Living in Alaska: Fun at 50 Below Zero

As you probably know, the weather here in the Interior of Alaska has been down right brutal! For the past several weeks we have been locked into temperatures that have gone down to 52.8 degrees below zero. Now our outdoor thermometer only goes to 53 below zero and then it shows blanks. This morning, it showed blanks. So, who knows how cold it actually was!

Along with the bitter cold has come a strange fever. It comes and goes. It can attack out of nowhere. It can cause typically sane, normal people to do very strange things. It's almost like delirium. Yes, it causes average adults to act delirious, maybe even crazy! It's called cabin fever and it's highly contagious during long periods of cold weather.

Well, cabin fever struck the Calvin household this afternoon. After what has seemed like months of sub zero temperatures, Mike and I couldn't stand it. We had to get out! We had to get out of the house and breath some fresh air, no matter how cold it was!

With delirium taking control of our brains, Mike and I decided to bundle up, go outside and start a campfire on which to roast marshmallows. Covered from head to toe, we ventured out to chop the wood and get the fire started. It's amazing when it's this cold how easily wood splits. With the wood split, Mike started the fire and soon had a roaring blaze. Camp chairs were then strategically placed so that we could roast marshmallows without catching all of our winter gear on fire.

I lasted all of five minutes. At that point, I had lost the feeling in my toes and fingers. Right after I went into the house, Dave, our neighbor, came over and kept Mike company. The two of them were marshmallow roasting fools!

Apparently, the cold air was enough to freeze the delirium from our brains. Now I sit at my laptop typing this story while Mike is in the kitchen making a pizza for dinner. See, we are back to our normal selves, whatever that is!

Mike splits wood for the fire.