What is it really like...

...at -50F?  I know that many of you that have read this blog are family and some are just casual observers from other parts of the world.  Maybe you follow this blog because you're curious about our life with our "Heart child" or maybe where we live fascinates you.  I would like to know what you're interested in.  What draws you to this site?  Please leave a comment and tell me a little about yourself and why you read this blog.  It might help me to figure out who I'm talking to and what I need to say.

So here goes my elaboration on the above question. 
What is it like at 50 below zero?
-My husband gets a call at 6:30am that says that school is closed.
-Tim checks the computer numerous times a day monitoring the temperature in all the buildings for the school district to make sure the boilers are running.
-On days like today when there is no school, water needs to be run continuously at the school so the sewer doesn't freeze up.
-Our wood boiler "eats" the wood!
-Our Newfoundland dog looks like a fluffy black bear with frost all around his face.  He's always chosen to sleep outside even when a doghouse was provided.  I'll call him into the garage for a minute and he can't wait to get back outside.
-There's a good chance that our propane can gel and we lose our stove and dryer use.  I remember one year cooking over a camp stove because our propane was frozen for a couple of days.
-Sewers can freeze if not used.
-Water lines can freeze if not kept circulated with a circulation pump.
-If your vehicle is left outside, chances are even if you have a engine core heater it might not start.  If it does start, you want to let it run for a very long time before getting in.  If you have leather seats, they are as hard as a rock.
-When you start driving, your tires are no longer round.  You bump down the road feeling like they are square.
-Your vehicle feels like it has arthritis as you drive it.  Everything is stiff.
-You can't breath through your mouth when you are outside or you will cough.  The first breath you take as you walk out the door freezes all the hairs in your nose and the blasting chill reminds your skin that if it's not covered, it's vulnerable to frostbite.
-There's a haze that settles in.  Any exhaust from furnaces or wood stoves just hangs in the air and drops.  It doesn't rise.
-If you are outside for any amount of time, the moisture from your breath makes your hair around your face and eye lashes freeze and become crispy.
-House fires are common when it's this cold. There's not much hope for your home because they go up super fast. Many families have just gotten out with what was on their backs.
-Ice isn't slippery.
-People don't go out if they don't have to.
-Local businesses close (except the medical center where I work).
-If you decide to venture out of the house, you are wise to take with you in your car all of your winter gear, food and water...just in case you break down.  And cell phones are a must.
-Everyone becomes a Good Samaritan.  If you see someone broken down by the side of the road, you will stop to help.  It's a matter of life and death.

and last but not least...

Life goes on!  Many Alaskan's pride themselves in their ability to survive in such harsh environments.  I just can't help but wonder how the Native Alaskans survived in the years long ago before gasoline, propane, electricity and all the modern ways of life came to keep us comfortable.  Because of all of those modern conveniences, our lives go on much like they do any other day.