I think the title of this post says it all.
It has been FREAKIN COLD out for the past week or so!
And we've had more snow storms in the past week than we had for the whole month of December and January combine last year. And that's been a total of two.
But this hasn't stopped me from having to work outside, even on the coldest days. Though it has made me very thankful for warm wood stoves, hot cups of tea, and very large water heaters that allow for very long and hot showers. But it also made me realize how to work in very cold temperatures. It's not something that is taught very often in our climate controlled world that we live in.
So here are five lessons that I've learned this past week about working outside in the cold, so that hopefully others will learn from the mistakes I made to learn the lessons I state here. Does that make any sense? No? Good! Moving on!
1.) DO NOT SWEAT while working outside in below freezing temperatures.
I remember Les Straud favorite saying on Survivor Man "You sweat, you die." Well maybe it's not his favorite, but it's one he often says. And I have to say, it's totally true! Not to say that I'm dead, but I certainly was in the early stages of hypothermia on several occasions because I decided to plow through my work, without thinking that my underclothing would get wet from the sweat. Then, later, when I was sitting in a some what warm office, or even driving home in my warm car, I would start shivering because I was cold at the skin. After the third time this happened I brought with me a warm sweatshirt that would warm my body back up, but really only moving around again would get my body temperature up. But I also began to realize that I needed to slow down my movements and be conscious of how warm my body was getting. Which then led me to my next lesson....
2.) Wear layers.
Layers are a person's best friend when they are working outside on a very cold day, especially if the day starts cold, ends up warm, and then gets cold again. The ability to take off layers when I'm doing some of the more intense work, and then putting layers back on when you are not moving around so much. And it's more than just layers of shirts or coats, it's also removing a hat or scarf if it's still cold but you don't want to sweat. The cold air on the back of the neck will certainly cool you down quickly. But you also want to be warm after, so make sure you have a scarf or warm hat or gloves to put back on. And if it's dirtying work, like what I do, then make sure it's not something you would want to wear out on the town. Honestly my farm outfit looks like a hippy hobo splattered themselves with mud, rolled their hat and scarf around in hay, and then made kittens walk on their shoulders to put their muddied paw prints on their coat. Ok, I didn't make them do it, they like to stay on my shoulder while I work. Ummmm, moving on......
3.) Take several breaks to warm up in between.
Nothing is harder than going back outside into the biting cold after warming up by a warm wood stove. Especially if your feet get nice and toasty, and you boss makes you apple pancakes with a nice cup of tea. Really, REALLY hard to go back outside. But if you need to get your farm chores done, you have to do it. And believe me, the time it takes to do farm chores in the winter is twenty times longer than it is in the summer. At least the faucets didn't freeze this time around. But once you're back out, and you stop feeling so warm and good, it becomes easier just to get your work done. But that's bad too, because you don't want any appendage to get too cold either. Especially if you don't have coveralls and are wearing long johns with jeans. My husband was especially surprised how cold my legs were even after being in a warm car for an hour. So, even though you will never want to step foot out of your warm house again, it's very important to stop, walk back inside, and warm yourself up.
4.) Try to work behind a wind block.
Though the air itself can be cold, it's the biting wind that truly makes you cold. And there was nothing better than walking into the barn and being out of that wind, except warming up near the stove. Now, the flip side, it's hard to walk about in the exposed areas even though you have to. But the more work you can do out of the wind, the better.
And last but not least.......
5.) Do NOT underestimate the power of hot water!
Hot water is my friend. I feel so sorry for the people who lived in the time periods where they didn't have hot running water in their houses that would coming out of shower heads. And I pretend to be these people all the time. It just makes me respect it more that I have access to a wonderful water heater, and all I have to do is turn a knob and VOILA, hot water pouring down! Isn't it great?!?! Especially after a very cold day. There is nothing that will get you warm again like a long, hot shower. Even if I didn't get dirty that day, a shower has become a necessity to feel completely warm that night.
Also a cup of tea. I found that drinking cold water was horrible if you're trying to warm up. It was a catch twenty-two though because dehydration is more of a problem this time of year than on the hottest days in summer. The dry air just sucks the moisture right out of you. But, at the same time, people don't usually think that they need to drink water during the cold days because they are not sweating. I think that's why so many people get sick at this time of year. So what do you do when you need to drink water but you're freezing? Make sure that water is warm. Nothing better than that warmth of a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate spreading through your belly. Except a hot shower.
Now there are many other things I can add to this, like wearing the right types of clothing and footwear, don't spill water on yourself, having extra clothing if you do spill water on yourself, and have a nice cushy job in a warm office to name a few. But then again, there is nothing prettier than a sunset in winter. And there is nothing better than sitting your warm pjs, drinking a hot cup of tea, after a hot shower, after working in the bitter cold all day, sinking to the euphoria of warmth, then promptly falling asleep.
Did I also mention to have two or three days after working in the cold to recover?
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