CHECKLIST
To do before going to work
at the university
on a January Fairbanks morning
at 45 below zero in the dark:
-make myself get out of bed
-throw on coat
some pants
and boots with good tread
-take a deep breath
-get to truck as quickly as possible
without falling
-try to ignore icy air
stabbing inside of lungs
like shards of broken glass
-start car
-get back inside
-take off winter gear
-wait for car to warm up
-pack lunch
-make tea
-begin layering:
summer shirt
winter shirt
heavy socks
well-treaded boots
hat on head—make sure ears are covered
on with the coat
scarf around face and neck
last of all—mittens
-waddle to warm car
-try not to feel like a sausage
stuffed in a tight casing
-drive down hill
-find parking spot
-plug in car
-waddle toward building
carefully over ice rink
that used to be asphalt and cement
-arrive safely
-immediately begin sweating
-peel off
mittens
scarf
hat
-fish for keys
-enter office
-remove boots
-put on sandals
-place boots
hat
scarf
mittens
in damp pile behind door
-drape winter shirt over chair
-hang coat on hook
--wish I could turn down heat
-open window to breathe
-settle in to prepare for class/read and grade essays/meet with students/dread meetings/get some research done/study
--at around lunchtime, stop everything to gaze out the window at Denali in the distance, rising out of the sunset, surrounded by an orange lake of fire.
10 comments:
I miss snow, too, sometimes. It doesn't get very cold here, although where we are now is very windy because it's right on the North Atlantic and the wind can be sharp and make it seem cooler. What I don't like about winter here is that when it gets just cool enough, rain turns into hail or sleet and/or it freezes into a thin layer of black ice on the roads and sidewalks. If there is snow and thick ice, I can wear my spikes to walk and not slip, but nothing to be done on black ice or sleety coating except avoid it!
I love this, Shari. I can picture the whole day played out here. I see you miss snow- I wish I could load ours up and send it to you---when we get it, that is. It is late coming this year. xo Diana
Thanks, Diana!
Snow here would sure be interesting! Chaos 😆
Huhhhh, no.
And no warm car. Scratch the ice before you hop into the cold one (luckily only a couple of mornings - once my old shoes even broke due to... being old and the cold).
You plug in the car? Into what??? Sandals?
Oh. I glad I´m here... Even if it means sandals only for a couple of weeks.
Wow. My respect for doing this! I think I´d stayed in bed ;-)
When it's that cold, you have to let the car run for a while, otherwise it won't go anywhere :-) Sometimes they don't start at all. Cars all have engine and oil pan heaters so things don't freeze and there are outdoor plugs at home and in car parks. We got used to seeing plugs hanging out the front of all the cars.
Sandals were great for the university, where the heat was on too high, so it was hot. I learned to never put away summer clothes, because anytime I was indoors (unless in my own home), I had to peel off layers. And you know, when it's -45 and then goes up to 0 (F), it feels warm.
I feel the same way about heat as you do about cold. By heat I mean upper teens (C) and above. Sun and heat make me ill, so I have to be careful. But I have a high tolerance for cold! :-)
Oil pan heaters?? Oh! Crazy (and useful).
Oh, yes. 1C outside - 25C in the shops, Ingo stays home these days, he cannot take this!
I am allergic to the sun (thank you, dumbness! In Australia I went outside without sunscreen very shortly a couple of times) - but I loooove sun and heat. 40C or more... OK, only when being there, here 30+ is great.
And I am so glad I have no car no more!
Car free is wonderful--we love it!
Hi Shari!
This is wonderfully written.
I am a big believer in lists.
Jan
Thanks, Jan! Nice to 'see' you! I'm a list kind of gal, too. :-)
Enjoyed this Shari :)
All the best Jan
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