Cold snap a relative burden

Enough of this cold weather already. But we have nothing compared to the cold they are experiencing up north this winter.

A newspaper I follow online in Wisconsin had an article that talks of the frost line being 7 feet below ground and heading deeper. The city water department is asking residents to leave the water running over night with the flow as thick as a pencil.

Sounds like a lot of water, but the expense of running the water is much less than having someone come out and thaw the pipes?or worse, replace a broken line.

?

Our water line at the Free Press runs through the unheated attic along the north wall. When it gets to zero degrees outside, I usually let a faucet drip very slowly and haven?t had a freeze up yet.

?

The cold weather hasn?t been friendly for walking and getting exercise outside this winter. I have a treadmill in the basement but I really dislike walking on it for a half hour. Boring.

If it doesn?t warm up soon, none of my jeans or slacks will close, and that is a big problem.

?

The Mennonites must settled here in summer or else I might be from Texas.

?

So why am I going to Minnesota in the next couple of weeks? Easy.

To celebrate the official release of the Carson Mennonite Brethren Church history book in Delft, a project with which I was involved for the past year or so.

I was contacted to help with this book without the author knowing this church is where my grandparents on the Klaassen side, and my dad, attended. In fact, Grandpa Klaassen was the church?s first organist.He played completely by ear.

He had other talents, too, such as witching for water and memorizing everyone?s car license plate in Cotton?wood County, Minn. (Maybe that?s why I can remember phone numbers easily).

Not only could he find the water, he could tell how deep in the ground to drill before they found the wet stuff.

?

We are meeting my sister, Elaine, at the event in Delft and hopefully her grandsons and a daughter or two.

I have rented a house in Mountain Lake for the one night we will be there, so we can all stay together. Haven?t been there since 2005 on my 50th anniversary tour since I moved to Kansas as a kid.

?

This is another great year to be a KU basketball fan. The Hawks wrapped up 10 straight conference championships, either outright or shared. It?s an even better year to be a Shocker fan if losing kills you.

?

How do you put eye drops in your eyes? I drip them on my nose and let it run in. Best way is to get someone else to do it.

If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@
hillsborofreepress.com.

Written By
More from Joel Klaassen
Songs are stuck in my brain
I showed the VBS videos at church this past week for a...
Read More