Frostnip, Frostbite and Fear Thereof

It's been about -10F lately (without windchill). I went out for a few minutes today - I know I should've worn gloves, but I figured I wouldn't be out for very long. The skin on the back of my hands is now red, bumpy, and feels like it's been burned.

"What do you think this is?" I asked my husband. "Windburn, or something?"

"Maybe it's frostbite," he offered helpfully.

"FROSTBITE? Isn't that something you can die from?"

"Well, I'm sure there are milder cases," he replied. So off I went to Google to find out if I had frostbite, and I found this helpful article for expats at the North Pole. Thankfully, I do not have frostbite.

What Happens If You Slip

This is a typical unshoveled Winnipeg sidewalk. As you can imagine, it's very difficult to navigate. Today I saw a 60-year-old man lying flat on his back on the road next to the sidewalk. I wondered if he'd had a heart attack while trying to walk - I'm sure it's happened before. But I think he'd just slipped and fallen, as he was lucid.

A couple young men called the police for the man. Two policemen arrived, parked their car in front of the man, and told him that they couldn't do anything, as they weren't medically trained. They said that at least they'd blocked the road - but they hadn't really done that. To really block the man's supine form from oncoming traffic, they would've had to park their car sideways and lay some cones down on the ground. But the way they were parked, a car could have easily swerved around them and hit the man.

Five minutes passed. A fire truck arrived. The firemen produced a blanket with which they covered the man, and then they drove away. The man continued to lie in the road in 10-degree weather (-24 with the windchill). I don't know how long he lay there, or who (if anyone) finally figured out a way to get him off of the road, but I was watching the scene for at least 15 minutes.

Today's Weather

Temperature in NYC right now: 32 degrees. Temperature in Winnipeg: -15. (That's without windchill.) I don't think I'm going out today.

What I have to look forward to...

...when I get back to the tundra.

Out of morbid curiosity, I had been looking for the Farmer's Almanac online. Just how bad would this winter be? Instead, I found this site that predicts a year-long forecast. The news does not look good.

Hooray

Tonight's low is 26 degrees Fahrenheit!

That "blizzard" NYC is having...

...is just every winter day in Winnipeg!

On The Bright Side...

I went grocery shopping with a new friend today. We picked up several frozen and refrigerated food items. She asked the cashier how long the items would keep in her car. He replied, "It's colder outside than your refrigerator, so the items should keep even better in your car. That's one of the things I really like about Winnipeg!"