Posted By FarmerJ on December 22, 2008

Yesterday was a happy day for us here at the Prairie Farmstead ~ both the first day of winter and Daniel arrived!  I cannot tell you how relieved I am that we have now officially entered the winter season.  You see, in my book we’ve been in ‘winter’ since about the middle of October.

Especially with the arctic weather we’ve been having the past week and a half.  I always knew the wind here in Nebraska was something special, but these last few days have truly been something to behold.  It really doesn’t matter if the thermometer says it’s a steamy 4 degrees ~ because our choice 40 mph wind creates a wind chill factor of -36 below.  Eskimo or not, those conditions just make you feel cold.  Painfully cold.

So, yes!  I am thrilled that it is now officially winter, because from yesterday forward, we are one day closer to spring ~ and tornado season…but I’ll panic about that when it arrives.  Until then, I’ve got potential frostbite to contend with.

Daniel, our self-proclaimed Master of Disaster (the boy who can manage to require stitches from a paper cut), arrived from sunny Arizona yesterday.  He gets to spend the holiday season with us here at the Farmstead, and we are just tickled to have him here again!

Well, he got his wish.  He had been hoping for snow during his visit, and the good Lord provided us with a fresh blanket the day and night before.  I’m not quite sure Daniel knew exactly what he was in for, though.  The temperatures in the Phoenix area reached 65 degrees yesterday ~ while the high at the Farmstead was 13 degrees…although we were not here to witness that heat wave.  It was -2 below when we pulled into the driveway after picking him up at the Omaha airport.

We had a little fun razzin’ Daniel at the airport.  You see, having no concept of what -36 below actually feels like, he had told his mother that he didn’t need to bring a winter coat from Arizona.  He would just wear one of Dad’s coats once he got here, and he would be okay without a coat from the terminal building to the truck in the parking lot.  Well, his mother’s wisdom finally prevailed and Daniel departed Arizona with a coat in arms ~ a coat ‘in’ arms…not a coat ‘of’ arms.

Anyway, the first words Daniel muttered when we met him at the security gate area were, “It’s cold.”  Yes, Daniel Son, that is what we’ve been telling you.  And, my child, you haven’t even stepped foot outside yet.  “But,” he says, “walking through the tunnel from the plane to the gate was pretty cold.”  Okay.  We’ll grant you that the walk through the tunnel may have been a little chilly.  We asked if he wanted to give up his coat ~ yes, he’d been wearing it through the tunnel ~ but he rapidly stated he would keep it on.

We collected his bag from the baggage claim area as promptly as possible and began our trek back to the truck.  It seemed to me that during the 17-1/2 minutes we were inside the terminal, the wind had picked up a notch or two.  More than likely, though, the excruciating pain I was feeling in my facial flesh was because we were now walking into the direction of the wind, whereas the wind was to our backs earlier.

Our beeline for the truck was as straight as we could possibly make it, and we quickly arrived at our chariot.  Oh, the comfort of any sort of shelter from that wind.  That wind that is so very special.

Congratulations, Daniel ~ and welcome home!  It’s good to have you back at the Farmstead.  Now, instead of the weed whacker hanging on the hook for you, there’s a snow shovel with your name engraved on it.

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