The Truth about "Cabin Fever"

Cop'er & i were discussing the whole concept of "cabin fever" after he came downstairs & loudly proclaimed to be "bored." Okay, for one thing, it was 10:15pm... a little late to be worried about that. I mean, what's the likelihood he's going to find something to do & not go to bed in a few hours???

But the most interesting thought was... why are we victims of 'cabin fever' when we KNOW we can't get away (technically, we could, but we don't want to bother with all it entails); on the flip side, days when we don't have to go anyway and CHOOSE to stay inside all day is something different.

Obviously, my scientific explanation is going to be --- it’s all in our heads.

As mi padre liked to say many times when I was younger—there’s nothing wrong with you. It’s all in your head.

I have suffered from the same problem today though. I have been happy staying in & not having to strap on all the warm weather gear one could wear and still move (think Michelin man). Not to mention, it’s always more than that—you have to take those cold wet clothes off & put them somewhere, all the while not tracking snow in the house, causing additional work of cleaning up the melted snow puddles. If you ask me, it’s much better to look than to participate in dealing with it.

We have 3 small dogs & they HATE going out in the rain, so you can imagine what they think of snow. With rain it’s just that wet stuff falling on top of them, stepping in puddles & that smell that emanates from them (wait, maybe that’s MY dislike). With the snow, especially at these depths (10-12”), they get lost—literally. Our smallest, O-town, he’s hidden in this snow. Not only does he shiver like a leaf on a tree, but it’s like he’s in a whiteout. Poor guy.

Before the last big snow we got (around 14-16” in December), I had the brilliant idea to make a ‘pee hut.’ Sure, laugh all you want, but it worked! We pulled an outside table up close to the garage door & covered it with a tarp. It created a cover on the ground with no snow & a shield so the snow wouldn’t blow in. Odd as it looked and as picky as these dogs are, I was thrilled to see the first introduction to it was a success! They went in without any problem, did their business & were ready to come back in & warm up.

With news of this impending snow on the horizon, we decided to replicate the pee hut for another round. Unfortunately, though they are still using the hut, they aren’t as inclined to go outside… I think it has something to do with the 19-degrees it is outside. Hey, can’t say that I blame them. Not sure I want to leave my warm home, go outside with no shoes, coat or hat & squat near the cold ground in 19-degrees either!