Cold Steel

Imagine you're an attractive teenage girl back in the 1960s.

Your phone rings. 

You answer. 

"COLD STEEL," a male voice at the other end clearly enunciates. 

And, that's all. 

Conversation ends.  

You hang up in total wonderment. 

"Who could that nut case be?" you think, hoping the phone does not ring again.

I have actually heard versions of this story virtually every ten years since we graduated from high school in 1965.

It's retold with just as much dramatic inflection pretty much every time we start meeting and organizing for upcoming reunions. 

It's all a part of the general reminiscing, of course, as most of us have our stories to tell.

This one, however has always stuck out in my mind, especially wondering 50-plus years later how that male, whom I knew fairly well, thought his strategy of calling up the girl he loved was gonna get him into her good graces.

I'm sure it never happened, and I'm sure the parties directly involved still remember "cold steel" as well as I do, thanks to those ten-year reminders.

I could never quite comprehend the motivation behind this potentially romantic "ice breaker."

Probably never will, but I sure have thought of that oft-told nostalgic tale of "cold steel" on mornings like today's where the steel outside is definitely cold and hardly romantic. 

It's definitely glove weather cuz bare hands on frosted-over metal and, of course, a wet tongue could come out the worse for wear. 

We continue to have ideal winter weather here in North Idaho, and I continue to get situations ready for when we have real winter weather.

By the way, Bill likes this weather too, cuz he doesn't need to use the refrigerator for his iced tea. 

Knowing these conditions can't last forever, I spent a couple of hours yesterday digging out muck and manure so that the side doors of the barn could be slid shut and remain that way for the next several months. 

When the snow does fly, the horses will stay in their box stalls every night.  

Plus, I'll begin the winter ritual of cleaning those stalls every day while listening to the local radio station and thinking about life in general.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the extra time this year without having to clean barns or to spend money on shavings, but that time's a coming. 

For now, the dry, cold nights are still okay for the horses to stay outside.  And, nobody seems to be complaining. 

My morning walks to the first pasture with a cart filled with hay are totally exhilarating.  By the time I've led the horses to their breakfast and have returned to the house, I'm wide awake and eager to get on with the day.

I'll miss those walks and will especially miss the vast expanse of areas all around the place where we can now walk.  

Once the snow starts piling up,  our wandering areas will be restricted to wherever the ground has been plowed or snow blown. 

Maybe we'll luck out this year with just skiffs of snow. 

And, as far as "cold steel" goes, bring it on.  

I love to grab hold of a frosted gate and chuckle about days gone by and the quirky, often inexplicable behavior most of us exhibited during our teen years so long ago.  

Who knows!  

Maybe some young, adorable chick somewhere else in the world outside of Sandpoint, Idaho, received a similar call which melted her heart, igniting a lifelong love story. 

I'm guessing the odds are pretty slim, though. 

Happy Tuesday!