The Baboon Congress, Weather

Toes `til it Snows

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Today’s post comes from Verily Sherrilee

Last week I decided to go to the gym on my way to work. To save time I threw on shorts and a t-shirt and packed my work clothes into my gym bag, slipped on my Birkenstock sandals and headed out. I needed to do a quick stop at the library to return a book before it went overdue; luckily the library is right on my way.

As I walked from the car to the library drop box, another woman pulled up behind me and got out to return her book. She had on a hat, jacket, gloves, long pants, shoes and socks. And there I was in my shorts, t-shirt and sandals. That’s when I realized that I have Minnesota’s weather in my blood.

I did chose Minneapolis based partly on the weather here. As a child, my family spent some of each summer and winter vacation in northern Wisconsin. Winter up here compared to winter in my home town is like those proverbial apples and oranges; I knew even as a 10-year old that I preferred cold and snow to mostly cold and mostly rainy. At the end of high school, I only looked at colleges in Wisconsin and Minnesota and after my wasband finished graduate school, we headed straight for Minneapolis without looking back.

I’ve been here ever since.

This year we’ve had such a nice protracted autumn that I still haven’t put away my summer clothing or brought out any of my long-sleeved items. I’m still wearing my Birkenstocks every day. A couple of days ago a friend of mind looked at my feet and said “Toes `til it snows?” My official new motto.

How to YOU prepare for the winter?

60 thoughts on “Toes `til it Snows”

  1. Put hat and gloves in car for in case something happens. Wear a winter jacket or a full coat of it is below zero. I no longer do anything but walk from the car once I get to where I am going, store, clinic,eye. Car is in heated garage. Hate wearing tight things like a good winter hat. Hate gloves period. In world I live if I on
    Y need the jacket. Wish I could be outdoors in winter. Used to have to switch clothes for biking through about 4 levels I fall and back again in spring.
    Have long PT this early morning. Daughter drives me to Cities fo shots in my neck at 3.

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    1. Should explain how minimal I am about clothing. Wear the same few things indoors year round ( too-large t-shirts and light loose workout pants) and the same thing going out year round (2 pair of jeans, 3 pair of dress slacks, about 6 shirts, 2 pair of shoes). I bet Steve does about the same.

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      1. In spirit, we dress the same way. Would it shock you to hear I’m WAY less formal in dress than you are? But you are married and you mix with the general public. I used to dress nicely enough to not offend my dog. Now I have no dog, so I’ve lowered my standards.

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        2. We are learning things about each other. Renee wears socks with Birkies. That’s a capitol offense in the eyes of some folks. I think Kevin Kling has written that he wears socks with sandals just because “it p****s people off!”

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        3. I found the most festive socks at Menards last year-rag wool in different colors with contrasting toes and heels. They look just fine with my Birkies, so there!

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      2. So does Verily Sherrilee for just around the house. Sweatpants or short, ratty t-shirts. I have a few ratty sweatshirts as well. YA told me a year or so ago that my favorite just shouldn’t be worn. I said “I’m not wearing it out of the house.” She responded, “I meant you shouldn’t wear it AT ALL.”

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        1. I offended daughter’s sensibilities this summer when it was little chilly and I wore socks with my birkenstocks and capri pants. She almost died of embarrassment.

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        2. i used to wear my speedo swimsit with the euro cut first time mowing the lawn on the tractor every year just to get a rise out of the kids. my wife had it as the photo identifying my phone ring on her phone until the kids made her take it off after someone saw it.

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    2. i will be sending the good vibes for the neck shot ditty

      i am no gloves guy too but it is if there is a choice, if it is cold i wear something but if it is an extended session of working in the cold i have to take them off to let my hands feel less claustrophobic multiple times during the day, i also hate tight clothing but find some of the new micro fabrics hang in a way that is less intrusive than the good ol cotton or flannel of days gone bye.

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  2. Rise and Prepare Baboons!

    I get out my smart wool socks. Warm and washable is the thing.

    Last winter in AZ we were surprised by a drought-breaking rainstorm of 5 days–unheard of there. The mountains on the horizon were capped by snow for over a month following that 5 day period. Those wool socks that I wear during a Minnesota winter? Wore them everyday all January in AZ.

    I will do a separate post in a minute about surviving the emotional winter this election caused. Stay tuned. 😉

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    1. This is making the rounds of my professional community following the election. I find it comforting and want to share it.

      What do you do when the bottom falls out?

      The Practice:
Take heart.

      Why? 
It takes heart to live in even ordinary times.

      By “taking heart,” I mean several related things:

      Sensing your heart and chest. 
Finding encouragement in what is good both around you and inside you. 
Resting in your own warmth, compassion, and kindness; resting in the caring for you from others;
 Going forward wisely even when anxious, knowing your own truth and as you can speaking it. 
When you take heart, you’re more able to deal with challenges.

      There are so many examples of honorable people facing great difficulty with dignity, principle, and courage. They did it. We can, too.

      How? 
Start by riding out the storm. 


      Do things that help you come back to center and find your footing. Personally, I prioritize exercise, sleep, and meditation; I do the dishes and make the bed. Walk the dog, call a friend, eat something, look at trees and sky, get a cup of tea and stare into space. Take good care of your body.

      Guard and guide your attention. It’s one thing to find facts and form the best plans you can. It’s another thing to get distracted or upset by news or other people that do not add any useful value.

      Take heart with others, sharing worries, support, and friendship.

      Do the things you can. 
Have courage.

      Humans like you and I have been walking this earth for nearly 200,000 years. Empires rise and fall. Sometimes the center does not hold – in a body, marriage, or nation. And still people love each other, go out of their way for a stranger, and marvel at a rainbow. Nothing, nothing at all can change this. We keep putting one foot in front of the other one, lifting each other up along the way.

      Edited, from Take Heart
Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
November 9, 2016

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  3. I swapped the storm window for the screen in our front door yesterday. Wasn’t quite ready to give up the fresh air coming through the door, but I also am looking forward to winter. I like the cool crisp days of autumn – and have been fantasizing already about being out on ice skates and seeing a blanket of white out my window. I grumble like everyone else about the sub-zero days, but I’m willing to put up with them for the other wonderful days of winter.

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      1. I was motivated only by the bottle of glass cleaner in my hand…I was cleaning the front picture window and thought, well, so long as I’m cleaning windows, may as well get the one for the door out of the basement…

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  4. I start wearing my Birkenstocks with thick socks. We have cold out here with very little snow. Husband insisted that I get some snow boots, the lace up kind, to keep in the vehicle for winter travel emergencies.

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  5. After those few chilly days last week, I hung up the bikes in the garage to make room for the lawn chairs to make room for the car. Yesterday was so nice, I may have been premature.
    Sartorially, my wardrobe doesn’t change much through the seasons. In the summer I wear polo shirts and jeans or cargo pants. In fall and spring, I wear flannelish brushed cotton shirts and jeans or cargo pants. In the dead of winter I add a t-shirt inder the flannelish shirt. I have a couple of pairs of khakis for dressier occasions. I almost never wear shorts. About half the grown men I see in shorts look to me like giant twelve-year-olds. Maybe I wouldn’t, but why take a chance?

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    1. The acolytes in church yesterday, two 12 year old boys, both wore shorts to church, and they looked so silly in their robes with their bare legs showing. The robes only came down to mid calf. One tried pulling his white socks up as high as he could. He still looked silly.

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    2. who cares what you look like its what calls out to you. someone made the comment that i used to worry about what people were thinking of me then i realized that for the most part they werent

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      1. This is the lesson that I wanted to impart in the worst way when YA was younger. And it’s the lesson that teenagers are the least likely to accept!

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  7. There is no winter here. In weather Oregonians consider “cold,” I don’t even don a jacket. Similarly, there is no rain here, just wimpy showers, so there is no call for a rain jacket. But remember, since I can’t walk well, I’m not outdoors very long at a time.

    Summer attire: soft, oversized polo shirts, shorts, bare feet.

    Winter attire: soft, oversized sweatshirts, sweat pants, fuzzy slippers or (my concession to public formality) clogs.

    Spring and autumn: various combinations of the above, usually winter attire in the AM and summer in the PM.

    My daughter used to urge me to dress up more. I’d put on jeans and a shirt. She has backed off.

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    1. i own one but it makes crappy bread
      Or at least i do when putting their stuff in a working recipe. it is a work in progress just very slow progress
      i make grapefruit sized crumbling cardboard tasting edibles that vary in moisture content and crumble to the touch ratio based on tie in the oven
      the ingredients for the recipies is only available in the health food stores fo r the most part and to make a supply of flor mix #1 and flor mix #2 is a 100 dollar investment to make a loaf the dogs dont want either

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  10. I sharpen my skates, put glide wax on my XC skis, make sure the snowblower works and has gas, put ice scrapers and snow brushes in both cars, make sure wife’s car has winter emergency kit (and we switch it to my car if we drive together), and make sure my sweaters and polar fleeces are washed and ready to go for six months.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  11. Pull out the electric blanket for my husband, get the space heater ready for my husband, put a “hands off” sign on the thermostat so said husband doesn’t flip it up to 72 or higher, make sure he knows where his flannel pj’s and fleece sweaters are located.

    Me — get my beautiful wool winter coat dry-cleaned and make sure my snow boots are in good order. Prepare for another winter of fighting over the thermostat with “always cold” husband and me always warm.

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    1. i saw a helpfl hint on tv or the internet about cold people and feet
      if you put on a sock a thin plastic bag and a sock oyur feet will sweat but yo will be warm as toast

      the easy way to accomplish the same thing is to apply a layer of vasoline ot the equivilant which gives you a layer of covering.
      gotta try it

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      2. That sounds like a good idea. However, when his feet sweat from being too warm, they get cold again! Just can’t win with him …

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  12. i get rid of summer sport coats and straw hats and switch to the comfy wools and warmer jackets and grab a cople of top coats off the pile. (this year i grabbed a down full length number for anticipated dog walking,
    pt away hawaiiain shirts and shorts and birkys (sandle style and plle dout tie shoes, birkys with toes and boots for everyday and those wonderful sorels for shoveling and walking through the snowdrifts
    looked at the cross contry supply saturday, have to find wax or rebuy
    get ready for heater sales(anybody want a coupon for a fooball sized oscillating room heater for $15.00 if oyu have amazon prime it is delivered for that price (my new deal) there is a bigger one for 35 dollars that looks cooler and has a remote bt the same amount of heat comes out

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  14. Husband carefully stores the hats, mitts, and scarves in bins in the basement. When it gets cold he brings the bin with his baseball caps downstairs and brings up the winter gear. I had better remind him to do the switch before he goes to the rez tomorrow.

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  15. i have the problem where it is i pt the box with the other seasons stuff in it. i suspect my wife puts it where she thinks it belongs after i put it where i thought it belonged. happens daily. i never guess right.

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  17. Love the photo, VS.

    We’re lucky we found all our winter stuff – the last boxes to be unpacked. So the scarves/mittens are in a big basket at bottom of basement stairs (this place has no coat closet, and what could be a mud room is the pantry). Have also found the flannel sheets, will put them on by end of the week when it really cools down. Combination windows here so not much to do. Bring in a couple of plants, layer of leaves on the garden,

    Going to have to get used to an unattached garage.

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  19. This year, for the first time ever, I did a pretty decent job of cleaning up the various flower, herb, and berry beds. It feels weird in sort of a good way. I should pot up some of the herbs to bring inside but I’m not sure where to put them, so maybe I won’t.

    Next on my list is to get some decent cold-weather stuff. Beside basics like another pair of long underwear and some good long-sleeved shirts, I need a pair of really warm boots and a pair of gloves and/or mittens, that allow me to manipulate the controls on my camera without taking everything off. Shooting pictures in cold weather is a very cold activity – mainly because there isn’t much activity and I often take my mittens off to shoot, set up tripod, etc. So new boots, gloves/mittens, long underwear, a spare camera battery, and I think some handwarmers to go inside the mittens.

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  21. Happy to report that, since husband was home and I had no clients this afternoon, and, since this is probably the last nice day when we are both home, we washed the outside of the windows! We will do the inside when it is yucky out this weekend.

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  25. yep, it looks like we might be putting away the toes up here in Thief River Falls on Thursday! It has been a great Fall though.. I hunt deer and usually we want some snow and temps in the 40’s during the day and 10 or so at night mostly for deer movement and to preserve the meat if we are lucky enough to get one. This year it was like 60 during the day and 40 at night.. crazy!! BUT, as I get older and more fragile.. I love the warm Fall weather and I’ll take as many nice days as we can. It won’t be long and it will be -35 and snow up to our neck… Great post! Take care, Shannon

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