A little Of The Past

I just read my favorite blogs, a blog about winter got me to thinking of the past, as a kid in northern Wisconsin. I was a teenager in the mid 60's, so before that, winters were nasty up here! Temps were common to 40 below zero, heating oil stored outside jelled and stopped flowing, cars didn't start, schools closed, so did stores. Wind chills were at 75 below or more, and cars had balls on antennae so others could see them over the snow banks. You didn't see much outside activity at those times, but at 20-30 below zero life went on, a little more slowly perhaps, but kids played and froze, cars were jump started or pushed, people went ice fishing in shanties, and lord even schools were open!
Keep in mind that we didn't have insulated clothes like we do today. I didn't have insulated boots, we put wool socks over our shoes and then into buckle boots that were not insulated. Coats were semi-insulated and mittens and gloves worked to some degree. My dad always bought me what we call choppers, leather mittens with wool liners, warmer than knitted mittens. I remember more than once friends bringing me home from the sliding hill on a sled because I was so cold my feet and hands no longer worked, mom would soak me in lukewarm water and chew me out for an hour, then use vaseline on my thick frost bitten ears.
I also remember washing clothes with the old wringer washers and wash tubs, and hanging the clothes outside, freeze dried, to dry, I was stuck with that job and hated it, you would be surprised how cold fingers can get without freezing!
We heated with wood and coal in a stove in the kitchen, and fired properly you could keep the house warm, but when the fire began to die down about 2am it got nippy in there.
But, even in severe cold we played outside, building snow forts, snowball fights, skating, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and rabbit hunting. I can't even tell you how many times I had walking pneumonia, and other ailments.
My parents finally got a furnace from my military allotment home, by that time dad was getting old and was a welcomed addition to the house.
In the late 60's I got married after service, and bought a snowmobile, snow was frequent to be chest deep or more, and we didn't see many snow blowers, most was with the idiot stick. I bought an old tractor with a loader, and plowed snow, built a saw rig and wood splitter to use on the tractor, this was during the 70's oil crisis, this was also after swearing to myself that after living as a kid with wood and coal, that I would never do it again, well as it turned out I continued it for another 10 years. Having the plow, saw rig, wood splitter was also extra income because I used them for other people also for a minimal price.
So now I like nice thick boots, warm coat, and turning the thermostat up a little at 30 below!