When Forty Below is the High for Days on End

MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY-
INCLUDING...FAIRBANKS...FORT WAINWRIGHT...EIELSON AFB...ESTER...
NORTH POLE...MOOSE CREEK...TWO RIVERS...FOX...CHATANIKA...CHENA
HOT SPRINGS...SOURDOUGH CAMP
357 PM AKST SAT JAN 3 2009

...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM AKST SUNDAY...
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. AREAS DENSE OF ICE FOG. LOWS 40 TO 55
BELOW...COLDEST IN RURAL AREAS AROUND NORTH POLE...LOWS AROUND 20
BELOW ON THE HILLS. NORTHEAST WINDS TO 10 MPH ON THE HILLS. LIGHT
WINDS OTHERWISE.
.SUNDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. AREAS OF ICE FOG. HIGHS 25 TO
40 BELOW...EXCEPT AROUND 10 BELOW IN THE HILLS. LIGHT WINDS IN
VALLEYS. NORTHEAST WINDS TO 15 MPH ON THE HILLS.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF ICE FOG. LOWS 35 TO
50 BELOW...EXCEPT AROUND 25 BELOW IN THE HILLS. LIGHT WINDS
IN VALLEYS. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH ON THE HILLS.
.MONDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF ICE FOG. HIGHS 25 TO 40 BELOW.
LIGHT WINDS.
.MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. AREAS OF ICE FOG. LOWS 40 TO
55 BELOW. LIGHT WINDS. 
.TUESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS NEAR 40 BELOW. 
.TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS NEAR 45 BELOW. 
.WEDNESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS NEAR 40 BELOW. 
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS NEAR 45 BELOW. 
.THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS NEAR 35 BELOW. 
.THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS NEAR 45 BELOW. 
.FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS NEAR 40 BELOW. 
.FRIDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS NEAR 50 BELOW. 
.SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS NEAR 40 BELOW. 

I've been in my house since Wednesday. I went into town on Tuesday, 
and before that I was last in town 
on Christmas Eve. 

You could say I have a little cabin fever.

You folks down in the Lower 48 felt so put upon with the snow and 
cold temperatures the last couple weeks. 
You wrote to me and said, "Take it back! We don't want it!"

Well you get to keep what you got, because we've got 40 and 50 
below for weeks here and it just keeps
on coming! For a few hours today I was all happy because 
I thought it was going to "warm up" to -20...and then
the forecast changed. The range of temperatures
 that is the warmest for the week will be tomorrow: 
"highs 25-40 below." 

It's been 40 below for quite a while now. I get to put 
on so many clothes to walk the dogs that I feel like
Ralphie's little brother in A Christmas Story. Worse, 
I also have a balaclava on, so I look like a terrorist. The 
dogs still know who I am, though! Thank goodness! 
I remember when I was a kid in Michigan and Nebraska, 
having fallen down in a snowsuit and having to yell for 
my sister to pull me up. It's true, you really can't get 
up if you are stuffed into two snowsuits!

I'm going into town to buy dog food, put gas in the truck, 
go pick up my mail, and other errands, no matter
what the temperature is. I have been feeding the dogs 
moose meat since I ran out of dog food. They certainly
don't mind! But I really think it's better to add the meat 
to some good Evo kibble, just to be on the safe side.

Well, I said no matter what the temperature is, but if it's
 -70 I'm not going anywhere. Car tires break
like glass at -70.