Layers and layers and...

Cold is entering the region with dropping temperatures, wind pushing into dangerous wind chill territories. It's not often that we share the depths of cold that often covers the center of the country; the ocean provides a somewhat calming influence.

I insist on playing outside year-round, mainly walking (and now snowshoeing) on winter's sometimes slippery surfaces. I've learned to adapt my layers to the weather. Sometimes that is a challenge, as I'm sure it will be over the next day or so. From the National Weather Service's Taunton office, here's the forecast for tonight and tomorrow:

Tonight: Clear, with a low around -11. Wind chill values as low as -24. Northwest wind between 7 and 9 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Monday:Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -25. West wind between 6 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Hmmm... it wasn't too bad today, 20 degrees + wind. But tomorrow? Yikes!

---

One layer that I added this year is a reversible polar buff - shown in the image below. I was introduced to buffs on my trip to the Lake District back in 2008. My friend Caroline was looking for something protective for her neck, and we were introduced to buffs in one of the shops there. What's a buff? It's a tubular piece of lightweight fabric that can be worn in many ways - as a scarf is my mode of choice. It provides a bit of protection and a splash of color (which means that I tend to wear them a lot in the cold months of the year). At the beginning of the winter there was a new addition to the product line that piqued my interest - a buff with the usual colored lightweight fabric on one side with a piece of Polartec® Ultra Thin™ fleece on the other. Oh! That's a nice addition on really cold days. I can keep it low around my neck, or I can pull it up onto my face for extra protection. Nice.

Hands are another concern, especially when I'm walking with a camera. Mittens are warmer than gloves, but I need individual fingers to be accessible to focus and adjust the settings on my camera. I've taken to wearing a pair of Polartec® liner gloves inside a pair of flip-top glove mittens. That's been working well (no bare skin exposed to the cold air), although I suspect that I'll need something heavier tomorrow.

Here's to adjusting layers to match the temperature!