WHEN THE THERMOMETER shows -40/ -45F .. we know that anyone with a breathing problems is gonna be in trouble .. literally the cold takes your breath away ..
Always feel bad for the wild life ..

~M~

You're right, Marilynne -- temps like that are dangerous; and I am always amazed that the wild animals can survive even a normal winter, let alone the super-cold weather.

Temperatures that cold really scare me, I just cannot imagine what it must be like. I'd be so worried about wildlife too .. I wonder if they burrow down into the snow for insulation?

Weedwhacker said: I am always amazed that the wild animals can survive even a normal winter, let alone the super-cold weather.

A very lot don't - particularly the really bad ones. The winter 2 years ago killed a lot. I am a Master Naturalist and we had a session on the death rates from 13/14 winter.

Very true, David; especially when the low temps are combined with lots of snow. The deer herd in our area has decreased by a lot over the last few years, not entirely due to the weather; but the winter we're having this year has to be of huge benefit to them.

Coldest for me was 45 below in Saranac Lake. often the coldest spot in the nation.

Next was the weekend my roommate and I went to the Winter Carnival in Minneapolis for our semester break. Did not get above 30 below. What I saw of the Carnival was through a very small spot I kept cleared on the passenger window of an old VW Bug!

Like I said, as kids we didn't have to go to school if it was zero...that was before all the 'wind chill' stuff factored in now a days.

Have a friend raised on a farm in Minnesota who says his Mom would tie a rope around his waist before sending him out to bring in more wood.

Saw a doe and two still spotted fawns just at sunrise today.

We've warmed back up here today. Almost hit 40 for high. Skipped coats if we were in and out but if outside for more than a few minutes threw them on just to keep body heat in. Not quite warm enough for t-shirts and shorts yet!!

Well, when I was a kid, I had to walk to my one room schoolhouse. Up hill just one way. Really
The winter of '55/'56 was horrible and the snow was over the fence posts and thus deeper than ME!
Will never forget that. And at school, we had to carry in buckets of coal and corncobs for heat.

Now-a-days, when snow is forecast 3 days from now they shut down the schools. Feh.

Real winter lightweights, eh David? Sounds like a Monty Python bit.

Yep.

And after that winter, one of the worst on record, it basically did not rain all of the summer of '56. One of the worst droughts since the 30's. Cracks in the ground so wide, I could put my arm down in them to my shoulder barely touching the sides. That was the year my Father tossed in the towel on farming. Back then they didn't talk about climate change - they talked about weather.

WOW .. seeing a Doe with fawns now is not good .. maybe in your area it is though MMaid ..
Our Does deliver in and around May/June, and, usually they will venture out of deep cover with their Fawns in July .. takes my breath away to see them ..

Another 18 or 20F day here .. unexpectedly awesome weather .. when you're used to your house banging and cracking at night in the cold.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone



~M~

A dismal dreary day here. The sky is really grey. Not much sun lately and lots of rain many overnight.

Still the temps have been way up from where they should have been so I am not going to be complaining.

Marilynne I forgot the sounds houses make when they are bitter cold, And, yes, seeing such little fawns this time of year is not good even with our milder winters in general.The group was two little ones, two regular sized ones and three adults. Have never seen where this group beds down, maybe with some snow I can track them. One of the joys of a fresh snowfall is being able to track animal activity.

Hey Rita, I hear the East Coast may see some sun in the next few days! If not, our household got a "Happy Light" for Christmas.

I definitely feel the urge to hibernate during the Winter. Or one of those fabled 'long winter's naps! Up in Saranac Lake (just down the road from Lake Placid and Winter Olympics training compound) seems there are more people out and about doing winter activities than there were in the summer though I found the summers there to be a tremendous relief from the heat and humidity of the Mid Atlantic.

We usually only see 3 or 4 days of January Sunshine ,, it is a Dismal grey month mostly , same today ,, Blah ,,
Still winter sow a few I will anyway ,

UGgggggggggg .. great temps here, but, a NW wind and DAMP .. but, lotsa birds to watch at the feeders, and, squirrels galore ..
Another day without significant snow fall !

Weird

~M~

I feel very fortunate to live here; we usually only have cold weather in January and February. We do get frosts and freezes on occasion but thankfully it's rare if it lasts for an extended period and we have many days of sunshine all year. My sister in law (who has lived in the Syracuse, N.Y. area her entire life) told me that sometimes they go for months during the winter without ever seeing the sun! That thought sure makes me appreciative our Florida weather, it would be so depressing to see nothing but dreary skies day after day ... I really feel bad for the folks who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

It's currentyl 71º and cloudy here but cooler weather is coming to Florida. We're supposed to have a high of only 61º tomorrow. I never look forward to temp's that get lower than @50ºF at night but it certainly will be nice to have some pleasant temp's for a change, unfortunately the humidity is still going to be kinda high though.

Wish I could box up and send y'all some sunshine!

plantladylin said: Wish I could box up and send y'all some sunshine!

I'm sure most of us northerners wish that too, Lin!

My SIL (who is more like a sister to me than my sister is) lives in FL and thinks she would like to move up here, but there are just SO many things that I know she would NOT like about it.... the long periods without sunshine during the winter being one of those. Everyone understands that it gets cold in the north, of course, but not the part about so little sunshine. But, there is nothing better than having a beautiful, crystal-clear, sunny day after one of those long periods

We actually had quite a beautiful New Year's Day today, with off-and-on sunshine and a high temp around 30; there have been SO many New Year's that have been just extremely cold and bad weather, blizzards, ice storms, you name it. This weather is awesome, IMO !

Weedwhacker said:There is nothing better than having a beautiful, crystal-clear, sunny day after one of those long periods

After days and days of dark and cloudy skies, a crystal clear, sunny day sure makes us appreciate nice weather doesn't it?

It's currently 60º here with 97% humidity ... overcast, dreary skies and sporadic showers.

Here in southeastern Pennsylvania, we are experiencing the warmest winter on record.

'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' daffodils are blooming in my garden on January 2, 2016. In 2015, they bloomed in late March/early April.

'April Rose' camellia is starting to bloom in my garden (two blooms so far). In 2015, it bloomed in mid-April.