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Weather Day

Northern Rancher said:
I like cold better than real hot weather-back when we calved spring and fall we had a calf when it was -43 and one in the summer when it was 100F-nothing like temp. swings lol.
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Back in 1987 or 1988, I only had four fall calving cows. The last one of them to calve had her baby on October 12th. That night it got down to 12 below zero, and we had the calf in the mud room of the house so it wouldn't freeze to death. That was the coldest day of that whole winter.
 
Back in the good ole days in dairy I would take a calf in the basement , put it in the wood box for the night. Worse we had it was -54 below.

I had on 9 pair of long underwear and was still cold :lol: :lol:
 
NINE PAIR? :shock: I don't know a whole lot about layering clothes to stay warm...but I was always told loose layers kept you warmer than tight layers, because the air in between acts as insulation too.


???? is that right? Any of you Northerners think the same thang? LOL cuz.....I might need to know here in a day or two.
 
The Corgi(Corky) and I went for a walk just a few minutes ago...I remembered to plug in the cake truck which is parked about 1/4 mi from here underneath the machine shed. Not a breeze, temp was 0. While I was walking I looked up in the sky and OH, MY!! The sky was lit up with constellations, stars, and I looked in awe. I could even see the lights from Billings, which a person doesn't see very often from here. The night was clear as a bell, beautiful and I wish our cameras could depict the moment.
It seems with the cold, we see the best of our skies at night. There are moments in our ranch life we wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.

I sure feel sorry for those who don't appreciate these things, ranchers or not. :)
 
That was the best thing about the cold nights in Montana is that if you got away from the towns, oh my the sky was just heavenly... We drove from Bozeman to Denver during Spring break our first year out there and the comet Hal Bop was out at the time.. Just increadible...

ARound here we have a lot more "light polution" but still, on the cold, cold nights, especially with snow on the ground, there is just something special about the night sky.
 
Think wool!! That new under armour stuff is great base layer but wool is the best stuff for real cold-I've been lucky enough to fall through the odd creek hunting those raw wool socks will keep your feet from freezing. Loose layers for sure-fashion statements are for indoors when it's real cold. Some of the moosehide stuff the natives make is pretty darn warm too.
 
IL Rancher said:
That was the best thing about the cold nights in Montana is that if you got away from the towns, oh my the sky was just heavenly... We drove from Bozeman to Denver during Spring break our first year out there and the comet Hal Bop was out at the time.. Just increadible...

ARound here we have a lot more "light polution" but still, on the cold, cold nights, especially with snow on the ground, there is just something special about the night sky.
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You got it, IL Rancher. Now come back home.
 
Aint no WOOL gonna be the base layer on anything I wear.......I almost get hives with wool. I won't have a wool blanket, a wool coat...nothin...Aint Happenin. That stuff is nasty scratchy itchy........oh yuck just thankin bout it gives me the willies.

I still want some silk long jons......I think them'd be bout as warm a under garment as you could find.
 
Lilly I find the ultra fleece long johns and long sleeved undershirts are about the best. I have various weights and thicknesses for all different weather. Helly Hansen gear is great. Wool is good, but if it makes you scratch it just isn't worth it.
 
Try that 'smartwool' stuff made from Merino wool it's itch free. Base layer with whatever you want but when the chips arte down wool is the best for extreme cold.
 
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
Aint no WOOL gonna be the base layer on anything I wear.......I almost get hives with wool. I won't have a wool blanket, a wool coat...nothin...Aint Happenin. That stuff is nasty scratchy itchy........oh yuck just thankin bout it gives me the willies.

I still want some silk long jons......I think them'd be bout as warm a under garment as you could find.
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I agree with you, Lilly, I can't stand wool! I wish I could, it is very warm but I, too itch and break out into a major rash if I wear it :( If I wear something underneath the wool I can just barely tolerate it.
 
I think the best thing for cold layering I had was a pair of simple heavy duty long johns, with a looser pair of woolies over them and than overalls over those for the legs. Wool socks are a must (And laugh at me if you will but my crazy Mother in law gave me some ones made out of Aplaca wool and they are about the warmest, softestm itch free socks I have ever worn.. Wish I had 10 pairs).. I got over my wool problem when I spent a month up in Alaska when I was 16... Nothing ever got dry and wool was the only thing that felt warm...

Now Hanta, How did you know that my Wife and I still call Montana home... We will be out there sometime this year.. I am 95% sure of that.. After all, I need to see how much things have changed :cry: and how many things have stayed the same :D Its been far to long since I was there... Anyways, I need to go look at some Cont. bulls or my feedlot guy is going to kill me. Might was well take a long road cattle trip.
 
NR, You got it right! fleece is very comfortable and very warm, But if you are around water, Crossing Rivers, or trapping thru the ice where there is a chance you could go down and get wet, Wool will save your bacon. I am not talking I am not talking balmy weather above 10 degrees, Its the10 to 30 below that il get ya.
 
There's a lil antique shop here locally that has an Alpaca booth. They have hats, scarves, mittens..socks you name it, they have it......but 1 pair of socks are $35........n that's the cheapest thing in the booth. Yes it is all very soft.......but a lil hard on the pocket book.

We really don't have enuff cold weather here to warrent owning expensive underclothes. Even when it is cold cold, in the mornins, by mid day you'd be lookin for a bush to hide behind to shuck some of them layers off.

My jeans along with a sweatshirt, with the coveralls is about all I need in the worst cold weather we have here. I do have a pair of fuzzy lined boots that my MIL bought me, but they are lace ups and not good for feedin in when it's wet and muddy. My boots don't keep my feet warm, but they do keep my feet dry. Them lace ups just funnel the water in around the laces when I get bogged up to my ankles.

HantaYo........do you have the same reaction to double knit as you do wool? Oh man, I remember back in the day....late 60s early 70s when double knit was "in" Mom sewed all my clothes and loved that stuff......I remember comin home from school and havin red welts all around my neck, armpits, and waist from itchin. After a couple years of complainin she finally came in my room one afternoon after I got home from school. I was changin into play clothes...and she seen the redness...and asked me what I'd gotten into......I said, "Nothin but them double knit clothes you keep makin me wear!!!" She quit makin me wear them after that. LOL
 
Jersey.. All the socks ever cost me is my self respect with the design that was knitted on them but they sure are warm and soft.. But no, I wouldn't spend no 35 bucks for a pair of socks.... Cold is cold, too a point it is all relative to what you are used to.. 55 degrees can sure feel cold after you have a had a month of 95 but 20 can feel down right warm when you have had a week of subzero.. Now, I don't think -20 is ever going to feel warm but I do remember chopping wood in MOntana when it was that cold and having to shed layers... Gosh darn it got warm.
 
Thats why they say a wood stove warms you twice!!!

In W. Montana zero is much warmer than it is here.
More humidity here and always that little breeze (if not
a big breeze). But so far this winter, we've been fortunate.
If it got cold, it didn't stick around long. Looks like that
is the way this cold snap will be too.
 
Faster horses said:
In W. Montana zero is much warmer than it is here.
More humidity here and always that little breeze (if not
a big breeze). .
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Couldn't be because you are getting older- just feels colder :wink: :P :lol:

FH- I sent you a PM on New Years I see you haven't picked up- check and see if it came thru...Its an interesting website of old Montana pictures...
 
Lilly..I'm with you...wool...no good for me! I have silk long underware and shirt..luv em. They fit good underneath jeans too! I hate the cold, but as others have said..loose layers is the key to staying warm. Actually this morning I've got all my 20lbs of layers of stuff on...(look like a waddling duck) and the temp is 3 above 0...of course today no wind, so every tank was froze and had to be chopped open...well by the time I get done chopping ice..I'm all warmed up and shedding my heaviest coat! Then I drive to the next pasture...do the caking thing...and start all over choppin ice...but I never did get cold...my gloves get wet and then my fingers get cold..but hey that's life. I'll tell ya one thing though...by the end of my shift after carrying all them winter coats and choppin ice..and loading cake..and gettin gates...I'm tuckered out! Good thing though...I get to stay in where it's warm this afternoon...Yippeee....(nail day)...lol
 

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