Polar vortex temp check

[nala]

There are plenty of homeless folks and outdoor workers that aren’t “cozy and warm.” This is life threatening and pains me to think of many who can’t take shelter and warmth for granted. Nothing enviable about this situation. (I don’t mean to rant at you nala, I know you meant well.)

Yes. I did mean well. I was trying not to gloat about my good weather. That’s. All. I was addressing the peeps here on this board. Who I know are fortunate enough to be cozy and warm. The term envy was used to make them look on the bright side. But I guess it would have been preferable for me to gloat about my good weather. Like I had something to do with it. Like some have on this board. But I guess you didn’t take offense to that. So confused.

 

[Nikki1415]

I hear the wind blowing and I am afraid to go walk my dogs because the smaller one might be blown away.

 

[missy]

Icy cold at the beach this morning. Beautiful but yes as @Bonfire wisely writes this cold can be deadly. Hoping everyone who needs shelter is finding shelter and staying safe.

 

[Bonfire]

Yes. I did mean well. I was trying not to gloat about my good weather. That’s. All. I was addressing the peeps here on this board. Who I know are fortunate enough to be cozy and warm. The term envy was used to make them look on the bright side. But I guess it would have been preferable for me to gloat about my good weather. Like I had something to do with it. Like some have on this board. But I guess you didn’t take offense to that. So confused.

Oh nala, bless your heart!
I’ll repeat myself, I know you meant well! I’m not sure why you take offense, but my mind is occupied thinking of my DD who’s a peramedic working in these god awful conditions. Many frostbite and hypothermia cases. And those are only the ones she’ll tell me about! Have a safe day everyone!

 

[Bonfire]

@nala I want to expain further to you, as my last post didn’t very well.
I know in your post you were directing your comments to those of us here on this forum, of course. I know your comments were in kindness. I’m coming from a bigger picture, concerning the millions of people put in a dangerous situation. I used your post to highlight the inpact to people beyond a jewelry forum. I’m sure that’s heightened by the fact my daughter is a first responder. I’m sorry you felt singled out in a negative way. It was not my intention to do so. Thank you for expressing your well wishes to those of us here. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, temps are on the upswing!

 

[monarch64]

Yes. I did mean well. I was trying not to gloat about my good weather. That’s. All. I was addressing the peeps here on this board. Who I know are fortunate enough to be cozy and warm. The term envy was used to make them look on the bright side. But I guess it would have been preferable for me to gloat about my good weather. Like I had something to do with it. Like some have on this board. But I guess you didn’t take offense to that. So confused.

That is such a peeve of mine!!! Not even just here, but in general on the internet. I have friends who live in Florida and half of them are always posting "omg so glad i live where it's warm" and I'm like, oh really? When there is a hurricane or flooding or a human eaten by an alligator do you see me posting "so glad I live where the environment isn't always out to kill me!"

 

[SparklieBug]

How big are the retail balloons? I used to have a Newfoundland (who had massive paws) so I know he was too big for any normal size booties, but now I have an average size dog (about 80 pounds). Would balloons fit him? (I love these tips!)

Deb

Deb, I think balloons come in many sizes. I purchased ones that are 11" when they're inflated. They're a wee bit large but that gives them some wiggle room and allows for natural spreading of their toes. I suspect a pet store might be better for a large dog's foot, as their nails might puncture regular balloons. The pet store "balloon" material is much heavier.

 

[SparklieBug]

Um, we need pictures

Here's a quick shot from today (it was a breezy -22C) in our backyard which is north-facing, so it feels even colder in the shade:



They're so goodnatured about being lifted up onto the washing machine to have their booties and jackets put on/taken off.

 

[Calliecake]

@Bonfire, Can you believe it will be 52 degrees on Monday? I hope your DD is doing well. Please tell her thank you.

 

[TooPatient]

Yeah my best friend is in Wisconsin and his furnace broke and its cold So definitely nothing enviable and comfy about that Hes recovering from eye surgery so I'm pretty concerned about him obviously. I'm just glad he is getting it fixed tomorrow and I am definitely hoping for more normal cold soon. This minus degrees stuff is BS. Especially when you have to run errands like we did. I was so grateful it was sunny out. It really helped a lot. Still froze my face off though x.x

I admit it makes me giggle when my dad starts wearing his jackets when it gets under 70. He is so spoiled by our years in Florida lol. If I have my way we will move back there after retirement. Give me back my winters with 60 degrees!!

Edit: I too realise I sound cranky with my reaction to your comment Nala. Just kinda rubbed me wrong given my friend's situation and I apologise for being b****y

Is his heater fixed? If not, what area is he in? I know a person in WI who generally knows about help available in situations like this deadly cold. I could ask her for possible options if he still needs.

 

[AprilBaby]

It’s up to a balmy -2! I actually prefer the cold to the hot. You can crank up the heat and put on more clothes. Once you are naked there isn’t much more you can do to cool off!

 

[TooPatient]

It’s up to a balmy -2! I actually prefer the cold to the hot. You can crank up the heat and put on more clothes. Once you are naked there isn’t much more you can do to cool off!

Yes! It was hot enough last summer I seriously thought about finding a way to install a second central AC in the house. Or a huge one to replace the old? (Dislaimer: I have become a temperature wimp. I am comfortable in 62-67 degrees with 45-50 percent humidity and anything outside of that is just no good.)

 

[MeowMeow]

Is his heater fixed? If not, what area is he in? I know a person in WI who generally knows about help available in situations like this deadly cold. I could ask her for possible options if he still needs.

I'm hoping it is. I haven't heard from him since very early this morning when we last texted together at 4 in the morning. I know he was telling me he was heating his house with his stove yesterday. Kinda scared me. I'm still waiting on a text back to me asking about it. I'm sure he is okay. Just will feel much better once I know he and his kitties are not cold anymore.

 

[Wewechew]

Here's a quick shot from today (it was a breezy -22C) in our backyard which is north-facing, so it feels even colder in the shade:



They're so goodnatured about being lifted up onto the washing machine to have their booties and jackets put on/taken off.

Thank you for posting pics! They are adorable and wonderful sports

 

[OboeGal]

Here's a quick shot from today (it was a breezy -22C) in our backyard which is north-facing, so it feels even colder in the shade:



They're so goodnatured about being lifted up onto the washing machine to have their booties and jackets put on/taken off.

They look like they're prancing about a bit, like "Look at us! We be stylin'!"

 

[Dee*Jay]

I just came home from a few days at TR's and took a walk around the property to see if everything is OK.

The back gate to the parking lot is frozen open, and there is something dripping from the mail room ceiling that has created a sheet of ice across the entire floor.

Oh joy...

 

[lambskin]

Sparklebug, your dogies are soooo cute. What breed are they?

 

[mn_shopaholic]

Super excited that the temps here are finally above 0 and forecast is saying mid 30s for this weekend, so maybe I can go a couple of days without having to layer multiple sweaters just to keep warm inside.




This is the time of year I always question staying here vs moving. My AC went out when it was 90 degrees last summer and I wouldn’t pay the $200 trip charge for a Sunday service visit when waiting until Monday to have it fixed saved me that $200, but I’ll spend obscene amounts of money on outerwear, etc and use vacation days from work to avoid the cold.


For those who use balloons as dog boots – do you know how well they hold up in sub-zero temps? Or what is the lowest temp at which you’ve used them? I tried using some store-bought dog booties that are sock material with a rubber/plastic type flexible sole and they all cracked from the cold on Wednesday morning (wind-chill of -43). I ended up finding some 6-12M infant/toddler slipper socks to get us through the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, but this is an area where some back up options would be useful.

 

[MamaBee]

You’re welcome! A few years ago I saw a little dog on the subway with the most glam, sparklie-gold booties. Turns out they were balloons, so I raced out to buy some.

Party store ballons are my fave, ‘cause they’re sold individually which means lots of fun colors to mix ‘n match. The first time I chose white ones (like the wee ones’ legs/feet). Mistake! In the snow, I could never tell if the booties were on or had gone missing. LOL! Now they wear brilliant booties, in all manner of colors, easy to see in the snow.

That’s a great idea! I would think it would be slippery though..I’m going to get some..but my dog is 80 pounds..I’ll have to get the largest ones!

 

[mary poppins]

We are up to 22 degrees with wind chill of 18 degrees. It's been snowing for a couple of hours, though forecast was for much shorter, so the ground is covered in white again. Hoping this evening's plans won't be cancelled.

I let the kitties out on the enclosed patio for a bit this morning. The girl cat likes to play in it, and this was the boy cat's first experience with it. I was surprised when they both stayed out longer than I expected, especially the boy cat.

@SparklieBug, your winterized dogs are so cute!
@MeowMeow, I hope your friend's heat is working by now.

 

[MamaBee]

It’s 16 degrees but not sure what the wind chill is..I was going to head over to Maryland today for the weekend but my son called and told me the roads were a sheet of ice under the new snow.so I decided to stay here this weekend and go next weekend. My other son will be very disappointed because he loves to go to Maryland..but tomorrow will be nice so we’ll do something fun then.
I wake up at 5:30 to walk Bailey during the week. This morning I bundled a sweatshirt on top of my pjs and..puffy jacket on top..two hoods up and my husbands thermal gloves. I could barely move and I was still cold. Bailey doesn’t like his paws cold so I didn’t have to coax him to go..He did his business and pulled me back to the house!

 

[SparklieBug]

Sparklebug, your dogies are soooo cute. What breed are they?

They're Smooth Fox Terriers (as opposed to Wire Fox Terriers). They're similar to Jack Russells (our first terrier was a li'l JR), but about 20% taller, 20% longer noses, tails, etc., and about 20% more laidback than a typical JR. This is what a Smooth Fox breeder told us before we opted to invite the first one into the household. She was right! The first one was soooo easy-going, and so laidback!

So, we decided to get the second one, a female (both were neutered/spayed). Wow. That was a culture shock. We discovered that she's the terrier's terrier! Plus, the male was likely some sort of genetic accident and simply has his compliance gene flicked on. LOL!

We love them dearly and wouldn't trade a moment with them. They're now 15 and time is steadily ticking... So we love 'em to bits while we still can, and I tend to "spoil" them now but feeding them tidbits at the table, giving them extra treats, etc.

 

[SparklieBug]

For those who use balloons as dog boots – do you know how well they hold up in sub-zero temps? Or what is the lowest temp at which you’ve used them? I tried using some store-bought dog booties that are sock material with a rubber/plastic type flexible sole and they all cracked from the cold on Wednesday morning (wind-chill of -43). I ended up finding some 6-12M infant/toddler slipper socks to get us through the rest of Wednesday and Thursday, but this is an area where some back up options would be useful.

We've had excellent results with the balloons at our local party store. They're heavier than dollar-store balloons. I've had the dogs out in -25C weather and when they were younger, would take them for walks at -20C with no problems. If they run hard and their nails are long, that can puncture the balloons, but with just regular walking, they're fine.

They're not the least bit slippery. In fact, they're quite grippy! When they come inside from the snow, they tend to hop and race around the house because they've got excellent grip on the floors. We don't have carpeting.

Prior to using balloons we'd tried so many different kinds of booties and found them to be wanting—either the shape of the foot was off, or the fabric was poorly made, or the booties would fly off, even just walking, etc.

 

[SparklieBug]

That’s a great idea! I would think it would be slippery though..I’m going to get some..but my dog is 80 pounds..I’ll have to get the largest ones!

Oops! I responded to your comment in a prior post.

I haven't found the balloons to be slippery at all; on the contrary, the dogs get great grip in them. It's kind of like wearing "rubber" gloves when doing dishes or working with frozen foods—they protect the hands (paws) from cold and heat.

For an 80-pound dog, yes, you would need big ones, likely from the pet store. I would think big dog's nails would pierce through regular balloons in a heartbeat.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Walking across the Kinzie Street bridge this morning. The river was iced over.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Seagulls walking on the surface.

 

[MeowMeow]

@mary poppins not yet. Apparently he got put off til Monday by the repair people
but he says it's much much warmer now so it's not as big a deal anymore since it's not cold like it was this past week. I'm pissed on his behalf but logically I am sure many furnaces failed so they are probably just super busy trying to get to everyone.

 

[mary poppins]

Anyone up for some yoga in the snow?

 

[mary poppins]

@mary poppins not yet. Apparently he got put off til Monday by the repair people
but he says it's much much warmer now so it's not as big a deal anymore since it's not cold like it was this past week. I'm pissed on his behalf but logically I am sure many furnaces failed so they are probably just super busy trying to get to everyone.

Sorry to hear he has to wait but glad it's not as cold as it was before.

 

[Bonfire]

Great photos @Dee*Jay!