What Freezing Temperatures Do

There have only been two winter seasons in my life that I have wintered in an area that gets a lot snow. Both of those times were in Spokane, WA, and both were during big transitions in my life. Now that I'm in Michigan, it seems like I have found a pattern. Big changes and transitions in life mean that I move to a place where winter can be harsh. I wish I had chosen a more tropical climate, however maybe there is some lesson here about hardening my exterior to change, while trying to keep my insides warm and adaptable. One physical lesson I have learned since the average temperature in Lansing is now a cool 7 degrees, is that car door locks freeze. I didn't consider this until yesterday, when we discovered that the driver's side door is frozen shut. Fortunately the passenger side opened. Unfortunately, it means crawling over the seats to start the car, then crawling back over to sweep snow off while the car warms. (Then of course, crawling back over again to drive away). This morning, the lock still frozen, we attempted to try to unfreeze it by heating up the key with a lighter, in hopes that the hot key would melt the frozen lock mechanisms. Then we tried to use a heat gun, only to discover that holding it too close starts to melt the plastic door handle area. Oops. You might be asking, "Why don't you just go buy some de-icer for the lock?" Well, we tried. Couldn't find it. We only have something that keeps it from freezing, but FIRST we have to get it unfrozen. Blerg.