Brrrr! Makes me wonder how thick the insulation is in your walls and attic to protect from that kind of cold. Part of that adequate clothing would be a wool balaclava, it behaves much differently than man-made or cotton fibers. Even with condensation it will still be warm. In my mountaineering days I made sure to have a good array of wool, though often you can wear a cotton t-shirt or silk long johns under it to prevent it from being itchy. That, or fur, as in Inuit use (with the fur toward the skin, not on the outside for looks.) Wolverine is particularly good in that case. My ex was stationed in Alaska when he was in the Army and I think he still has a uniform jacket that has wolverine trim around the hood.

This morning's putting Cookie in the dog jacket was anticlimactic - I laid it down on her dog bed in such a way that when she sat in front of me with her feet in the middle of each arm hole I just pulled it up quickly and zipped it down her back. Will that ever happen again? I can't say, but for now she's a toasty little pit-boxer mix. I stepped into the yard to take a few photos of the small amount of snow and Pepper with her complex blue heeler coat followed but Cookie, even with her jacket, sat inside and watched us through the sliding glass door.

Those meals sound good - a container of mystery stock (probably chicken, but it could be turkey) has defrosted and will be chicken soup this afternoon. I have non-wheat pasta here or could use rice to give it extra body.