The Oppenheimer Report 11/25/13

Demolition of the old cottage in 2007

This was the week when winter arrived with a vengeance. All over North America there was crazy weather, with snowstorms in the west and destructive tornadoes in the mid-west. As I begin writing this report on Sunday, we’re in the deep freeze up here in the Great White North, and the mercury is hovering around 8 degrees F. Jasper has officially donned her polar fleece Canadian-flag design winter coat for the season. When it gets really cold, as it has been the past few nights, I also put her boots on. She hates the boots (“Mutt-Luks”) and tries to kick them off, which is pretty funny to watch, but without them her paws freeze up within minutes. She gets as far away from the house as we walk and then lifts one paw as if to say “I’m cold now, pick me up and carry me home.” The night before last we had a significant snowfall and there is more in the forecast for this week. Tomorrow the Blizzak snow tires go on the SUV, and what a difference those babies make. We need radial snows up here. Just in time, as I head down to Toronto later this week, through lake effect alley, to pick up Shauna’s mom for a Chanukah visit.

Because I embrace winter weather with the resignation of an Eskimo, I have some excellent winter gear. From our hikes in the mountains, I have knee-high gators for keeping snow out of my boots. For heavier duty snow play I have snowmobile pants (we used to call them leggings), fleece-lined snowmobile boots, a down vest, a face mask, and plenty of long underwear. The one thing I have never been able to keep warm are my hands, and no matter how heavy duty the gloves are, when I’m out on the ATV zipping along at 40-50MPH, wind chill is a factor. This year I researched heated glove liners and finally bought a pair manufactured by a Canadian company called MotionHeat. They seemed to be the best electric glove I could find. Of course these liners were in high demand and were on back order, but last week, just in time for the first arctic blast, they arrived. Once I figured out the wiring harness, how to attach it to the 12 volt outlet on my ATV, and how to adjust the temperature – I know, it sounds like a lot of bother – they worked perfectly. I took a long ride in the arctic air and everything stayed warm, including my hands. These electric glove liners are not cheap, but they are a lot cheaper than the grip warmers I was about to buy for the ATV, and they come with a rechargeable lithium ion battery good for 3 hours of off-the-grid warmth. Bottom line, they work, and comfort in this cold northern climate is worth a lot. I only wish these things had been around when I was still an avid snow skier. Some of those lift rides in the mountains of Vermont were pretty darned frosty.

We had a scare last week when it was reported to me that our snowplow guy, Harvey had passed away. News travels fast in a small town, but it turned out it was another guy in the community with the same name (even the same middle initial!) who had died. For about two hours I was mildly freaking out. First of all, he is the best snowplow guy in the area; always reliable and fair. But more important, he’s a buddy, and I enjoy his company. I called his house to send my condolences, and he answered the phone. We had a good laugh, and I later sent him one of my historic Buffalo post cards with a note on the back saying “I was relieved to hear that news of your untimely demise was greatly exaggerated.”

I watched Toronto Mayor Rob Ford body check some council woman to the floor as he attempted to address some hecklers in council chambers. Talk about video gold, the news had a field day with that footage. Hulk Hogan, stand back. There was much talk in the news this week about a deal with Iran that will ensure their nuclear program will not be used to produce weapons. All of this is allegedly verifiable, but  Israel is predictably skeptical, and so am I. Last week marked the 50^th Anniversary of JFK’s assassination. I remember where I was. In my sister’s bedroom in Buffalo watching it on a portable black and white T.V. I can’t believe that was fifty years ago. A pre-emptive Happy Thanksgiving to all my buddies stateside, hope you all have a great bird with your families!

                           - Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED