Funny how it didn’t seem so cold when I was growing up. Nothing was ever said about wind chills. Jack Frost left his mark on our windows, so we knew it was cold. Ma would tell us to bundle up, so we knew it was cold.
She also kept us supplied with hand-knitted woolen stockings, mittens, caps and scarves, so we were well-equipped to bundle up. Quite often, the gifts under the Christmas tree contained new winter coats and the like.
Not only didn’t we have wind chills in the days of my youth, but we had a lot more common sense in those days. When it was cold out, we not only put our coats on, we also fastened them. We put on mittens and covered our heads. On the very cold days, we would put a scarf around our faces also and boots on our feet.
I can remember my brother and I going outside to play in the coldest of winter days. There were favorites such as fox and goose, and then just the old-fashioned let’s see who can walk through the deepest drift without getting stuck. If all else failed, we would sled down a hill and throw a few snowballs.
Of course, my brother, being two years my senior, was often the ultimate winner of any kind of contest, but I didn’t care. It was great to get outside and just have fun. Then when our noses were red, and our mittens wet, and our boots full of snow, we would toddle back into the old farmhouse.
Then we would take off our cold and wet outer clothing and place them on the heating register or near the cook stove in the kitchen, where mother had at least a tea kettle heating but usually other food in the process.
While I enjoy all of the modern appliances, there is something comforting about an old wood stove in the kitchen. What a great place to warm up cold fingers. There was always hot water available, and my bread-baking mother always knew the best place to put the bread so it would rise quickest. What is more homey than the crackle and sizzle of the burning wood?
Life these days is not nearly so innocent. I listen to the weather forecast and hear about the wind chill factor, and how people should be cautious, as frostbite can set in within 30 minutes. People are told to bundle up and be prepared. Why don’t they know that already? We knew it in the 1950s.
When I hear about wind chill, I want to stay home and hibernate, but then find it isn’t so bad if I bundle up like days of old.
Meanwhile, the people in my generation are slowly being dragged into the modern, electronic world. Gone are the old wood cook stoves, and here are the self-cleaning ovens and fast-cooking microwaves.
I guess it isn’t a bad thing, but still, sometimes I long for the days of old.
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