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November 28, 2021: Moving in Slow Motion

This is what low temperatures do to you – they make you feel as though you are moving in slow motion. I figured this out today, as I was moving in slow motion.

You can’t move as quickly when its -12˚F because the blood is moving slower. Add to this, the innumerable layers slow you down.

Today, though it was cold, I got all the horses out for a half-hour walk each. None of them moved quickly, although they all seemed chipper. Far better, I think, than feeling resigned.

Me, I was wearing several layers (see past dispatches for a more apt description). My outer layers consisted of my very bulky Refrigirware suit, a hat, and a neck warmer, and my Steger Mukluks. My face did become a tad bit wind burnt, but the rest of me stayed warm. The interesting thing about the mukluks is the colder it gets, the better they insulate my feet. At 20˚F or above temperatures, they feel like wet ice blocks on my feet.


Painting by Jacqueline Welch


All this insulation makes me feel as though I’m an observer, checking out the outer landscape, this as opposed to being a participant. There are forays into my inner landscape, but this has nothing to do with what I’m wearing.

As an observer of the outer landscape, I attempt at paying very close attention to what I’m taking in. Today, at -12˚F, there was not much to see. Four times around the loop and not a single car or truck passed by. Wait, when I was walking Raudi, two of the neighborhood dogs appeared at the Intersection of Oceanview and Murphy Roads, just as we were rounding the corner and heading home.

These two dogs belong to the individuals who live at the corner of Sybarite and Samovar Roads. They are, as dogs in number, are pack animals. These dogs impressed me as being really smart – they saw Raudi and me coming and they dove into the woods on their right. I suspect they came out of the woods on Sybarite and continued on their way home.

The question is, did the owners release them down road, so that they’d get exercise by running home loose? And did they do this because Idiot Boy and his dog have taken a weather-related hiatus? Could be. I just kept walking and kept speculating.

I also looked to see who had wood smoke coming out of their stove pipes. Down at the end of Oceanview Road, at what we call the compound, just one stove pipe had smoke coming out of it. I do wonder, in past years they’ve had wood delivered, full-length logs that they hack away at throughout the winter, like some hack away at frozen carcasses. Not this year.

They had ducks a while back. I did not see tracks leading to the pen, and it was, of course, quiet. So they probably had frozen duck dinners.

I gave the horses their supplements when I got back, warm water added. I decided to leave Raudi’s and Tinni’s blankets off until early evening when I’ll then put them back on.

I suspect that tomorrow will be like today, except for the fact that I’ll be moving more slowly for undoubtedly it will be colder.

Next: 330. 11/29/21: A Conversation with Sastrugi

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