Winter is Here

It's 75 F (24 C) in the Chicago suburbs this afternoon. However, a cold front is moving in from Canada that will drop the temperatures to freezing tomorrow and then as low as 21F( -6 C) in a few days. I love my Canadian neighbors to the north; but wish you would keep the cold up there.

For me, the biggest fear is that the sudden drop in temperature will trigger an attack of neuropathy in my feet. Even much smaller temperature changes can make the pain debilitating. I suspect it is really changes in barometric pressure rather than the temperature itself that causes so much pain. I am not looking forward to the next few days. If we get rain or snow along with falling temperatures, I won't even be able to put my shoes on to leave the house.

That sounds uncomfortable.  The barometric pressure can wreak havoc.  We get low pressure fronts that roll through in winter (summer too but not as noticeable) called Chinooks.  They are warm winds from the west and can take the temperature from -30C to +10C or more in the matter of a few hours and sometimes back again in just as short a period.  Comes with low barometric pressure and lots of people suffer from often severe headaches (not the terror that L. DeCaprio said he observed in the locals!   the guy didn't realize that people were playing him).  Needless to say its also hard on the snow cover!

Ive read good things about Tubb snowshoes. 

I'm impressed at how the plastic binding parts are still perfectly fine, after nine years. No cracks at all. Then again, here we don't get the super-cold temperatures you get out west or up north.
The spikes are great too, especially later in the season when the snow compacts down to ice. No problem on the hills, up or down.



Whoa! I still had a hairy face then, 8½ years ago.

John Rose

Ive read good things about Tubb snowshoes. 

I'm impressed at how the plastic binding parts are still perfectly fine, after nine years. No cracks at all. Then again, here we don't get the super-cold temperatures you get out west or up north.
The spikes are great too, especially later in the season when the snow compacts down to ice. No problem on the hills, up or down.



Whoa! I still had a hairy face then, 8½ years ago.


Awesome form!

We supposed to get Snow this Sunday here where I live in Gatineau, Quebec but I was feeling will get early winter…Glad I put all my Xmas lights on in time except to cover my front lawn with tarp to protect my grass from street debris etc..

Alan H

We got our first dusting of snow in Chicagoland yesterday, maybe 1/8" on my elevated deck. There is not enough on the ground or roads to notice. It looks like winter has settled in for good here. The temperature was 28F when I got up. Although it will get above freezing this afternoon, it is supposed to drop to 18F (-8 C) this evening and a low as 13F (-10.5 C) by next weekend.

Yesterday was bad for my feet; I stayed home all day without wearing shoes. I am hoping I can get things settled down enough to go to church today.

We got our first dusting of snow in Chicagoland yesterday, maybe 1/8" on my elevated deck. There is not enough on the ground or roads to notice. It looks like winter has settled in for good here. The temperature was 28F when I got up. Although it will get above freezing this afternoon, it is supposed to drop to 18F (-8 C) this evening and a low as 13F (-10.5 C) by next weekend. 

Yesterday was bad for my feet; I stayed home all day without wearing shoes. I am hoping I can get things settled down enough to go to church today.

Take care of yourself - its too bad that it's not just temperature related because there are getting to be more heated socks and other clothing on the market these days.  I bought a pair of heated mittens last year and really like them.  Heated socks are next.  I can stay outside for quite a long time as long as my fingers and toes don't freeze.

It is not the temperature itself that is the issue with my feet. It is rapid changes in temperature. When the outside temperature drops 40 degrees F overnight, my feet are not happy. Since that happens whether I am indoors or outdoors, I presume it is related to barometric pressure changes rather than the temperature to which my feet are exposed.