Frozen pipes.

Let me just tell you, I could not have picked a more monumental year to live in the Kansas. 

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard ["Man, this winter is abnormally bad!"] I could buy Russia (and change their 'gay' laws and hire the Pussy Riot to reinvent the national anthem. Also, go team USA). 

It has been uncontrollably cold here. I don't even remember how to walk straight because I have acquired the skill of the black ice sure-footed stomp. If I questioned my reputation as "that California girl"...it's definitely confirmed now. I get asked, "how are you holding up?" on the daily. This is both considerate and little patronizing...but it's too cold to think about it too much. Even your brain has to keep moving to stay warm.

When I go to the post office and pass by the digital bank sign (the one that tells you the time then the temperature (with about a 7 second delay in between), I celebrate when I see a degree higher than 30.

I have gotten really good about wearing my outfit to bed for the next day so that I don't have to expose my bare skin to the sub-freezing icebox I call my room. This does mean that I have officially sacrificed fashion for warmth. Yesterday, I counted 6 layers on my body--counting my less-than shaven legs. Every bit counts.

On this 6-layer day, winter got a little more real. I learned the reality of frozen pipes. The house and the Silo (work) had frozen pipes. I didn't know the logistics of it all, but I knew it wasn't a good thing. And when I heard that no water means no shower, I HAD to find a solution. A shower after work is how I thaw out. I NEED the shower to work. But our first priority was the Silo. With guests staying in the Bed & Breakfast that night, the Silo home needed the water to work, so the local plumber came to the rescue. Fortunately, he (Jon) also offered to help us fix our pipes at home. 

After finding out that we don't have a basement, just a crawl space, he laughed and said that I'd have to be the one to crawl in and fix the problem. Not REALLY knowing if he was kidding or not, I offered to help. Before I knew it, I had a headlamp on my head and a torch in my hand. I crawled all over the place in search of the frozen brass pipes. Jon was really good about teaching me the different pipe systems, and I started to really enjoy myself! In my head I was this Bond-like character with a limited amount of time to deactivate a bomb, a mere metaphor for heating up some pipes and get the water running again. While not a blue wire vs. red wire situation, I took the job seriously, and ended up learning a lot. 

When we finally crawled out of the hole in the spare room closet (see below) and turned on the faucet to see a beautiful stream of water, I couldn't help but give Jon a high-five. We did it! 

As soon as he left, I stripped off my dirty work clothes and hopped into the warmest and most satisfying shower I have had in a while. 

This was just one more experience to add to the Kansas list, and I'm very thankful for it. So now that I've learned this important and life-building lesson...onward to spring and sunshine! (Please?)