Just bad clothes. There’s truth to that, but finding the right clothes for winter can be a bit of a challenge. When I first left Arizona and moved to Massachusetts I strained the muscles between my ribs because I shook so hard when winter arrived. I’d look out the window and it would be sunny and I’d think, oh great, it’s not that cold. I’d leave with a little jacket and walk about a mile with our St. Bernard. (Named Cosby. Sigh.) I was so cold when I returned to the apartment that I couldn’t stop shivering and literally strained my intercostal muscles.
Finally I learned that sun does not equal warm, and bought a “real” winter coat, which didn’t begin to keep me warm. It looked warm to someone from Arizona, but it wasn’t up to the weather in winter in MA. It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but I have finally learned my lesson. I would count the number of coats and jackets I have, but if I told you the final number I’d have to smother you all in goose down.
I thought about all this while at a sheepdog trial a few weeks ago, where the wind was blowing at 25+ mph, and the temp was in the low 20’s. Sheepdog trials are not events where you walk from the car to the store, or your driveway to your house. You are out there for hours at a time, and if you’re not going to suffer, you’d better be prepared. For reasons I can’t explain I thought it would be amusing to take a photo of all the clothes that I wore that day. Looking at this pile of clothing explains why it isn’t the cold weather that bothers me in winter, nor the dark, which I am beginning to like in my dotage. It’s the *&%^ amount of clothing you have to put on and take off multiple times throughout the day. I weighed what’s in the photo and it weighed 12.5 pounds.
For the record, left to right, up to down: Pink winter underwear top, white turtleneck, crazy warm wool sweater I bought in Scotland that I can’t wear inside without sweating, gloves (not my usual outdoor gloves, can’t find them, argh), hand warmers, silk leggings, jeans, snow pants, Sorel boots (the best, so warm!), wool socks, toe warmers, orange parka, silk neck and chin cover, wool and dog hair hat, made from my first Gr Pyr, Bo Peep. (None of us notice how dirty the parka is, right? Of course we don’t. Okay, it’s on my To Do list, but that’s been subsumed by the “life happens when you are busy making other plans” type of event.)
And yes, I was pretty darn warm. Or at least, warm enough. (And thanks to J for lending me her snow pants on Saturday, I bought the same brand that night.) Trickier was keeping the dogs warm, but between blankets, heating up the car on occasion, parking in the sun and lots of exercise, Maggie did just fine.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm. Can’t write much, Jim’s 93 yr old mom fell, broke her hip and had surgery. We are her caretakers, so it’s been quite a ride. Moving her today to a nursing home for rehab. Also doing lots of volunteer work, more on that at the beginning of the year. Not much time to rest and relax I’m afraid.
I did manage to do some baking and clean out two drawers. The fact that I took a photo of one of them is a testament to how rare what you’re seeing actually is. Jim and I are making bets about how long their organization will last. Don’t hold your breath. Here’s the drawer with cooking utensils.
Next Monday is Christmas, so I’ll be silent that week, but I wish you all the best of all possible holidays. Please give my love to all your creatures, big and small, and thank them for all they do for us.
MK Johnson says
Saw this on facebook, hope it the link transfers OK. Thought you might enjoy it 🙂
Merry Christmas.
https://www.facebook.com/seen.everything/videos/1211625718941963/
Kristin Lucey says
Speaking of thanking… The end of the year is a great time to reflect on events of the past 12 months; there was some great and some awful (such is life, yes?). One of the greats was seeing you speak about The Education of Will at the Marin Humane Society in CA. I eagerly look forward to your blog posts (and all the comments!) and so appreciate your smarts and your kindness and your invaluable knowledge. I have forwarded your 2 posts (“Six Words” and “Things to Do After Your Dog Has Died”) to many, many friends dealing with the loss of their creatures. In short, I have learned so much from you and your lovely dogs.
So, thank you and happy, warm, peaceful holidays to you and yours.
LisaW says
I’ve spent the past two years trying to find just the right pair of gloves. I had the perfect pair, warm and flexible, not too big, not too ugly. Of course they wore out and are not made anymore (most things I love from grapefruit seltzer to those gloves are discontinued, hmm). I may have found an okay substitute, we’ll see.
Best recovery wishes for Jim’s mom. My mom broke her hip six years ago and that led to a cascade of events none of which were to her liking. The good news is she is now quite happy in an independent living community and just turned 94!
I love your drawer. I just got my very first silverware drawer organizer thingy. I’m really liking it; I can find the teaspoons so easily. Who knew!
Best of all wishes to you, Trisha, and to your family of two and four legs. I am grateful for this blog community. We need each other now more than ever. Happy New Year (paws crossed)!
Minnesota Mary says
My best hand warmth in the winter (granted, I’m not standing around for hours, but I am walking the dogs for a couple of hours) is doubling up on the coverage. I have a women’s faux leather glove that has a liner inside. It’s not very warm by itself, but when slipped inside a larger men’s glove, or even more warm, a wool mitten, it’s perfect! I always find myself needing dexterity when we stop for a dog to relieve him or herself. Large gloves and mittens do not allow me to grab a plastic baggie to pick up the leavings. So I slide off the men’s glove or wool mitten, grab the bag and pick up with my hand still somewhat protected from the cold, then quickly put the outer layer back on.
I have used hand-warmers heated in the microwave during the coldest walks (when the temperature is a lot below zero and the wind speed is high). But I find that most days, the double glove or glove-in-mitten is enough to keep my hands comfortable.
And stabilicers for icy conditions cannot be beat! Much better traction than yak-tracks or any other boot-cleats!
Alice R says
I’m so sorry about Jim’s mom, and I know what it’s like to be the caretaker so sending some prayers your way.
I agree about clothing for the cold or the wet. I enjoy our walks even in the pouring rain, and have the perfect cold weather dog walking coat thanks to a husband who’s willing to spend more on keeping me warm than I am. The problems I cannot solve are cold feet and hands. The rest of me is warm, but they are bony with rather poor circulation and seem to be cold and painful no matter what I wear.
Have a wonderful holiday! Wishing you some of the restful quiet times that will help you to recharge. Thank you for the gifts I find all year in your blog and the wonderful dog people that gather here.
Gayle Watson says
Guessing that is not your only winter set – from Ontario and I have, as the temperature plummets ( or actually fluctuates)
the light weight winter jacket
plus vest
the warmer parka plus sweatshirt
the warmest parka that I can barely move in but cold enough to wear it only a couple times yearly.
Boots, hats and mitts follow the trend.
Fellow visiting here from India and used to 45C – we had to borrow all sorts of stuff to take him outside – no you have to do up the coat and then put on the mitts! Off he went snowshoeing in the bush having a blast. Funny seeing our environment from such a different perspective.
Sally Franz says
BE SURE to watch that Facebook video — amazing!!!! What a treat!
KC Wilson says
Oh yea, I hear you. We lived in Alaska for 35 years and I too learned the hard way what to buy and what not to buy for winter clothing. At first, when money was more limited, I would shop for cheap coats. One in particular would turn hard and crinkly as soon as the thermometer dropped into the 20s. It was like wearing aluminum foil. Finally, I invested in a long, down-filled, Mountain Hardware coat that covered the bum and thighs. Definitely worth the sticker shock! Even though I no longer live in AK, I can’t get rid of that coat…it’s the best! I’ve worn that thing on many an EPIC dog walk, and it holds warm and fond memories. Happy Holidays.
KC Wilson says
Have any of you tried the boots called “Ice Bugs”? They have built in cleats and zip up so are super easy to put on. I found sheep skin liners (somewhere) to put on the bottom of the boots and they kept me toasty warm. Again, Ice Bugs are pricy, probably $130 but I wore them on all my dog walks in Alaska. The downside is you can’t peel off the cleats when you go inside like you can with the yaks or strap on cleats.
Diane says
Yes, I have always maintained that dog owners need a full service wardrobe to enjoy the outdoors with their best friend. Bib snow pants are really nice for core warmth too! Add to this your rain gear & boots for those spring days and you have a full closet of comfort gear!
Love your insights and blog.
Margo Harris says
So sorry about Jim’s mum! That is difficult for sure.
Your write-up about all the layers you wear is hilarious…and boy, can I identify. Today is mild, but this week it’s going down to -26 C.
My BEST boots EVER are L.L. Bean’s Bar Harbour boots…tall, removable liner, I buy one size too big and my always cold feet are soooo warm and toasty. Even on freezing early mornings at the barn, my feet are fine… amazing boots!
For my cold hands, I wear silk glove liners (mine are from Greenhawk tack store, but that might be only in Canada) under sheepskin mitts, and now my hands are fine too. It only took me 17 years of living here on my farm to figure all this out! I can take off the mitts to open gates, do horse blanket stuff etc., and still have the silk gloves on for protection.
Patricia, your coat is clean compared to mine…oh dear… it will get washed in the spring.
Merry Christmas, and I hope it is peaceful!
Gayla says
Timely (and cute) per the conversation; my friend’s youtube posting yesterday:
https://youtu.be/uxe5wlbzsLY
Language caution…
Kristi Murdock says
I can’t whistle worth a darn, so use a shepherd’s whistle. One time at Red Wing, it was really cold and I’d piled on a million layers and only realized after I’d sent my dog that my whistle was underneath everything. I’m unzipping and yanking and not paying any attention to Rock, who reportedly did a beautiful outrun and a controlled lift (with no help from me), and was headed back with the sheep by the time I looked up, still groping for my whistle. Rock brought the sheep around the post and Ralph Pulfer yelled “open the gate, woman!” and I did and Rock penned them for a 1st, proving that I was truly incidental to the cause. I still have my whistle, and I miss Rock every day.
Caroline McKinney says
I highly recommend rechargeable battery hand warmers. You can google and find. The chemical ones last longer than my shorter and more frequent dog walks and then what do you do with them?
Barb Flook says
I’ve found that I get colder as I’ve gotten older, but that doesn’t stop this old retired lady from playing outside with her BC and BC/Aussie for hours in the cold. My secret weapon, under the men’s waterproof North Face coat that I got on sale, is a Gerbing’s heated vest!! We’re on our 4th year together and it works like a charm to keep your core toasty. (They also make 12V units for motorcyclists.) These days there are other brands out there too. Enjoy!
Chris from Boise says
So sorry to hear about Jim’s mother’s fall and fracture. We send best wishes for her recovery. And good for you for volunteering – no matter how dreadful things are around the world, one can always make a difference as a volunteer.
No bad weather, only bad clothes is my slogan too. This morning I took Habi for a stroll in 37 degree, lightly raining Portland. BRRRRR! Despite the above freezing temperature, I wore my secret weapon: longjohns (plus four layers on top, wool hat, wool mittens, wool socks, wool pants, etc). I loathe being cold, but I love the winter (even while visiting Portland). A decade ago, I admitted to myself that my aged thermostat is set wrong, and started dressing for MY comfort rather than everyone else’s. Instantly winter became fun again. I usually wear two layers more than normal people, and I’m happy (and the dogs get good long walks and hikes, so they’re happy too).
Glad to read other good suggestions here too. I hadn’t heard of rechargeable hand warmers – thank you Caroline for the tip! And thank you Kristi for sharing your Rock story. He sounds like he was a champion in all ways.
Best wishes for the holidays to all!
Pamela says
He he! No bad weather, eh? That’s what my Norwegian friends tell me.
We live on a boat. There is very expensive technical clothing to keep sailors waterproof and protected from the wind. But I can’t bring myself to spend $600 on clothing even if I could find pieces that fit me perfectly.
Luckily my cuddly golden retriever goes well with thrift store clothing and I manage to stay somewhat warm.
Monika & Sam says
Fleas Navidog! Wishing you and yours happy howlidays.