Subzero Bubble Blowing Fun -24 Below in Minnesota

Yes. It's not just a cold, windy, snowy day. No. Around here, it's the Polar Vortex. It sounds much colder than usual. While it is true that cold is cold, there are some variations to our cold.

Minnesota has warm cold, where you go outside, there's no wind, and the sun is shining warmly. It's still cold, but it's pleasant. Then, there is the raw cold, where the temperature cuts through your clothing and it almost hurts, it's so cold. Then, there's the wet cold, where it is cold, but there is that hint of a storm brewing. There's the crisp cold, where you breathe the air in, and your tongue feels cold. You don't want to touch your tongue to any metal outside at this point. You won't be able to move your tongue without ripping it off. You listen to this and wonder to yourself why anyone in their right mind would do such a thing. Well, some do. Mostly on a dare, and... kids. You know how kids are, right? Or, maybe adults after a few beers.

Oh, and for the record, crisp cold is so cold, that when you speak, the words come out of your mouth, fall to the ground, and shatter. It is just that cold.

This polar vortex stuff is crazy. The temperature this week was down to -30, and that was without any wind. Then, you add a little wind to the mix, and the raw cold thing sets in.

I brushed some snow off my car and backed out of my parking spot. My fingers, although gloved, were a little sore. Cold. Almost frozen. Supposedly, it only takes 5 minutes to get frost bite during the polar vortex.

I drive a Subaru Baja and it has all wheel drive, so I have no concern for getting stuck in snow. I just crawl out of it. But, ice is ice. Slippery and dangerous. So, the bubble making was done because I wished to show an example of how cold it really boils down to.

The bubble stuff that I am using is just a cheap bubble stuff. You can make your own by mixing dish soap and water together. Perhaps, oil would be effective, but maybe not.

This is a photo of my thermometer that is stuck in the screen inside the window. It has access to cold air outside, but apparently either isn't extremely accurate or there is some insulation factor in the inside of my windows.

Blowing a bubble is tricky. First, you must blow the bubble and get it to float on the air long enough to start to freeze. Many of my bubbles popped before getting very far. Many of them, did manage to reach the snowy deck before they started to freeze.

Timing is everything.

The bubble, as it changes from a liquid to a solid, must change a little in weight. The bubbles that came crashing to the deck, many popped. A few, just plopped in and began the freezing process.