Wednesday, January 17, 2018

It's Colder Than Kraut



Have you ever heard the expression "colder than kraut"?  Think -20 degrees wind chill, which we've had this week, and a lot of phrases come to mind.  Oh, I know many that live further north have temps much colder, but this is colder than what we normally see in winter.

Colder than kraut, is a phrase that I remember from childhood as my dad would announce just how cold it was as he came in the house on a particularly frigid morning after feeding the livestock and cutting ice so they could get a drink.

If school was cancelled for the day, as our locals schools have done the past two days, we would be called upon to help with the chores.  I didn't mind going out in the cold in those days.  What a difference the years make!  Now, I'd rather stay inside my warm, cozy home and wait for warmer weather to go out. 
 

We had around 2 inches of snow to go along with the bitter cold temps.  The good news is that a warming trend is supposed to begin today and will possibly reach 55 degrees Saturday.

I will be going to the eye clinic for another injection today.  It's hard to tell if the last one has helped much.  I hope it's a bit warmer by the time I go!   

I did get some good news regarding an ultrasound and more blood work I had done over a week ago.  The last time I had labs done my white cell count was very elevated and my liver functions were too.  The doctor wanted me to have an ultrasound of my gall bladder and liver to be on the safe side.  

I'm happy to say the results of the ultrasound were normal and my labs were mostly normal to much improved.  The white cell count is now normal but a couple of things are not back to where they should be but are vastly improved, so I'm to try to drink more water and I don't have to go back for 3 months.  Whew!  It seems like I've been in the doctor's office more this winter than the past few years.     


I really think that the last time I came down with a cold/virus was from sitting in the clinic where there were several sick people in the waiting room.  Of course, I suppose you can catch something just going to the grocery store.

We've been discussing...just for grins...where we would live to escape the cold winter it we were to decide to move.  Hawaii sounds wonderful, but it's too far from family.  The deep south gets too hot in the summer.  California has too many problems and there's the fires, mud slides and possible earthquakes to worry about.  Is there a perfect place?  Where would you live if you decided to move and could go anywhere you wanted to?

A prize will be given to the one who guesses correctly the number of times I said the word "cold" or "colder" in this post.  lol!!  Just kidding! 

Happy Wednesday to you!
Cheryl  

20 comments:

  1. I love the picture of the cardinal. I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. We do have horrible cold, snow, ice however, you can NOT compare that to the other 3 seasons we have here - it's beautiful! So, I guess I wouldn't want to live anywhere but here at my little farm. If time allows, I might be a "snow bird" as we call them up here and visit Arizona or Texas for January.

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  2. YES! It's colder than kraut! Though I'd never heard that phrase before, I like it! Ha! We are just not wired for this kind of cold down here. Glad you have gotten good reports and hope your eye dr. visit goes well! Stay warm! blessings ~ tanna

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  4. Gorgeous Cardinal! They look so beautiful in the snow.

    I am happy to hear the test results are so improved. My
    Sis is still getting her eye shots too. It sounds so painful but she says it isn't.

    I have thought about the perfect place to live....but never came up with one within the USA. We won't feel this way about mid-June!

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  5. That cardinal is amazing and so is the capture! I know that you’ll enjoy your snow day. ❄️ Let’s see, warmer climes...I can’t think of anywhere with warmer weather that doesn’t also have snakes. Snakes=dealbreaker.

    Yay for good reports from the doc. Hope this will be the last visit at the eye doctor for a while.

    Thanks for blogging, my friend! Always good to find a post.

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  6. i do hope that beautiful cat is named Midnight. he is as black as midnight and so pretty. there is no other place i want to live than Florida, if someone held a gun to my head to make me choose it would be AZ i think. the problem with weather is every single place on earth has the good the bad and the ugly. even Hawaii. the trick is to have enough money to have at least 3 homes in different places. i have not heard the colder than kraut. I looked it up and that old saying comes from calling the Germans Krauts and they would say colder than a kraut. or so the internet says. beautiful cardinal. hope you warm up quickly

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  7. I am so looking forward to this cold snap ending over the next few days. I am ready for spring. Like you, I prefer the warmth of my home these days. xo Laura

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  8. As I get older,I enjoy the cold less and less, but since I live in Manitoba,we will have cold weather.If I could move, it would be to Tennessee.

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  9. Your cardinal photo is sharp, clear, and gorgeous! I love living right where I am. We don't seem to ever get really scary weather, and the mountains are gorgeous. I am sorry you had to go out today in such cold! I am so glad your labs and tests were good! That was quite a scare. I agree about sitting in a waiting room with sick people! Especially with this dangerous flu going around. I try to sit very far away from anyone. And also bring lots of wipes!

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  10. Your photo of the black cat is amazing. Wow!!
    Cardinals are one of my favorite birds. Well done with that photo too. :-)

    We have to deal with COLD here in Wisconsin. Once April comes oh my, it is so lovely until late December. LOL

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  11. So much in this post, but I love your saying about kraut. At the risk of being vulgar, the saying in my area was, "Colder than a witch's tit!" Ewew!!

    Yes, we are heading to a thaw as well.

    I'm glad your test results were good. Do what the doctor says. I fully believe in keeping hand sanitizer in my purse and car. I use Lysol wipes in our bathroom every morning. And I drink a ton of water, I buy the huge bottles of Smart water. Three a day is the recommended amount. I drink it at meals, too, so it doesn't seem like a ton. I only have one kidney, so I've always guzzled water.

    As far as a warm vacation spot, wow, the weather is terrible everywhere! Very hard question! I like cold...maybe I'd go to Maine for a quaint visit!

    Jane

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  12. Sorry, that is it so cold there. Our daughter from Australia just moved to Minnesota so I am very concerned with how she is doing in the cold. It has been unseasonably warm here and I'm concerned we havent had much moisture.
    There are a lot of older people retiring to Prescott, Arizona and St. George, Utah because the tempatures are so mild.
    I can't imagine getting those injections in the eye. I hope it isn't a painful procedure for you and I hope they work good.
    I am so happy to here that your lab results are better and your unltrasound good. It is worrisome when you have these tests. Last year I had some struggles and now they are doing the full ups this year. So far, so good.
    Loved all your photos on this one.
    Sending loving thoughts and hugs your way!

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  13. Hi Cheryl~

    I'm so sorry you are in the deep freeze!! I have never heard that saying...but I like it!

    I think Mother Nature truly has her seasons and directions totally mixed up. I didn't even have a coat on today...the middle of January in Idaho is usually brutally cold. today it was in the mid 40's. Very strange weather! I hope you warm up by the end of the week.

    When I think of places to retire, I just think of home. My parents used to go to Arizona in the winter and stayed the summer in Island Park, (near West Yellowstone), where they had a cabin. AS they got older, it was so hard for them, so we did all the work. Not that I minded, but it was hard on them. I think that Dorothy was right when she said...There's no place like home.

    So glad you are feeling better, and that your labs are better. It's pretty scary to not know what is going on with your health. We took my mom in today for a 6 month check and the Dr. said she was doing great!! I hope I'm that great when I'm 90!

    Stay warm!!

    Hugs and Love,
    Barb

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  14. hope your eye injection went well. it's cold here too. seems the chilling winter temps aren't leaving anybody out this year.

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  15. It's COLD here too...with nearly 10 inches of snow! And this IS the south! I do love me some every now and then and it is beautiful. The birds were out like crazy as it was snowing all day yesterday and I spent most of my day "shooting" them. That is a super shot of the beautiful cardinal and the black kitty! I guess I'll pick Tennessee to move to...LOL!

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  16. Oh...and I forgot to tell you that I've never heard "colder than kraut" before. :D

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  17. never heard the colder than kraut...but i've heard a lot others that I can't print here...lol

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  18. I know just what you mean...it seems doctors' offices and hospitals are not healthy...petri-dishes of germs.

    Love your kitty portrait...I favor cats! And that beautiful cardinal.

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  19. well we are from san diego and everyone asks us why we would leave but as you stated, california has it's own problems! i do not care to ever move back, although i do miss disneyland and mexican food haha...when we were planning on leaving ca we didn't even mention florida because i imagine it to be the california of the east basically and we wanted seasons...we did end up in willard, mo if you remember (right outside of springfield) and loved it, then my husband's work moved us to georgia and now here...we've really loved every place we've lived for different reason...now if your thinking of a warmer climate, maybe arizona, or texas? arizona is HOT but not humid anyway!! i hope your health keeps improving!! sweet kitty picture! and that cardinal picture is perfection!

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  20. A cardinal! Seeing them everywhere lately...

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