I’m glad it’s a cold day…
When nothing moves and no one stays
The air is clear and stings my face
and all things sleep in the blessings of winter
Lately, it hasn’t been as cold here in the Catskills and Hudson Valley as it used to be. Maybe it’s climate change, or maybe it’s just old man winter’s attitude, but I’m pretty sure that up until about 10 years ago, there were periods of nearly a week at a time when the temperature was below zero. I can remember. Temperatures can drop to -7 or -8 degrees.
On such auspicious days, the energetic among us wake up between 6 and 7 in the morning, leave the house, walk down Mill Hill Road into the middle of Woodstock, and go to Tinker. -You might walk down the street, past WAA, past the library, past Rushers. Funeral home (although I rushed through it because I was worried I would get stuck there), down towards Bearsville. Just wandering down the street, right next to the double yellow lines in the middle of the street. If you own a territory, you might do figure-eight circuits covering the width of Route 212, enjoying the freedom of solitude in extreme conditions.
Sweet time is a frozen night
When all my troubles become small and light
Snuggle up warmly next to the oak fireplace
While the flames burn old desires
Oh, your touch…takes back my soul
And we stay young even as we grow older
How cold is cold?
Suffice it to say, the approximately minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit we’ve been enjoying and shivering through for years now feels like a balmy day in Denver.
Here is some very superficial research I did, using at least two sources each on the web.
As reported by the World Meteorological Organization in 2023, it turns out that temperatures have fallen to the lowest recorded on earth, When a record of -144 degrees Fahrenheit was reported on the East Antarctic Plateau. NASA calls the location “the coldest place on Earth.”
This shattered the previous record of -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit set in 1983 at Vostok in Antarctica, which had been confirmed by Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.
Without going into more depth than this little meditation can handle, here is some more information that is probably relevant.
There are four scales that scientists use to measure temperature: Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, and Rankine. None of them can make the temperature higher or lower, they just assign different scales and numbers.
Then there’s this measurement called absolute zero. Physicists call this the “lowest possible temperature” or “the lowest possible temperature.” The calculation is -459.67°F. The web says, “At absolute zero there is no motion or heat.”
And finally, wandering into a subject we know little about and even can’t imagine, about 5000 light-years away lies the Boomerang Nebula, or protoplanetary nebula (look it up for yourself). , which gives us “the coldest place in the known universe” at 1 Kelvin, or -457.87 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA.
cold culture
(Recite the following as quickly as possible. Sing the Hank Williams line.)
Cold beer, cold feet, cold hands, cold cuts, how can you release your doubts and melt your cold cold heart, ice cold, cold fish, cold shoulders, cold showers, Cold Pizza, Cold Rain, Cold War, Head Cold, Cold Cider, Cold Blood, Cold Turkey, Out Cold, Cold Comfort, Cold Hard Facts, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cold Cream, Cold Sweat, Cold Noodles and more…
Some thoughts on living in a cold country — hey, this isn’t Minnesota!
Famous TV Quote: “Hey, this is New York. It’s supposed to snow…”
Al, on the street: “Give me June, July, August. You can leave the rest alone…”
Jamie says: “With COVID-19, I started loving the cold because the only way to get together with friends was outside. So I learned how to dress better. I tried to dress warmer. , it was good for our marriage because Tim loves the cold weather and there were always big differences between us…”
Tim says: “I moved here on New Year’s Day, 1970. I got on the highway and saw the ice falls along the road and thought, “This is where I’m driving to heaven.” When I was a kid, As soon as it started snowing, a state of bliss came over me…”
Jeff says: “When it’s hot, I look forward to it. When it’s hot, it means spring is coming.”
Tom E. thinks about extreme cold. I feel like I like it a lot less than I used to. ”
Yana says: I found a balaclava…as long as your ears are warm, you’ll be fine. I went for a walk this morning and layered up. It’s easier when the sun comes out…I don’t like cold weather, but I can tolerate a little bit. I like moderation…”
oh please take me to the well
When signs of spring begin to appear
Tilt your heart to the howling wind
Then arch your back and grind again
But you’re here, and so will I be.
I’ll be there for you even when the days get cold
— Lyrics by Brian Hollander
