1*F (-17* C) at the bus stop

[gwendally]

I'm single parenting this week while B. is traveling.  I'm dealing with snow storms without a working snowblower, a boy who needs his own livery service, a dog who cannot find her tennis ball in the deep snow, and all the usual things associated with running a small business

Comments

[coercedbynutmeg]

Where I grew up, they'd cancel school if it was that cold in the morning. Course, it almost never got that cold.

[ssterikoff]

It constantly amazes me to see how kids go out without proper gear. I guess in some cases they can't afford it, in others, the parents figure they will start wearing it if they get cold? One mom told me her son was wearing shorts to school, refused to change. We've got snow on the ground, it's in the teens, it snowed all day. The school has even sent reminder emails home that it children need to be dressed appropriately for school. I know some years ago a friend was called by the school and told to bring a winter coat in for her child, because the child had forgotten it. I often wonder if the mom whose son went to school in shorts is ever called to bring in pants for him...

Tae kwon do was cancelled due to road conditions, so I told Jessica to put her snow gear on and go shovel :)

[akilika]

There's one kid I know, one of the Peer Tutoring Club (well, was when I was going to school), who always, always wore a pair of basketball shorts.

(Purple. I'm assuming he had several pair, because wearing the same pair of shorts every single day seems like a stylistic choice rather than a financial one; someone unable to afford multiple outfits and unwilling to accept charity would probably wear something less notable for their one outfit.)

And he's not the only one who only ever wears shorts in a Herkimer winter. It baffles the mind, but it seems to be a Thing.

(Meanwhile, I forgot my *hat* one day and ran all the way home from the bus stop, less than half a mile, and felt like my ears would fall off at the other end. I was 24, I think! Yeah, I don't know how they do shorts...)

(Purple Shorts used the bus, too, and would wait at the stop with me. Which sort of adds to the mystery.)

[kayjayuu]

Anything above 10F here brings out the shorts for some people. Flip flops at freezing.

But it's North Dakota, and a seriously beautiful day is -10F with sun and no wind. Breathtaking. But yah, could kill you, so nobody is actually dumb about it. Except that one guy who ran out in shorts in a blizzard and got stuck in the snow on a closed road... highway patrol lectured him big time about that and the next year the legislature raised the fines to a couple hundred bucks for putting law enforcement in harm's way for stupidity.

But not for the shorts.

[abz6598]

Next time you have one of these altruistic moments, assuming you dont simply wait for them to pass, I recommend surplus military glove/mitt liners. They are wool, they are worm, and they are less than $1/pair in bulk from outfits like Cheaper Than Dirt or Sportsmans Guide. (They are also ambidextrous so they can go on either hand...no need to 'mate' them). I have about 40 pairs that I keep for my own use.