What 20 Degrees Below Zero Sounds Like

     I hope you aren’t expecting a scientific explanation or a long list for what 20 degrees below zero sounds like.  There are just a few sounds that come to my mind when I think of freezing temperatures.

     One sound we hear at Voyageur when the temperature drops is the snap, crackle and popping of our deck.  There’s a good coat of snow and ice on the deck and when the temperature drops the deck starts talking.  Sometimes it’s one big "Crack!" and other times it’s several quieter "Pops."

     Another thing I hear when the temperature is freezing is the "tick, tick" of bird seed hitting my patio doors.  The bird feeder hangs right next to our doors and some birds throw seeds at it while eating.  Other birds actually land on the door making more of a scratching sound.  The birds feed constantly when it’s cold outside.

     The sound a car makes when you turn the key with an almost dead battery is reminiscent of a 20 below zero morning.  "Arngung, arngung," it goes until it turns over and revs at an unbelievably high speed.  The doors creak open and if you slam them at all the sound echoes loudly.

     There’s the sound of the ice cracking too but other than that I can’t think of too many other sounds, how about you?  Is it the crackle of the fire in a fireplace?  The chattering of your teeth? Let me know what you think 20 degrees below zero sounds like.