Buzzards Bay Freeze - Ice Breakers on the Horizon?
photography·@winstonalden·
0.000 HBDBuzzards Bay Freeze - Ice Breakers on the Horizon?
# It's damn cold here. I know. I've done [enough bellyachin' about that](https://steemit.com/homesteading/@winstonalden/arctic-weather-isn-t-just-uncomfortable-it-s-stressful) already, and you can hear the same thing from the 115 million folks living in this part of the country with me too. It's just... sure we're used to the cove freezing over *on occasion.* But when ice starts to float out into the bay and clog up the country's main East Coast shipping lane, things get serious.  These ships have been hovering around outside for three nights now. Ships don't usually stay in one place for very long. That's not what ships are for! So we wondered why they're there, all lit up like a couple of passed-out Christmas trees. We figured they might be there to launch some First Night fireworks display, but watching Buzzards Bay last night was just as dull and uneventful as watching Anderson Cooper and Ryan Seacrest on TV. Then I saw the ships were there again tonight, and I realized they're hanging around to break the ice.  Here's a picture from a couple of years ago, to show that the ice threat is real. If that sheet grows until it blocks the canal, shipping gets a lot more complicated.  So it can happen. But keep in mind that the above picture was taken in late February, after *months* of intermittent freezing weather. This year, we're getting to the same state in just a week! # How cold is it now? My Michigan-born wife is starting to complain that she hasn't felt like this since she spent a holiday in the Upper Peninsula. Our furnace is rumbling non-stop just to keep the house at 60. It's so cold that several towns have [cancelled their annual "polar plunge"](https://www.capecod.com/cape-wide-news/yarmouth-polar-plunge-postponed-due-to-severe-cold/) for fear of injury - and because there's no way to get into the harbor. It's so cold that [the sharks are dying](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/thresher-sharks-die-cape-cod-cold-shock_us_5a46c526e4b025f99e1b73cb). # Can't stop a runner! Oh well. The zero degree (-18 C) weather didn't stop me from getting out and running seven miles today. The inch of snow on the ground wasn't too slippery, so it was safe enough. Two pairs of underwear and a judiciously placed sock kept my critical bits from freezing. *(Whoops! Did I just over-share that?)* And after the first mile it felt like the *warmest* hour I've experienced in over a week. There's nothing better than being bundled in a hoodie and crunching along at seven miles an hour down dirt roads that haven't seen a tire in three days. The sun was glinting glitter on the top of the snow like a billion tiny prisms. It was a positively *hallucinatory* jog. I'm so glad I ignored common sense and went for it. Have one more picture - because it *was* a lovely sunset.  Nice to look at, right? Although you probably wouldn't want to live here. At least, not right now. *** Happy New Year, everyone. Stay warm and stay safe! ### Thanks for reading! [YOU CAN CLICK HERE](http://natewalkerdavis.com/winstonposts/) for a complete catalog of my work on Steemit.
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