Bunny Parties and 40 Degree Temperature Shifts...

[partly]

or two of the many reasons I love living north of the 45th.

I walk to work. That's not as impressive as it sounds, considering how close I live to my job, but since it's winter and it hasn't gotten above 25 degrees in the past two weeks... well, it may not be a long walk, but it can be a cold one.

Party with the Bunnies
Last Tuesday it snowed over night and when I headed to work Wednesday morning, there was a fresh layer of an inch of snow over everything. Most of the neighbors don't walk to work and the kids that trundle past on the way to school usually walk on the streets since most of the blocks don't have sidewalks in my neighborhood; or rather, most streets only have sidewalks on one side of the street and they alternate which side on each block. Our streets have very little traffic (as demonstrated by the lack of signed intersections) and it's not a problem to use the

Anyhow, I crossed my street to the side with the sidewalk, I was the first one to walk there that day. The banks are about a foot on each side of the sidewalk and I was leaving the only tracks on the virgin snow. People tracks, that is. Rabbits, on the other hand, had run the sidewalks early in the morning. The little bunny tracks ran along the sidewalk; their footprints crisp and clear in the fluffy snow. Not content to stick close to the streets, the tracks ran up and down each of the walks leading to the front doors of the houses, usually ending in a run around the house, but occasionally they tracked right up the steps to the front door, as if they were knocking and asking who lived there.

I was walking along, staring at the tracks trying to figure out how many rabbits were using the sidewalk as a gathering place, when I looked up to check for cars as I was going to cross the street. There, in the middle of the sidewalk, covered in frost and dusted lightly with snow, was a large orange balloon -- looking for all the world like a special effects shot in a movie, where everything is monochrome except for the one brightly colored object randomly placed in the scene. Adding to the surrealism, were little bunny tracks that circled the balloon, as if they had been carrying it, only to *puff* into bits of snow when I spotted it.

I really wished I had my camera, but didn't have time to go back home and get it. Plus I had this fear that if I turned around to go back, the balloon would just disappear. I know that that wouldn't have happened (probably), but you know how irrational fears can be... Instead, I picked it up as I walked by and took the balloon into work with me. It hangs off the handle of a file drawer behind my desk. A week after I picked it off the snow, it is still a perfect balloon. I'm not sure what party store the bunnies buy their supplies at, but it sells really good balloons. The only thing I can't figure out how they blow the balloons up or tie them with their little feet.

A change in temperature
Thursday morning I awoke to the radio happily telling me that I didn't have to worry about wind chill because there was hardly a breeze to be found. However, since the still air temp was steady at -22, this did not fill me with great joy. It's a tad early for that low of temp, if you ask me. Anyhow, I went out 10 minutes early to start the car and noticed that it only had a quarter tank of gas. Now, for those of you who haven't ever had to deal with seriously negative temperatures, you really need to keep a tank half-full or you run the risk of the gas lines freezing up. So, after I drove Myr to school (I'm such a nice mom, I don't make her walk in the -20 weather) I thought I'd drive down to Kwik Trip to get coffee and gas. Halfway there I remembered that I had a discount at County Market for 50 cents off a gallon there. However, since County Market has terrible coffee, I thought I'd get the coffee at Kwik Trip, since I was there anyhow.

As I pull into the parking lot, there is only one parking spot open. The other nine spots are full of cars -- all of them running, none of them with people in. Heh. I so love living in my little town. I follow suit and leave the car running as I run in to get coffee (which was free because I had to wait while they made a new pot).

I head over to the other side of town to get gas. Whoever was programing the music choices that was being pumped over the speakers by the pumps had a sadistic sense of humor. They played "Summer Nights" from Grease, followed by "Night in the City". So totally not the right songs to play when you are filling gas at 20 below.

Thursday night, we went down to the curling club with Wil. When we walked out around ten, I said "Wow, it seems a lot warmer now". It turns out that it was a balmy 18 above. I commented that living "north of the 45th" gives one a twisted view of warm when 18 can be considered warm. Wil said "Well, it is 40 degrees warmer than it was this morning." Which it was. That's like going from 50 in the morning to 90. Frankly, I'd much prefer the 50. Actually, I'd rather work with -22 than 90. 90 is just stupidly hot, especially up here with the humidity we get.

Of course, as I said, since it hasn't been above 25, I may change my mind about liking the cold. There's a good chance we won't see temperatures above freezing until well after Christmas. Oh well, if it keeps being cold, it will give me an excuse to drive to work, right?

Comments

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised the balloon didn't have the air squeezed out of it in that cold. You have it worse than I dear. It's been below here, but only a few degrees and only at night. It was near 20 yesterday, and I wore a t-shirt to work. I'm sure the inside people love it when they see me through the window walking out to grab a truck in my sleeveless T with the smoke of my breath curling around my head.