NotOverTheHill » Blog » Z - Zero, Zippers, and our Zeneth

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Title: Z - Zero, Zippers, and our Zeneth
Tags: winter, weather, father
Blog Entry: Even though we still have a month to go before the first day of winter, we are experiencing below zero days this month. We are never quite prepared for such days, even though we understand that it is almost inevitable in our area. For those who wonder how we can tolerate such cold weather, we ask the same question to those who live in tropical areas. In the north, we dash from one warm or heated location to another, as quickly as possible, just as in hot weather, the rush is from one cool or air conditioned location to another. We also make sure that we have clothes that will keep us warm. Having a zipper on a quilted jacket is great to keep the cold wind from penetrating while waiting for the bus or rapid transit to take us to work. For those who work outdoors in below-zero weather, dressing with ‘layers’ of clothes is smart. If the weather changes, another layer is easy to add when it get colder, or peel off a layer when a Chinook wind shows up as a pleasant surprise. Growing up on the farm, my dad had no choice but work outdoors with the cattle, no matter what the temperature. He wore sheepskin chaps and a leather long-coat to protect himself from the cold, and the body heat of his horse also helped to keep him comfortable. I remember that he relied on the late-night news broadcasts on his Zenith mantle radio to determine if he would take me the seven miles to school the next morning on the back of his horse, or wrapped in blankets on a sled that was called a ‘stoneboat’. If the weather was severe and no students showed up at school, it was a day off for the teacher. No big deal! For those who have never heard about ‘below zero’ before, here is an “official” definition: In the USA (home of the blues), the Farenheit scale is used. The freezing point of water is at 32 degrees. So any time you actually go into negative numbers on the F scale, it is really really cold. (If you are more familiar with Celsius, -9F would be about -23C).