Groundhog Day is Coming
It's Almost -40 Below
February Second is Groundhogs Day
The countdown has commenced. I'm waiting for the little Groundhog to do its annual spring prediction.
Aren't we a fun nation? As a group, we adore the little creature that waddles from its burrow and makes our day, as far as making our morale soar to think there is a slight possibility that spring is on the way.
The joke around here, right now, is that fish houses have to be off the lakes by the third of July, so that they can be ready for the fourth of July fireworks display. For those of you that don't get the humor, right now, there are literally thousands of people who park little sheds on the lakes right now, called fish houses, that have holes in the floor. People have a special ice auger that is used to drill an 8 inch wide hole in the ice, in that particular spot in the fish house, and then, they use a specially shortened fishing pole and fish for fish that are available this time of year.
Isn't it cold? Well. A fish house is special, in that it is insulated, carpeted, paneled, and most of the time, there is a stove, furnace, and a television for watching satellite TV. So, no. It's not cold in a fish house. It's only cold if you need to use the bathroom, which generally is a bucket lined with a plastic bag.
Usually, there are snacks out there as well. Oh, and there are bunks that fold down from the walls if said occupants decide that they'd like to camp out overnight. It's a modern Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn adventure.
Ice in Lakes
Forty below is too cold to be taking chances on the lake in your fish house. Forty below means that if you get out to your fish house, you probably would be okay once you were in your fish house, since there is heat.
But, heaven help you when you try to start your vehicle later, when its cooled down in the -40 degree temperatures. The faint err-err from a taxed battery could panic the bravest man...
At -40 below, frostbite occurs within five minutes. I was reading a horrible story about someone who had frostbite and the picture showed large bubbles of blisters on their feet. I believe that the toes were black. Ish.
Firewood to Heat Regular House
Proof that it is Cold
