Soo Line: Do not forget: It can get really cold in Iowa

by Soo Greiman  

I’ve lived here long enough to know the months of January and February, even March can send classic hard Arctic blasts straight from the polar vortex down to us. We had one of  those intensely frigid spells just last week, the kind where you open-the-back-door-and-the cold hits-you-like-a-board. Last Friday, you might have suddenly realized one of those Arctic  chills was upon us BEFORE you got outside wearing the wrong clothes (like shorts). Hopefully  you turned around and went back to get into the right winter clothes, the kind that a majority of  us put on during the cold season. Sure, they make us look like we weigh 300 pounds, but if  you’re rookie enough to venture outside during an Arctic Air experience without the right  clothes, you’ll wish you had the 300-pound wardrobe on.  

Often during those extreme freezes we hear people say, “I wish I was in Florida,” but we all know there’s an assortment of solid reasons you’re living life in Iowa, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You’d be in Phoenix or south Florida with all the other retirees and snowbirds.  

One truth about the bitter Arctic blasts we have every winter is that super-cold temperatures draw us together as mammals. We suffer polar vortexes together, running into  one another at the grocery store stocking up on bread, milk and Oreos, or at the Hudson Library checking out books or in Casey’s filling up the car with gas or pizza. We hunker down  into winter survival mode with our tv’s or computers and stay inside. In spite of being this way, I  admit to having a favorite outdoor winter activity: coming inside.  

Frigid cold snaps are hard on humans. They’re also hard on livestock.  

Unfortunately, because of their work, livestock farmers don’t get to say “Aw heck, wind chill is 35 below, I’m staying inside this morning to watch “Gunsmoke” and “The Today Show”.  They know, whether the winter elements range from chilly, cold or bitterly cold outside, they  must be there with their livestock, keeping them safe and fed. Thankfully, most Iowa livestock,  including sheep, cattle, hogs, even horses can handle cold weather that roars down from the  Arctic, provided they stay dry, can get out of the wind and have access to feed and water.  

Sometimes though, it’s good to see that farmers use humor as a coping method to get through cold snaps like we recently had. I had to laugh at seeing the sign one farmer posted in  his calving barn for the benefit of every one of his cows:

When it comes to rough weather, tough times don’t last, tough people do. Occasionally a good dose of humor is a big help.