What do you consider 'cold'? (house, rent, work)

[elfyum]

Originally Posted by Las Vegan Cajun

Below 75 getting cold...break out the winter gear

75-85 nice...but keeping clothes on

85-95 very nice...not ready to remove clothes yet

95-105 just starting to feel the heat...thinking about removing clothes

105-115 gets a little uncomfortable...start removing clothes

Above 115 stay in the shade...or else you'll be butt naked

When I leave the desert for Alaska I will have a whole lot of adjusting to do. LOL!!!

Originally Posted by crystalblue

once it gets below 70, i start getting COLD!!!


which sucks, since im already in floriduh and running out of places further south to go!

OMG! Hi cousins!

[Blueberry]

I handle both extremes well. I rejoice in the 60s and 70s in the summer and even enjoy the higher temps, but I have also been known to take the dog outside at 50 below with bare legs and suffered no ill effects. However, this isn't exactly wise. (OK, it's rather stupid! )

When dd was a toddler, 10 above was the cut-off for playing outside. When she was six, she was known to say "It's only 10 below; can I go out and play?" If the wind isn't blowing, recreating at 20 and 30 below isn't unusual and can actually be quite pleasant with relatively little clothing. When temps drop to 40s and 50s below, we minimize time outside but we do go about our daily routines and usually walk wherever we need to go.

We start bootying the dog at 15-20 below.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by KittensPurr

Eugene, you went without a/c for ONE 84-degree night in Aug & you still recall it? Yes, perhaps you do belong in AK.

To each her own. I lived south for 7-yrs, hardly ever using a/c, as I couldn't afford it. Screaming high Atlanta humidity & NC nights hotter than you described are often the norm. Was I hot? Sure, as hot as you'd be. But, my body can tolerate heat, not cold. You're the opposite. I don't feel comfortable or like wearing 5 layers to stay warm. I've done it for many years, but prefer not to. What it comes down to is what each individual tolerates.

Hope you make it to AK. I hope to make it back to San Diego someday soon... VV

Wow, I don't know how you do it.

[AKMammabear]

You Know You're In Alaska When...

. . .you know which leaves make good toilet paper.

. . .the mayor greets you on the street by your first name.

. . .there is only one shopping plaza in town.

. . .the municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.

. . .the major parish fundraiser isn't bingo - its sausage making.

. . .you find -60c a might chilly.

. . .the trunk of your car doubles as a deep freeze.

. . .you attended a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewels and your Sorrels.

. . .you can play road hockey on ice skates.

. . .shoveling the driveway constitutes a great upper body workout.

. . .you know the 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction.

[AKMammabear]

You Know You're In Alaska When...

. . .when it warms up to -35 degrees(Fahrenheit) and you go out in your shirt sleeves to wash you car.

. . .when you drive for a mile on square tires on a -65 morning before they eventually become normal.

. . .when you have to put your sun visor down at 3:00 a.m.

. . .all of your relatives refer to you as that crazy person that lives up there.

. . .your kids think that you have to get on a airplane to go on vacation.

. . .freezing, 32 degrees(Fahrenheit), is warm enough to wash your car.

. . .you only own four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.

. . .you design your Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit.

. . .the mosquitoes have landing lights.

. . .you have more miles on you snowblower than your car.

. . .you have 10 favorite recipes for moose meat.

. . .you've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.

. . .driving is better in the winter because the potholes get filled with snow.

. . .you think sexy lingerie is fleece socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons.

. . .you owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.

. . .at least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.

. . .the most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.

. . .your snowblower gets stuck on the roof.

. . .you think the start of moose season is a national holiday.

. . .you frequently clean grease off your barbecue so the bears won't prowl on your deck.


You Know You're In Alaska When...

. . .you take off your shirt and your arms are as pale as your legs all the way to your wrists.

. . .you know that the term "Break Up" has more to do with the weather than personal relationships.

. . .your monthly phone bill is larger than your house payment.

. . .there is a bottle of Avon's Skin-So-Soft in your tackle box.

. . .you don't know anyone who doesn't own a 4-wheeler.

. . .you have ever taken a trip "outside" and tried to cash a traveler's check, drawn on an Alaskan bank, and the cashier asked you the current exchange rate in Alaska.

. . .you have ever washed your car while there was still snow on the ground.

. . .you have ever power washed your car by parking driver's side into the rain in the morning, and passenger side into the rain in the afternoon. (a Dutch Harbor thing)

. . .you have tennis elbow but have never played tennis, just snagged a lot of salmon.

. . .you know a honey bucket is really a bucket, but it's not really full of honey. (If you don't know, don't ask)

. . .you know that the Rat Net is not a rodent catching device.

. . .you know the Naknek twitch is an illegal fishing technique, not a spasmodic muscle in your neck.

. . .you travel for two days to get outside but none of your family members will travel more than two minutes to visit you.

. . .you learned to swim indoors.

. . .you leave your Christmas lights up, year round, because as soon as it gets warm enough to take them down it starts getting dark enough to put them up again.

. . .your bedroom windows are covered in aluminum foil.

. . .you had waffle soles put on your cowboy boots.

. . .your monthly veterinarian bill is more than your own medical bill.

. . .you know that a "handi-man-jack" is a device designed to lift a car to change a flat, not a guy named Jack that comes around your house on Saturdays to repair minor problems.

. . .you know a "white out" has to do with winter conditions not correcting fluid for typos.


You Know You're In Alaska When...

. . .when you're outside at -40 below , shoveling snow in your shorts , well you know it's a hassle putting on all those cloths for just 10 minutes.

. . .when your friend calls you up and says "Hey, I have some furniture for sale. Is there enough room in your igloo for it?"

. . .you are vacationing in Hawaii when a beautiful woman in a bikini walks by and you think, "Boy, I'd sure like to see her in a snowmobile suit."

. . .you can see the road through the floorboard of your pickup truck.

. . .you have called an 800 number you found in a catalog and then were told "Alaska? Oh, we don't ship out of the United States." (Try saying "North Pole", most places usually laugh for a solid minute, or they just hang up thinking you're some kind of prankster.)

. . .you put up with the pain of a toothache until the Permanent Fund Dividend checks come out in October.

. . .you know going "outside" involves a whole lot more than opening a door and walking into the yard.

. . .you have ever worn a tie with waders.

. . .you have learned to never say to your kids, "Be home by dark."

. . .you know Bunny Boots aren't worn by bunnies or made out of bunnies.

. . .you know the meaning of the word "baleen" and it has nothing to do with making hay into large cubes.

. . .you think it's normal for a town to put all the businesses on one side of the road.

. . .there are only three seasons: winter, breakup, summer.

. . .your local golf course has "happy hour" between 1:00 and 2:00 am

. . .the seat in your outhouse is lined with styrofoam so your butt won't freeze to it when you have to sit down for a amount of time.

. . .when you have to set your alarm every three hours to go start you car and let it run for 20 min. so hopefully it will start in the morning so you can go to work.

. . .when you leave the water running in the sink so your pipes won't freeze and you can't sleep because all you can hear is the water running.

. . .Instead of plugging in your freezer you just move it to the front porch!

. . .You open your freezer to take out something for dinner, and are faced with many choices, Pink Salmon, Silver Salmon, Red Salmon, King Salmon, Smoked Salmon, or Halibut!

. . .You go to shop for a second vehicle and come home with a snowmobile!

. . .you're buying a house & you have to ask for water & electricity as an option.

[AKMammabear]

Living in Paradise

Jan. 10 5:00 P.M. It's starting to snow. The first of the season and the first one we've seen in years. The wife and I took our hot buttered rum and sat by the picture window, watching the soft flakes drift down, clinging to the trees and covering the ground. It was beautiful!

Jan. 11 We awoke to a lovely blanket of crystal white snow covering the landscape. What a fantastic sight. Every tree and shrub covered with a beautiful white mantle. I shoveled snow for the first time ever and loved it. I did both our driveway and our sidewalk. Later a city snowplow came along and accidentally covered up our driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver smiled and waved. I waved back and shoveled it again.

Jan. 12 It snowed an additional 5 inches last night, and the temperature has dropped to around 11degrees. Several limbs on the trees and shrubs snapped due to the weight of the snow. I shoveled our driveway again. Shortly afterwards, the snowplow came by and did his trick again. Much of the snow is now brownish-gray.

Jan. 13 Warmed up enough during the day to create some slush which soon became ice when the temperature dropped again. Bought snow tires for both cars. Fell on my butt in the driveway. $145 to a chiropractor, but nothing was broken. More snow and ice expected.

Jan. 14 Still cold. Sold the wife's car and bought a 4x4 in order to get her to work. Slid into a guardrail anyway and did a considerable amount of damage to the right rear quarter-panel. Had another 8 inches of the white stuff last night. Both vehicles covered in salt and crud. More shoveling in store for me today. That darn snowplow came by twice today.

Jan. 15 -2 degrees outside. More blasted snow. Not a tree or shrub on our property that hasn't been damaged. Power was off most of the night. Tried to keep from freezing to death with candles and a kerosene heater, which tipped over and nearly burned the house down. I managed to put the flames out, but suffered second degree burns on my hands and lost all my eyelashes and eyebrows. Car slid on ice on way to emergency room and was totaled.

Jan.16 Darn blasted white snow keeps on coming down. Have to put on all the clothes we own just to get to the mailbox. If I ever catch the jerk that drives the snowplow, I'll chew open his chest and rip out his heart. I think he hides around the corner and waits for me to open our driveway again! Power still off. Toilet froze and part of the roof has started to cave in.

Jan.17 Six darn more inches of blasted snow and sleet and ice and God knows what other kind of white crap fell last night. I wounded the snowplow jerk with an ice ax, but he got away. Wife left me. Car won't start. I think I'm going snow blind. I can't move my toes. I haven't seen the sun in weeks. More snow predicted. Wind chill -62 degrees. I'm moving back to Albuquerque.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Originally Posted by Rance

I've jumped into the Arctic Ocean in October. Had to look for an ice free place to get at the water.

I bet it took some BIG ones to do that.

But after jumping in the Arctic Ocean in October, I bet they aren't so big anymore. LOL!!!

[Rance]

It actually burns like fire after you get out! The water ain't so bad...it's the cold air and wind when you get out!

[triton1]

Originally Posted by Rance

I've jumped into the Arctic Ocean in October. Had to look for an ice free place to get at the water.

you gotta be out of your mind jumping into water that cold!!! like what are trying to catch hypothermia!!? water that cold will actually kill you! (surely you've heard about the titanic before?!) and as far as i know, water that cold feels like a thousand knives on your skin!

[Rance]

More like a thousand needles. And we're not in it but for a minute or less. Then mad dash to the truck and some towels. Feels really good after the burning mellows out. Very refreshing.