Phil Landmeier @shuttersparks@social.cleverlibre.org

@smellsofbikes Yeah, it was pretty intense. And I grew up in So. Cal. so this stuff was new to me. I'd read about it and learned from friends who grew up in places like Minnesota. And my wife and I had lived through a Wyoming winter. But anecdotal knowledge feels inadequate when faced with potentially life-threatening conditions. And we were out in the boonies where help was not available on short notice.

It was a good education. When it started it seemed like a fascinating experiment. But then things got real.

@smellsofbikes @lauren Now that I think back on it, and my daughter being immune to the cold... She'd run out there, probably 75 yards to get to where the horses were, middle of the night, -23F, in just her pajamas. I razzed her about that. So the next time she removed the pajamas. Stark naked and barefoot, she ran out there and busted the ice. Returned none the worse for wear.

And I thought, well, lookit what humans can do. Just don't ask me to do it.

@smellsofbikes @lauren Our record lows are very close together. Hah. Mine occurred at our horse ranch in Minden, Nevada 1988 or 1989. Multiple pipes burst in the pumphouse. We built the fire up so high it ignited a chimney fire which was terrifying. We ran the electric stove in the kitchen hard for heat which caused the 50 amp breaker to fail. My ten year old daughter, apparently immune to the cold at that age, had to run out every 30 to 45 minutes with a hammer to break the ice on the watering troughs so the horses could drink. It was crazy.

When morning came I got into my pickup, pressed the clutch down, and the pedal remained down. Tried to move the gearshift, stuck. The lubricants had frozen solid.

Hahahaha.

@lauren Yup. That's the one. That opening sequence knocked EVERYONE on their asses in 1977. And the rest of the movie didn't disappoint either.

@TheGuardian_us We know that some Russian soldiers are attacking each other and sabotage has been going on since the first Russian soldiers discovered they weren't fighting Nazis. So those explosions aren't necessarily Ukraine's doing.

@itsOasus I'd love to have a time machine, go back, and blow some minds. I'd probably be responsible for some suicides.

@georgetakei Bahahaha. Back in the mid 1960s I would have never guessed you were a comedian.

@ai6yr Yikes. Well, at least South Koreans are not unfamiliar with snow and cold.

@peterwhisker @freemo I think that started only after he got Rudolf to drive the sleigh for him.

@lauren Oops, that should be UNpleasant not pleasant.

@lauren It's rare here that it gets that cold. Out West I had plenty of experience around zero Fahrenheit (lived in Wyoming.) My record low static air temp is -23F but dead calm, no wind. Wife and I used to go to Yellowstone in winter and spend a couple weeks each year. Continuous zero F is normal there. We'd XC ski around the Upper Basin but we had proper clothing and I owned a SnoCat to drive up there. (They won't let you into the park unless you have proper transportation.) As soon as you're doing physical activity, zero F is fine.

But standing still preparing food with +1F air blowing on you is really pleasant. Hahaha. We'll avoid that mistake in the future.

@lauren We had the big gas heater in the kitchen full blast and two 1500W radiant heaters. Plus the usual stoves and broiler, heat lamps over the food. Didn't even make a dent in the cold.

Normally, it feels good when 35F air is being sucked in from outside. But we discovered that +1 is a long ways from +35F. Hahaha. We were all surprised at how brutal the cold was. Even those who love the cold were overmatched by it.