The Law of Averages

Right now, in the lovely city of Colorado Springs, CO, it is -3, with a wind chill of -24. That’s Farenheit, people. In other words, it is just nasty cold out there.

Now, when I first found out that Alan would be stationed at Ft. Carson, I immediately looked up just about everything I could about the Colorado Springs area. It was probably the most deluded thing I could have done. Looking at the average temperatures, there really isn’t much difference compared to coastal Connecticut. There seemed to be a larger difference between the highs and lows, but that was only to be expected at a higher elevation, right? What I wasn’t expecting was the huge swing from day to day. So while the average temperatures for each area are within half a degree, we find those averages with very different data.

In Connecticut, the average temperature for February is 32. That’s because everyday for a week it’ll be in the upper 30’s during the day and the mid-20’s at night.

In Colorado Springs, the average temperature for February is 31.5. That’s because on Sunday it will be 62 and by Monday night it will be 0.

Like I said, at the moment it’s somewhere in negative numbers with a seriously huge wind chill. Every heater in the house is house and I’m still cold. There is frost on the inside of every single window, especially the ones in the bedroom because I sleep with a humidifier. The kitchen faucet is on constant drip to keep the pipes from freezing. I have a bowl of seed out on the deck where squirrels and birds like to stop. Not only was there a squirrel out there shivering, but the wind gusts are strong enough that they knocked it over more than once.

I am wearing Alan’s long underwear.

Plus a silk-weight undershirt, two long-sleeved shirts, one of Alan’s winter "undershirts" that’s more like a sweatshirt than anything else, jeans, and thick cushy socks and slippers. At some point, I will probably put on his puffy Army coat, my ski gloves, a neck gaiter, and a thick hat and walk up to get the mail. Stupid faraway mailbox. Charlee and I are supposed to go to Zumba later, but I’m not all that keen on leaving the house, especially in workout clothes.  On the other hand, it would be a good idea to pick up a couple stacks of wood. I have enough for one night, but considering that everything in this house is electric, if the power goes out, I’m screwed for heat and cooking if I use it all up.

I do hope Alan’s keeping warm out in the field. I don’t think any of them were prepared for these extreme temperatures, since Sgt. Schulz checked everyone’s gear before they left and said he had everything. And yet his extreme cold weather gear is still sitting in its cardboard box in the second bedroom. I guess there will a lot of snuggling. LOL… I’m also making sure to keep my phone with me in case they come back for the night. The low tonight is -20 with a wind chill of -44. We might even break records. Yeehaw.

~Liz