The seasons in northern Maine are winter, mud season, bug season and fall. Fall and winter are our favorites.
The high temperature today in the north-western mountains of Maine will be 16 degrees; but tonight the temps drop to a -6 Fahrenheit (-21 Celsius). Tomorrow's high will be 3 degrees and tomorrow night -8. These temperatures are concerning as people's water pipes often freeze, cars don't start and black ice can be on the roads.
All temperatures, however, are relative. When we lived in a Native Alaskan village north of Fairbanks we had an Alaskan thermometer that went down to -55. There were a number of times that the mercury dropped into the bowl so we knew we were colder than -55. At those temperatures we wore insulated clothing and only our face was uncovered in our hoods. We didn't feel the bite of the cold as much as the sinuses in our foreheads and faces ached when outside. The natives (Athabascans) in the village wore much lighter clothing and the cold didn't seem to bother them as much; though I would meet the elementary children at the door of the school and check them for frost bite as they entered. When the temps came up to -20 we dressed down and it felt comparatively warm.
This is not a complaint. My wife and I are winter people. We live north because we prefer the cold to the heat. We love the snow and the crisp temperatures; but by March I am ready for them to go - by July I am looking forward to them again.
the Ol'Buzzard
