The Rhythm of Winter

We are in the rhythm of winter now. Yesterday I sat in a County Commissioner meeting all morning to hear about the refugee resettlement issue. Pleased to report that our board of commissioners would not plan to turn away refugees. I was so cold sitting there though that I was super reluctant to go home and do chores in the whipping wind.

But there’s no choice when it comes to being a livestock farmer. So I got on my wool long underwear, fleece-lined jeans, two pairs of wool socks, thin wool turtleneck, followed by thick alpaca wool mock turtleneck... and that was just my base layers! Then I put on the navy-issue shearling-lined pants from my father-in-law, my fleece-lined Carhartt coat, Bogs insulated boots, wool neck gaiter, wool stocking cap, touch-screen friendly gloves covered by thinsulate flip-open mittens, and out the door I went.

The wind was indeed whipping, but I had only walked halfway across the yard when I realized I was already feeling warmer than I had all morning. By the time I came back in an hour later I was sweating. Dress appropriately and move your body. That’s how we get through winter.