“Gloves are about as important winter wear as there is.”
Certainly, that was the conclusion last week while doing a story in subfreezing conditions.
Oh, we had gloves this time, but it was impossible to keep notes with a pen and pad, and take photographs with them on.
Conscious not to wimp out, we insisted on making the ranch tour in short order to get inside, where our cold fingers tingled for minutes.
That’s good, because when fingers don’t throb, they’re really frozen. Although, we’ve often had cold hands, possibly some frostbite, but fortunately no permanent damage.
But, we know several who have frozen their fingers, including our roper daughter. With severe frostbite, there can be infection, and nerve damage, which makes fingers always susceptible during freezing conditions.
Walking to our grocery store about a mile during the winter daily for dinner at noon and after school often made our hands very cold.
But, in the sixth grade when we served as the patrol boy for students crossing the highway during the winter, they got even colder, despite wearing three gloves on each hand.
Prairie chicken season was only two days in the ’60s, and we always went hunting with Uncle Don. In order to be ready when the chickens flew over for morning feeding on grain fields, we’d get there before light and usually freezing out. Even with “butane hand warmers” in the gloves, our fingers were still always cold.
Low temperature is bad, but when hands get damp chopping ice for livestock water, hands freeze faster.
Every kind of glove imaginable has been worn through the years. But, yellow chore gloves are most common. And, always ten times as many left hand as right hand gloves, it seems, with holes in most of them.
Left hand gloves are occasionally turned inside out, making right hand gloves. Dad only had one hand, so he turned all left hand gloves for his right hand, so not to waste any.
Reminds us of Job 24:9: “They shiver exposed to the wet and frozen.” Because, Proverbs 25:20: “One essential garment is missing in freezing weather.” Fortunately, John 18:18: “They made a fire and warmed themselves.” Yet, essential Isaiah 27:4: “Keep careful watch so that there is no damage.” Thus, Ecclesiastes 7:12: “Wisdom is always better protection.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
VIIII–1–1-4-15