Today’s Friday Five has to do with how cold it’s starting to get all over the place. Considering it’s now December, I guess it’s appropriate :
1. What’s your favorite thing about cold weather?
I, obviously, have to vote on the side of knittables. I like to wear scarves and mittens, warm woolen socks. Also, I can knit to my heart’s content, and not overheat or get sweaty. I can actually use Real Wool instead of cotton blends or bamboo, and not feel like the yarn is sticking between my fingers. All-in-all, a pretty good thing.
2. Soups and hot beverages seem to be everyone’s favorite cold-weather culinary combatant, but what’s another food that seems to take the bite out of the cold?
I like a nice hearty chili for getting warm. If I’m being particularly cheeky, I’ll have a little french bread with butter to go with it. I’ve gotten pretty good at making my own chili this year, even if it isn’t particularly “low carb”. My version has lots of oomph from added beans, which can pack quite a bit of extra carbohydrate punch with the protein. Eiher way…it’s tasty and warm, and it feeds both of us for a few lunches at work.
3. When the weather is just starting to turn cold but is not yet in full frigidity, what do you add to your bed until it’s time to break out the heavy artillery? (I said what, not whom!)
We keep an couple of extra things around to help combat the chill: An extra blanket or light duvet, and a hot water bottle. The blanket or duvet is pretty self-explanatory. The hot water bottle is great for a little extra warmth to cuddle up with, or for use as a bed-warming device. Rolling it between the sheets isn’t too far off from ye old bed warming pans!
4. What household chore seems especially unkind in these colder months?
We Canadians are particularly adept at both shovelling driveways, and avoiding shovelling driveways. I grew up in a house that had two and a half driveways. One of the driveways was particularly long. It didn’t always work, but my brother and I were pretty good at making ourselves scarce. Luckily for my parents, we lived in Ontario, where the snow is perfect for snowman-building. I think Mum and Dad would lure us outside with promises of snowmen, and get us to roll up half the driveway before starting on the lawn…
5. Among people you know, who seems most oblivious to cold weather?
I really can’t think of anyone who could be considered “oblivious” to the cold. I think it’s more a matter of “tolerance for” the cold. I think a lot of it has to do with knowing how to dress for the temperature. After living in Yellowknife for a couple of years, I found that the cold in Ontario didn’t really affect me much. It was the humidity that was a killer. I’m sure my brother and his family (all of whom live in Yellowknife) would call me a wimp if I complained much about the weather here in Calgary, though they’re known to take vacations in California. Personally, as long as I’m dressed for it, I really don’t mind the cold all that much. A little preparation (and an unapologetic knitting habit) makes a huge difference!
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