out of juice

If you hadn't heard, we're experiencing an extreme cold snap in the Midwest. Some might say, "Get over it, it's Minnesota winter," but I beg to say that -11, independent of wind chill, is beyond winter. Temps like that are felt regularly only at the Poles.

Last night I had a long conversation with my friend Krista, who lives on an island in Washington state, in a cabin/cottage heated mostly by a wood-burning stove. Unlike Seattle, where Krista usually lives, Whidbey gets epic snowfalls that isolate homeowners, downing powerlines and freezing pipes, so she has needed to bring in water, flashlights and candles, and firewood. Just in case. At some point, Krista complained about the temperatures and about how she was so cold. Naturally, I inquired about how cold was cold, then offered the only natural response when she said, "28 degrees." I laughed like a crazy person. We'd all be wearing shorts if it was 28 degrees here.

It's so cold in Minnesota that my car wouldn't start this morning. And, yes, the car had been in the garage overnight. For half the day, I worried that the battery was dead, owing to someone (Winston) having left a door open. But truth is the cold was just too much for my nearly nine-year-old car to handle. Thank goodness we have another, more reliable, car 'cause nothing gives me a greater sense of panic than car problems.

Like my car, I'm out of juice. Most of my energy has been sapped just trying to stay warm. I try to remain optimistic, secure in the knowledge that in less that a week, I'll be in balmy New Jersey. Until then, the following may help:

~ a good night sleep
i.e., more than five hours
~ citrus
Have you tried this year's crop of sweet, juicy clementines from Spain yet?
~ holiday cheer
Over the next few days I plan to shelf job hunting for the year so that I might ring out the next few weeks with baking and general tinkering in the kitchen, writing holiday cards, and making resolutions.

You know, stuff that does the spirit good!