for school, and with my grandies, where i embrace playing out in the midst of all of it. making it a special time for me.

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  32. Would you believe I picked TODAY to get up and go back to the gym? I nearly couldn’t get out of the car, what with its bunwarmer (yes, I know it’s a seat warmer, but we both know what it’s function is) and my scarf wrapped around my face like I was wearing a burka or else I was on safari with Lawrence of Arabia.
    And we’re currently only at -3°F (without windchill, of course).

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    • Yes, Helena. A bunwarmer is the best description. Karen’s CX7 had that feature, and it was like a winter magnet. Alas that’s now owned by son Daryl, and the new CX5 leaves the bun warming up to individuality and achievement. As for your gym trip, darling, your hammies may have been oh-so-tight but your glutes were ready to roll at the start! On safari with Larry in the sand was a nice thought, though, wasn’t it? Keep warm, my friend,

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  33. Down South (NC), we are preparing for a “Winter Storm” set to arrive tonight or early morning. For us Southerners, that means a glaze of ice possible on the roadways. Currently it is 39 degrees but the temps are dropping today to below freezing (but Thank God, not below ZERO). I had to take my three sons to school this morning, so the cold was unavoidable. What do I do to fight the cold? Complain, mostly. Pout and hibernate socially. And read WP blogs. Stay warm!! 😉

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    • Pouting raises the body temperature at least a degree, I find, Dana. 😦 Three. Typing a frownie face counts. I hope you do not get the glazed-donut roads today. Thanks for stopping by and commenting this cold morning.

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