COLD

"Cold" is kinda relative according to your personal perspective.

Examples:

When I was around 12 years old, we would have an occasional Wright City ice storm/snow that would last for a few days. I would put on a pair of canvas "tennis" shoes, blue jeans, a tee shirt and a worn light jacket and then tromp thru the fields and creeks all day long with no thought of "cold" or illness.

When I was 17, 18, 19, working in the East Texas oil field, I would go to work in the winters with ice on everthing (ya didn't eat if ya didn't work). I wore shoes (never in my life have I worn a pair of steel toed boots because "they cost money"). I wore jeans, a "hard hat" and some kind of trashed out waist length jacket. We worked 10-12 hour shifts. Our "heater" was a five gallon bucket of diesel burning (a lot of smoke, absolutely nothing in the way of heat). You only got to enjoy the "heater" on rare breaks (and away from the oil well!!!!). When the temperature was in the teens and it was raining/sleeting, you had a real treat. As you are "going in/out of the hole" (removing or putting back rods/pipe/casing) in a well, your are alternately looking straight up (think rain/sleet in face) or looking down at the well head (think rain/sleet down the back of your neck and running down your spine). (Now imagine that for 10-12 hours without ever getting out of the pasture you were working in?). Yeah, I was "cold", but I didn't have a lot of options, and truthfully, I don't remember feeling like I was especially miserable, unfortunate, or whatever.

From age 20 until 31, I worked as a TROOPER/SERGEANT with the TEXAS HIGHWAY PATROL (sorry bout the all caps, but guess my pride kicked in?) When ice storms hit, I would go to work to handle the problems and not come home for as long as three days. I wore leather cowboy boots, and a DPS uniform. My only concession to the weather was the absolute cheapest insulated underwear that Sears & Roebuck sold, a "parka" coat issued by DPS, and "leather" gloves with rabbit fur inside (I still have those gloves). Again, I got cold, but it was a part of the job (and remember, you don't work, you don't eat). I just did it without much thought because the men in my family had endured much worse conditions for eons before me.

(OK, there is a point to this trip down "cold" memory lane)

Yesterday morning I went to my beloved TIN STAR RANCH (all caps: the "pride" thing) to hunt for venison/trophy/memories. It was 23 degrees. I was wearing truly expensive long johns, insulated boots, a sweat shirt, insulated expensive overalls (over my jeans, tee shirt, denim shirt) high dollar heavy hunting parka, high dollar thick insulated gloves, an insulated hat, and put the parka hood over the hat.

I sat in my deer stand from 6 AM till 8 AM (no wildlife sightings, not even a sparrow/squirrel).

I can't think of the words to say how miserable cold, shaking, (can't even think), bone aching, feet numb, nose running, eyes watering, (fat old gray haired man), my butt got.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TOUGH BUTT GUY WHO COULD DO IT FROM CAN TIL CAN'T AND JUST GO BACK FOR MORE WITH NO REMOTE THOUGHT OF "COLD"????????