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By Jesse Utz 

Cold air tells a tale in the Coulee

Jess Shut Up

 

Last updated 12/3/2014 at 11:02am



Not to steal from the weather man, but it has been cold. Colder than Hans Solo in a Carbonite freeze. It might even be colder than a Hobbit in Melkor. OK, now that that is out of my system and movie buffs are happy, let's move right along.

Since I have spent a fair share of time outside lately in the frigid air, I have let my mind drift a bit back to the days of horse and buggy or, more appropriately, horse and sled. I remember reading in "Pioneers to Power" that the young adults in the pioneer days would go to dances in sleighs. They would get dressed in their best and go to a neighbor's house for the evening. Mind you that the neighbor was more than likely a few miles away and the dance would last all night. The reasoning for the all-nighter was not a need to be out all night, it was because they needed to wait till morning so there was enough light to navigate home.

So imagine this, 10 degrees out, fresh snow, you have been dancing to the sounds of the local fiddle player all night. You get bundled under a few heavy blankets and wrapped in your heavy winter coat, a few scarfs wrapped around your head and the first sparkles of the day's sunlight dancing behind the trees. You try to get as comfortable as possible, maybe cuddled next to your brother or sister or maybe even your future husband or wife and the horse starts pulling the sleigh towards home. If you were lucky the horse knew the way and you could sleep during the trip.

We think it is cold, but our ancestors knew cold. Wood heat, with thin walls and little insulation if any. But they knew how to live great lives on very little with great rewards. Yes, a lot of hard work went into those times and today we reap the rewards for their long, tiring days of intestinal fortitude.

With that being said, I still feel the chill of the cold breeze though my insulated coveralls and boots. My fingers are still chilled in my Thinsulate-ed gloves and polythermal cap. Chilled by the same wind that blew against the cheeks of the natives that filled these hills many years ago. The same breeze that froze the tails of cattle to the ground in those early days of the local settlers. The same Jack Frost that froze the pipes of our homes blew upon the farmers that plowed the fields here before the dam construction started. A chill that does not seem to be going away any time soon.

I sat at my window this morning knowing it was about 15 degrees outside. I sipped my coffee and watched the horses in the field. I then noticed movement to the right. As I turned my head, I saw 13 wild turkeys move in from the side of the house. Moments later, a tiny little forked horn buck emerged under the apple tree and did his best to eat frozen apples from the ground. Shortly after, something startled the yearling buck and he watched intently the brush behind him until two beautiful ring neck pheasants darted out and joined him under the frozen fruit tree. Soon the birds moved down the trail and out of sight, and when I went out into the frozen air to start the frosted car, the buck finally had to move on too.

But for some reason the cold did not have the same bite it did the day before. There was something alive, something more desirable about the chill today. I am not sure what it is, exactly, but I would like to think that the warmth of our ancestors was there in the wind, letting me know they are here, walking the same ground they did years ago.

So when you're cuddled up under your favorite blanket and turning the space heater up or cranking the thermostat up to an all-time high, remember back to the hard times, the times of our ancestors. Remember that they paid a rough price for our current situation. They toughed it out in much more extreme situations so that we can have it a lot easier now. Yes, it is hard to have that cheerful attitude when you're under your home trying to thaw out frozen pipes or when you're sitting in the ditch because you slid off the road, but it could always be worse.

Cherish the cold because the cold brings with it a feeling of living, and there will always be a spring right around the corner. So curl up and get a warm drink and enjoy it. I'm just saying.

 

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