It is so cold my campfire froze

Went for my walk at 5AM this morning - the usual 2 - 3 miles (funny, we have had the systeme internationale for about 40 years now and yet we still use imperial units for distance!). For those of you who have never experienced a winter on the Canadian prairies, let me say, IT IS COLD! To get ready for my walk, I put on thermal underwear, a thin pair of sweatpants, ski pants, tee shirt, sweatshirt, inner jacket, parka, face warmer, insulated boots, and trapper's hat. I stick my ipod into the mitt on my right hand (never wear gloves, even the most sophisticated gloves are too cold) and then I dare to venture out. The first 3/4 of a mile, my right hand is quite active. Today, it felt like it was keeping time to the beat of the Paul Simon song, Boy in A Bubble, that was playing on my ipod. If you know the song, you will know how fast my hand was dancing. I can often calm it down by pressing it against the ipod, but that takes thought and I usually lose myself in the music, forget to keep my hand tense, and it again takes on a life of its own. In another half mile or so, it calms down and I only get the occasional twinge.

Today, it was -27C (about 17 below). Not too bad, but we all know we will have colder days.

Last year, when we went to Florida, we left when the temperature was 40F below and when we arrived in Miami a few hours later, the temperature was 80F above. Only a difference of 120 degrees! We visited the Jewish Museum where we met an elderly (late 70's) little jewish lady (and I mean "little"). We told her we were from Manitoba. She asked what it was like there this time of year.

"When we left, the temperature was 40 below."

"OH MY GAWD! How do you people live there?!"

One year, an article in the Miami Herald, forecast a cold front (high temperature about 50F (10C) and the writer wrote, "With the cold front coming in, make sure you dress warmly. The tourists will laugh at us, but it is better to take care of yourself...".

I actually saw locals wearing parkas while the tourists still wore short sleeves.

We prairie Canadians know how to handle the cold because we are cold all the time. Perhaps that is why so many of us ask to be cremated upon death.

Just another rather uneventful PD day.