On New York's Brrrrr-factor, and a tempoary about-face

Life is very strange.

Just a bit over 24 hours ago, I faced a job lay off, abject poverty and living in sub-freezing temps (It was -40 F (that's MINUS 40 farenheight) in January of '04, and when I was 19, Christmas time in 79, the outside temp was -25F at home in the upper Hudson Valley, and further north broke the records (still standing) in the central Adirondack mountains,at -51 F. It ain't London, that's for sure. The cold here can very literally be deadly. It has killed before, more than once, the lost hiker or elderly person without heat. Working outdoors, I've had close calls with both hypothermia and frostbite (including missing a itsy-bitsy piece of my left earlobe) and I can tell you, the sub-freezing cold here is painful! I mean, before you lose all feeling, it really hurts.

Now, I do actually have a high tolerance to cold. I've lived in unheated bedrooms, up to 15 F. (The record for me is actually 12F, (when I was 19 and my bedroom was in our unheated converted attic) helped along by my half-collie Shamrock, 12 assorted quilts and blankets, a sleeping bag and an electric fire.

By the way, I looked it up...our state's record low temp (1979) is 51 below, and that's minus 46 celsius, to put things in better perspective for my British friends. That record was set in Old Forge, roughly 50 miles away from Glens Falls, in the heart of the Adirondack state park.

Oh yeah, you could see your breath in the morning! It was a scramble to get downstairs...and one had to have very good kidneys, indeed (would you want to pry yourself out from under twelve blankets and a 70 pound collie dog, to go downstairs, through the living room and kitchen to the bathroom, when your room was all of 30 degrees and your blankets so very nice and warm?) Anyway, when temps drop below 15 F, things can get quite deadly, without some sort of heating source. I mean, one can live, with the right conditions and equipment, but it really is very dangerous in these parts...our cold is truly artic, at times. It comes direct from the polar ice caps/Canada. We're not all that far from Atlantic icebergs, you know, jet-wise, anyway. I suppose it's hard for someone not exposed to extreme sub-zero Farenheight temps to imagine it. Basically, stick your hand in a bag of ice for a half-hour, then you'll get just a tiny little idea of what I mean---picture that happening to your whole body for hours and even days.

I've worked and played in sub-zero temps. Worked in minus 60 and 70 windchills--not fun! Painful, yes. Fun, no. You literally have to cover everything, or you can suffer...once I was leading two horses down the drive, with a minus 70 farenheight windchill (not the actual air temp, windchill factor refers to what the air temp physically feels like with the wind blowing on you)Anyway, I had a horse by the lead, in each hand, walking down an icy drive--my face was covered by an oversize genuine cowboy bandana (real cowboy scarves--or "wild rags" as the actual buckaroos call them, are oversize and made of a material that keeps out wind) The wind was blowing a gale off the lake below the pasture, right stright on into my face...the wind chill was literally deadly, that day. My scarf slipped! It was only a 5 minute walk to the barn, but I got a serious burn on my cheeks that lasted for days...it was horribly painful...another 5 minutes, and the doc said I'd have had frostbite (which kills the skin). I almost got hypothermia that day, as well--and I was wearing protective clothoing! The boss sent me home early, ordering me to see a doctor. I wound up having to take a hot bath and was forced to stay in bed under blankets until my body temp came up. It wasn't fun. But I actually did go out that night, to an auction, so I did recover okay. I'm very used to the cold...hate the heat. My big problem now is I've got nerve damage that I didn't have then...so I have to be more careful and not so macho about being in the cold, as I don't have all the feeling in parts of my body.

Anyway, a day or so ago, I was terrified of living through another winter of subzero temps with little or no heat...I was very much in danger of being killed by the cold--this is no exaggeration on my part. I only own four blankets, and no sleeping bag, anymore. And a kerosene heater costs well over 100 dollars, and the nearest kerosene seller is a couple miles away. Not a pretty picture.

Then, yesterday--a complete about-face...sort of. I still owe tons of money, but the amount is more manageable now--times will be lean, but I will manage okay...and I will be reasonably warm, and will be able to cook and keep my internet, and see to change into my jim-jams at night, he-he.

And....

Today I got a New Year's gift from my best "local" friend--a complete shock on two fronts: one, the gift, a 50 dollar gift certificate to my favourite clothes store, Peter Harris (didn't even know they sold gift certs--they are the same as store vouchers)..and two...I only told her once, that I know of, last year, that I loved to shop at Peter Harris...fancy her remembering a tiny little detail like that? Amazing! I may only have a handful of friends--but what brillant friends they are! She said it was a think you gift for helping out with her sick mum. Whoa! That was over two years ago! She wrote that she'd meant to do something for me (not that I ever expected her to, I was pleased to help, I like her mum)..wow. I was floored--and, I went out tonight and shopped till I dropped!

Yes, shopping is great therapy for a woman...especially one that generally only shops for clothes once or twice a year--if that much. Acutally, I get as much fun from window shopping...but gosh, I admit, if was an upper, to go into the store, and buy without guilt. My friend insisted that if I didn't go and buy something, she'd be very disapointed in me...okay. So I took a ten-spot from my rainy day fund for cab fare, and went off to Peter Harris tongiht... I got a new pair of excellent quality jeans, a blouse, and a short cordouroy jacket, and a much-needed pair of winter boots (didn't have a pair anymore, as my old one's finally gave out last winter)..and guess what? I bought all that (the clothes were all drastically reduced, and had an additional 25 percent off besides) the cashier gave me 15 dollars change--I'm going to use it to go to the movies, New year's day, I think--haven't been to a movie in over 15 months, so I think I might go, if I can manage.) Isn't that great? I haven't done this in over 2 years! (I mean, shop without guilt or fret and worry over the expense!) Oh, it felt lovely. I was going to buy a posh dress, but they didn't have any I liked, and the winter coats were still too expensive...not marked down enough yet. So I bought a casual but dressy ensamble, and boots to tackle the snow and slush with. I shopped till I dropped--with glee! I got 28 dollars off the jacket, 22 dollars off the blouse, and 32 dollars off the jeans! I love a bargain! (halve those prices to convert to pounds--the jeans were originally 45 dollars, the blouse 28 dollars, the jacket was orig. 50 dollars. The boots, ummm...they were orig. 35 dollars and I got them for 13....AND, the county is doing a "shoppers special" to encourage post-Christmas shopping...sales tax on clothing is for this week only, reduced to 3 percent (as opposed to the usual 8 percent).

And to think, earlier this week, I felt like the hand of doom was looming over me, talk about an about-face! Man, my life is weird, sometimes.