WARMER WINTER WEAR
I’ll be getting back to the Bulls-eye
articles here shortly, perhaps tomorrow.
For now, in fine tradition harking back to children’s Christmas’, adults
workplace annual bonus and birthday sex, the annual winter time wearables rant
from yours truly ( your childhood is long gone, no one gets holiday bonuses
anymore because that cuts into the CEO’s Bermuda vacation fun where he’d have
to settle on just one hooker and only half the nose candy, and I’m sure your
wife long ago canceled special birthday sex on account of her lack of interest
). You might have been cruelly deprived
of all other traditions, but I’m still here for ya, brothers. I’m starting on my seventh winter here in
northeast Nevada ( the five previous in west Nevada didn’t count as the weather
there is SOOOOO much warmer- the average coldest days were only in the twenties
and the rare earth shattering drop into the teens was their idea of the storm
of the century. In other words, Reno
Residents, you are a bunch of friggin pussies- which is what I’m sure Michigan
dwellers call me ) and every year I pick up extra tricks to stay a smidge
warmer. The first one I learned to just
wear my snow boots every morning, regardless, starting the first of
October. That right there cuts out a lot
of grief. I also immediately invested in
a digital inside/outside thermometer. It
is much easier to know what to expect before you get dressed, and I have a dress
script for every ten degree drop in temperature.
*
This year, I have a new pair of
mittens to try out. It was a giant leap
of faith to buy them, as they are $35 and I won’t even spend that much on a
coat ( although I did buy a $40 pair of swamp boots rated to minus 40 that
worked great in my one test day last year-uncharacteristically mild last year,
we had one whole day below zero ). It
isn’t that warm hands aren’t worth that much, it is that I’m afraid of being
ripped off by charlatans and liars and they underperform. But, finally, getting to the point, a new
trick. At 12 degrees, I start wearing my
wool pants. They are thick customers and
wear outside my slacks. And they work splendidly,
no issues with cold legs. But I can’t
really wear them above that temperature because then I’m too warm and sweat and
overheat. So from 22 down to that 12
degrees, I’m usually a bit on the miserable side. This year, I tried out warm up pants. Those polyester pants you wear over your
shorts until it is time to work out. Not
insulated, per se. But they work great
and yesterday at 15 degrees I was warm and toasty, just by giving my legs a bit
of extra fabric ( a thin dress pair of large wool pants, or oversize jeans could
also work- just make sure they fit over your regular pants ). I know most of you don’t want to bike to
work, especially in the winter. But a
side benefit here is I know how to dress, and have the clothing, for when
energy supplies contract. You think five
layers of cotton hoodies are going to keep you warm on guard duty?
END
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If my Blogger page ever goes down, I will start to post at my regular web site:
www.BisonPress.com
*
My books on PDF available at
http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=james++dakin&sorter=relevance-desc
*
If you want them on kindle, just search with my full name: James Dakin
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By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there.
Good timing on this post. Going to get into the high 20's tonight. Unseasonably cold for South Mississippi. I do not envy you pedaling to work like you do but do respect it. I'm still planning to go with the lower displacement Motorcycle. 80 mile round trip commute is impossible with a bicycle. May be spring though as I have to many other things costing me money.
ReplyDeleteHavent been posting much but still read everyday.
Amazing hair Jimbo!
Thanks for keeping on with me here. So few minions, yet still not enough time to insult them all personally.
DeleteYou would not believe the number of people who underdress for winter here in NH. They think they'll be fine because they are in their car -as if cars never break down or go skidding off icy roads.
ReplyDeleteI used to tell my kids to dress like they'd have walk home. Annoyed the heck out of them, but nobody froze to death on my watch. 30 below is no joke.
Well, common sense has to be taught, and with dumbass single parents...
DeleteIt will hit @ 10F BELOW tonight, We expect 40 or 50 below during the winter up here. And still I see people wearing light office clothes and only a single jacket over it. They run from their cars to the office and back- if any of them broke down outside of town they could die of hypothermia in short order.
ReplyDeleteI always wear a base layer (aka thermals) of different material depending on the weather, under my heavier office wear, and I wear 2 layers over that plus gloves, hat, scarf, etc when I go outside. Of course my cars don't have remote start (it is funny watching everyone with the remote start going to the windows at about quarter to 5 and trying to get their car to start warming up before they dash out to it at 5sharp).
I managed to get up the 'storage shed' shell this past weekend on my land, inspite of the cold. The dear spouse - in spite of severe vulnerability to cold (genuine medical issue) toughed it out to help me get it up. This weekend, with a high in the low teens before wind-chill, we are going to go out and make it more weather tight and stable. BUT we are bringing a heater with us to cut the chill inside the structure. Which means we will have a place to get out of the wind and recover while doing all sorts of projects to get all ready for next building season, and seeing how the land is during the harsher weather.
Damn, now I feel like a pussy here in balmy Elko. Love the remote heater bit!
DeleteMeh- I from the rental to work is only about 9-10 blocks, I really should walk it but usually bike it instead. Once the snow is too thick for reasonable bike riding I'll rideshare or take a vehicle (the need to run every so often anyways in the cold)
DeleteI build up a tolerance to it, t-shirt and shorts down to 20 degrees. Under 20 I break out the carhartt stuff. If I absolutely must leave the compound I am fully prepared.
ReplyDeleteI'd surrender a fair amount of my favoritist legal tenders for a 'do like that'n. ggod gaw!
I tell you what! Thanks for the hair love.
DeleteStrange weather. That split jet stream/gulf stream/ebola/whatever thingy that is giving the east side frigid temps into da south is also giving the west side warmer then usual weather.
ReplyDeleteENJOY!
Gil
IT'S GORE WARMING!!!!
DeleteI too have occasionally considered leaving Floriduh...until winter comes yet once again.
ReplyDeleteDoing well, my wife says that I walk like grandpa McCoy ( Walter Brennan ) on the Real McCoys lol. The lower leg wound is still open and the colder weather is playing hell on all those exposed nerve endings ! Looks like a light is starting to show at the end of this long tunnel tho....
Remind me not to get hit by a car- sounds like a solid year just getting back to half speed. Best of luck, brother.
DeleteUse to ride my bike 14 miles round trip to work here in ohio till my job moved away. people dont realize the heat your body produces riding a bike. Dress reasonably and staying warm really isn't a problem.
ReplyDeleteRIDE ON!
ah, but no one dresses reasonably, trying to emulate their south California Hollywood Kardashian idols.
Delete