Cold Nights

We had zero this morning in Southern Illinois, and Mom had twenty below up in Iowa. Tonight is forecast to go to thirty below. My memories of below zero temperatures always go back to crawling under my '51 Hudson to remove the starter, cleaning up the brushes, and bolting it up again in hopes of firing up the old girl. At twenty below you could count the cylinders firing when it started.

One cold January night thirty five years ago I went for a walk under a full moon to try my hand at time exposures. I think it was only around zero that night, and the thing that I noticed at the time was how I could spot rabbits in the moonlight. They would have been easy pickings with a .22. After I had crossed this trestle I heard a train coming from the east and quickly set up my tripod. I think I set the aperture on f22 and clicked the shutter open. After the engine passed I clicked it shut. When I copied this slide I noticed a good looking old manure spreader that I had not noticed in my younger days. It is probably long gone, but I will take a look the next time I go to Iowa.

I stay in on cold nights now, and I sure do like cars with a good twelve volt starting system. Make sure your outdoor animals have water and a place to get out of the weather.