Not quite a blizzard but really darn cold.

We didn't quite get a blizzard, but we did get lots of wind, some snow and very cold temperatures. It's currently minus 12 ... but with the wind, that makes it negative 40 (wind chill). burrr. I've been told that frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes - so my new mittens will be getting lots of use.

I only ventured out twice today - once to go grocery shopping but it felt like we were going snowmobiling and once because someone wanted to test drive my car. Who does that? test drive a car when it's negative 40?! It went well though, it got through the snow and wind like a champ, and I think there is a good chance I may sell it tomorrow.

The video above was taken near Jamestown, ND, just about 100 miles east of here. We didn't get that much snow, but it looks very similar around here.

I learned a neat trick for testing if it is below zero degrees fahrenheit. Breathe in through your nose. If you can feel the insides of your nose freezing, it's below zero. Now, I realize this might not seem like the most fun or comfortable thing to do, but it's actually the most natural way to breathe when it's this cold. The reason this works is that our bodies (and snot) are made up of salt water (I'm sure there is a more technical term, but "salt water" makes sense to me). The salt water in our bodies is very close to the ocean's salt water content, which freezes at zero degrees. So, if you get that "yowza" freezing feeling in your nose ... it's below zero. Neat, hunh? 

We're wayyyyy beyond the whole freezing booger trick today. This is the kind of cold that makes your teeth hurt when you go outside. The kind that makes your car radio not work. The kind that makes you dread Monday – not because you don't want to be at work, but because you don't want to leave the house.