How cold is it? I'm showing a mere 14 degrees right now, and the wind is making it feel more like zero. The overnight low was -4.1F. We got about 2.5 inches of new, fluffy dry snow and there's still snow in the air - whether from blowing or snow showers, it's hard to tell. I was outside only long enough to measure the snow and clean off the deck. The wind is bitterly cold and whipping snow off the trees in clouds. I just checked on line and our friends in Anchorage  had 22 degrees at 6 a.m. It was about 4 degrees here at 6 a.m.
     I may hear from Diane Rossi or Shelly Walker who are at pond level on West Shore Road that they had reading much colder than I did. We'll see. According to Google, West Danville is also 14 degrees at this time (10 a.m.)
     I'll share a little personal story with you - I'm sure many other women (and perhaps men, too) have had this same experience. Over time I have developed arthritis, especially in my hands. I've always joked that it was a direct result of wringing out all those cloth diapers from three babies back in the day. Or more realistically, it may be more job related. I learned to type in business school in about 1949, and any job I ever had required typing - endlessly, sometimes. I can't imagine the number of pages I tapped out on manual Underwoods, Royals or Smith-Coronas. Then there were the IBM Electric typewriters, and now computer keyboards. The point is, my fingers did the working and now some of my knuckles are swollen and painful - especially my ring finger. I had my wedding rings resized several years ago, but realized recently that no matter how or what I tried, I could not get my wedding band off over my big knuckle.
     I recently talked to another woman with the same problem and she described it as feeling "claustrophobic." I hadn't thought much about that, but knew it wasn't going to get any better, so I began looking for a solution. I knew I could get the ring cut off and resized, but then for it to be large enough to go over my knuckle, it would be huge and dangling on my finger, catching on things and uncomfortable. I knew that was not an option. 
     We stopped in at Sunshine Boutique in St. Johnsbury, to talk to Fred Little a few weeks ago and he came up with a hinged band that might work. I had him cut off my wedding band and he ordered a hinged  replacement. 
     We picked up the new ring on a Saturday, on our way to Lisbon for granddaughter Tangeni's swimm meet. The band looked ok  - but just "okay." It had very square edges, not the soft round ones I was used to. It looked more like some kind of industrial washer plated in gold. It locked on well and came with a neat little tool to use to unlock it, but after only a few hours wearing it, I realized it wasn't going to work for me. Too sharp edges, irritated my finger and I was just not happy with it.
     I was describing my problem to JoAnne, our oldest grand as we watched the swimmers. After listening to me carefully, she said, "Just wear your  wedding band on a gold chain, Grandma."
     You know, that made perfect sense to me. It might not be the solution for everyone, but I loved the idea. Problem solved.
My wedding band is  repaired and polished, and I have a lovely gold chain that belonged to my mother that is perfect for it. I miss it on my finger, but I appreciate no more worries about it becoming painful and really difficult to get off. Who knows - perhaps one day I'll find just the right ring and can replace it comfortably. 
     And by the way, Fred Little, the jeweler did a very nice job of cutting the ring off. He had a neat little gadget that did it in a matter of seconds and it was completely painless - except for the anxiety of realizing "he's cutting off my wedding ring!" That was a bit wrenching, but husband Fred was in full agreement that it was time to take action, and if he felt any sentiments, he didn't voice them. After all, it takes more than a ring to make a marriage.