Jan. 8, 2016
The old man woke to the sound of his dog barking. He knew that his companion could smell the deer outside, so he slipped his winter boots on, and opened the door to let him out. The biting cold wind blew on him; he shivered and closed the door. Thunder, his Karakachan Bear dog, could be heard in the distance barking at the deer. He didn't feel the cold because he was so fluffy, a true winter dog. It could be far below zero(1), and he would still want to play and run in the snow. The old man stoked up(2) the fire and looked out of the window. Icicles hung from the roof blocking his view of the mountain road. He looked through the evergreen forest to the distant glacier that always seemed to look back at him, another wilderness companion. His son and family were coming to visit; they did so often. They loved to go snowshoeing together and build an army of snowmen. But today was bitterly cold, and the road was probably blocked. "I'd better snowplow down to the main road, or they'll never get here." he thought to himself. Sometimes, the snow was so deep that he would have to transport his family, two by two, on his snowmobile, from the main road up to his house. For years his son had tried to convince him to move into town. "Why do you insist on living in such a place?" he would ask him. "You've already lost two fingers to frostbite." But the old man would no longer even reply. This was his place in life, in his cabin, on the mountain, through the storms, the snow, the freezes and the thawing and melting of the Spring. He couldn't imagine a better place to be. He pulled on his winter boots, buttoned up his fleece coat, and grabbed his gloves and ear muffs as he left. Oh yes, it was nippy. The wind chill factor(3) made the cold feel sharp against his face. His eyes watered, and he pulled his warm hood over his head and buttoned up the neck. He pushed the fresh snow off of his snowplow, and started the engine. Thunder came running up behind him enthusiastically, ready for an adventure. "Come on boy!" said the old man. "Let's get to work!" 1. 'Zero, zero degrees, below zero, far below zero.' a. It's below zero but the snow is still melting! The ground must be warmer than the air. b. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped to far below zero. Everything was dark and frozen and still. 2. 'To stoke up the fire' means to make the fire bigger. It can, of course, be used figuratively. a. The fire has died down. Let's stoke it up! I'm getting cold! b. His words stoked (up) the argument. They were not very helpful. 3. 'The wind chill factor' is how the wind can add to the effect of the temperature. a. The temperature didn't seem too bad, but the wind chill factor made quite a difference when we started hiking. b. The movement of the air on your skin chills you more than just the outside temperature. Click the link for the Android app
