Cold Snap

Could it be any colder? It's hovering around zero degrees here because we are part of the winter cold that blew ferociously down from way up north a couple days ago. In-house sinus pressure predicted a drastic change, so it was inevitable. We are not used to it and hope never to become so. New insulation in the attic is possibly helping, but it's pretty hard to tell with the heater running constantly. I'm not even sure it's blowing warm air right now, seeing as how the thermostat is set at 66 and the temperature in the house is 52. People in South Dakota had (what did I hear?) -47 degrees yesterday? or was it -37. Doesn't much matter when the cold settles in for a visit. Talk about an unwelcome guest!

Let's see, what's good about really cold winters? It kills all the bugs, that's one very good thing. There was one gnat and one ladybug in the house yesterday, reminding us that they don't like the cold either and would love an invitation to live indoors with us. Another good thing: it guarantees dormancy in perennial growing things, so they get a nice sleep and aren't tempted to "spring" up too soon. Would it be safe to say that this weather also kills germs and bacteria? Probably not; certainly not inside. Maybe it puts a stop to mold and mildew? I'm reaching now, hoping to add to the plus side of this list.

My fingers are very cold and turning white, and the temperature in the house has actually dropped a degree, so goldurn it, there's something wrong with the furnace. Fiddlesticks...