Time Magazine had an interesting headline:
One teacher put it well — she would like him to stand outside for a half an hour waiting for a school bus with inadequate clothing, The schools are for all children, not just the ones lucky enough to afford warm clothing.
Amazingly, Governor Bevin is running for reelection this year, so his remark was not his brightest move.
It did remind me of when first got to Ithaca in early 1966, during the coldest part of the year. I was dressed in the clothes I wore in France — a dress with a wool coat and unprotected legs, so I mentioned it was COLD! Andy poofed at the idea. He was from Montana and it wasn’t cold unless it was -40°F (-40° C) in a blizzard. I looked at him, wearing pants and an arctic parka, and didn’t argue. I just went downtown and bought myself some warm clothes too.
It routinely got down to -10° to -20°F (-23° to -29°C) with a stiff wind for a couple of weeks in winter. We lived a half mile from our jobs on campus and walked back and forth — warm clothing made a huge difference!
Of course, we were a lot younger then. Now Andy’s preferred temperature inside is about 76°F (24°C). How things change.
Mom spent a few winter weekends in Ithaca when Dad was at Cornell Law School. She thought she was going to die with the cold, not to mention the harrowing drives she had getting there from western Massachusetts via that NY Thruway. Treacherous!!!
The kids were out of school here too. But it was a fun day for all with Grandma and us:)
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
I still have warm feelings for Cornell (we were there about 8 1/2 years), but I don’t miss the weather there.
Your mom was very brave to drive there!
I’m glad you had a good time with your family. 🙂
I’m so sick of wealthy old white politicians, who never had to worry about a thing, telling less fortune people how things are. I’m sure that idiot never stood outside in the cold weather ever. Grrr.
It’s awful here right now. I had to work this morning and the temp in my vehicle read -21 and they said windshield was -55 degrees. All the businesses closed around here. Even the mail wasn’t delivered. They closed the vet clinic but of course, I had to go in. I got up at 1am to start my car and run it a bit so that it would start again in the morning. Days like this I really wish I had a garage! Then the night girl called and said her car wouldn’t start so I had to go back in again. This time it was a bit warmer, only -15 degrees.
I wore a t-shirt, a fleece pullover, and then 2 hoodies and a vest over that with a scarf and hat. I also wore two pairs of pants. I was still cold…
Yep, totally hating winter.
🙁
Good Lord! I hope it warms up soon.
The USA and Canada are certainly getting some low temperatures right now. Jenny’s cousin in Toronto says they’ve had the biggest snowfall for some years. We were in Sydney last week, sweltering in the low thirties celcius. It’s slightly below freezing in Northern Ireland and we’ve just had a light snowfall, the first of the winter. Spring can’t come soon enough!
Right now down here it feels as if spring is on its way. That usually happens in February, but the thawing started early — a welcome change after all the snow the first of the year!
Politicians like Governor Bevin are usually woefully ignorant of the conditions ordinary folk have to put up with. Or he’s not so ignorant but he thinks that kind of hard-line remark appeals to many voters.
It will be interesting to see which voters win on this one.
I remember those days of standing outside in the cold waiting for a bus. It was bad but not nearly as bad as what it would feel like to me now. The older I get the less I can handle the cold. I’m with Andy, 76 sounds about perfect
I still remember a coworker in Ithaca saying, “Every year I dread winter more and more!” Winter started the end of October and usually lasted until May. I didn’t mind the winters as much as the hot, muggy summers without air conditioning.
Stay warm!
finally! able to visit my favorite blogs again! it seems forever since I’ve been able to be online. this is a very addictive piece of equipment.
I’ve been reading a lot. then watching the national weather channel and some news. it reminds me of the young tall Texan who was my father walking to work that morning at -40 F in northern Minnesota. the sun was even out and yet when he got there his face and ears had frostbite. the pain apparently is awful. we slept in sleeping bags inside our beds fully dressed with knee socks and mittens on! the ice inside my bedroom window was about 1/2 ” thick! and yet the heat was on. but it never felt warm.
I don’t miss Northern Minnesota. a life long lesson in sheer survival!
and yes. the DRESS CODE at school forbid girls to wear anything but skirts and dresses. we could wear jeans but had to take them off when we got to school. some more of that “old white man’s rules.” wonder what they think of the school clothes now? LOL.
Andy used to walk to school in Missoula, MT. I asked him if they every closed the schools because of the cold and wind chill. He said he didn’t remember, but he did remember that on super cold days the girls were allowed to wear pants.
Your comment about the ice reminds me of our apartment in Ithaca — it wasn’t nearly as cold there as in Minnesota, but there was often a thick layer of ice on the inside of the windows. The radiators had trouble warming the place up, so we would boil pots of water on our little stove. Somehow that helped a lot.
Years ago Andy and I took a walk in MT when it was -40%° (both F and C, as if turns out). But there was no wind and our hoods protected our faces. I couldn’t wear my glasses because they frosted up, and we got icicles on our eyelashes.
I’ve missed this post, but now I realise why – I would prefer to be “naked” right now, but I live in suburbia! okay don’t get all riled up – I am actually clothed, just not in the sort clothes you wear off the ranch…Everyone who could see into my place – has gone off to work, including the temp worker next unit…but I’m always wary of someone just arriving, like a courier or similar…
still relatively hot here, last night temps were lesser or maybe I was just tired and slept through (okay not all the way through)…there is a very, small breeze – but the sun is coming out faster (9am) – sizzling cicadas – I’ll stay home today…
I would rather have the cold than the heat so I sympathize! We have an air conditioner for our living room and also a bunch of fans.
It’s been so cold here in the Minneapolis area that the Post Office cancelled deliveries. In the 50+ years I have lived here that has NEVER happened before.
I’ve read about that, it’s amazing!