A Long Cold Winter (no, this is not me)

Minnesota is currently freezing, with the high temperatures here in the south of the state not getting above 10F (-12C).  With the central heating set at 68F (20C) I still feel cold and when sitting I pull on a blanket. The chickens are not thrilled either and huddle under a light bulb to keep warm. I can't help wondering though what it must have been like for the first settlers, with only fires to keep them warm. When I first came I was given Laura Ingalls Wilder's book The Long Winter and there she describes the bitter suffering that they experienced and I marvel at what extremes people can survive and I shouldn't be feeling so sorry for myself.

This is not me.

Minnesotans seem to love playing outside in Winter as the lakes are spotted with ice fishing houses, the roads have snow mobile tracks alongside and skating rinks are set up in car parks and on ponds. I tried skating once but the MS made that laughable for others and painful for my old body. I don't see much fun sitting outside on the lake looking at a hole in arctic temperatures and I don't have a snow mobile. My activity of choice is swimming at the local indoor pool. It is great for MS and it takes me back to my childhood in Australia where I spent a great deal of time in the water. When I look down in the water it is blue and the world is shut out and I can imagine it is warm and sunny. Laps are my therapy, but I just have to navigate the cold to get there and make sure I don't leave with wet hair.