Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Old Man Winter flashed us in , but he's back again and he's mean and nasty. Temperatures have dropped. The cold is biting and the wind-chill feels like it's cutting right through you. Starting the car can be a chore, taking the dog out before going to work can be downright painful. But the discomfort is temporary as many people can seek refuge in a warm office. It's a different story for the ones who make their living while battling the elements.

"It's bad," said Jason Fagan, who has worked with the for five years. "Your hands and limbs get cold and it's downhill from there. You have to focus on your job while you're freezing."

Jonathan Golom works for the and starts his job at 6:30 a.m. to sweep the lots and streets. He says dealing with the bone-chilling temperatures is about mental toughness.

"It's a mind game," said Golom. "You have to get used to it. It comes every year, so you just have to deal with it the best you can. Put on as many layers as you can and try to stay warm. That's pretty much all you can do."

Tom Lawlor was installing cable near on Wednesday morning. Cutting and twisting wires as his fingers became numb was frustrating, not to mention painful. But Lawlor knows that if he wants to pay the bills and put food on the table, it doesn't do any good to complain about it.

"You want a job, this is what it is," said Lawlor. "When you wake up and get in your car and it says eight degrees, you know it's not going to be a fun day. But it is what it is."

However, some members of the city's department of works don't have a problem with the freezing temperatures."It's not that bad, really. It's better than working in the heat," said John Frederick, who has been employed by the city for 17 years. "You can always heat up. It's a lot tougher to cool down."

John Leaven of New Milford is a truck driver for the U.S. Food Service. He comes into Norwalk twice a week to make deliveries. Like everyone else in New England, he's experienced the cold, but that doesn't make working in it any easier. "I don't know how I deal with it, to be honest with you," said Leaven. "I bundle up, get my coffee, and keep moving."

There are some people, especially those in city's department of works, who want to see the temperatures continue to drop and the snow begin to fall.

"That's white gold to us," said Steve Forcier, a veteran of the department for almost 10 years. "That's when we make our money. We love our jobs and we take pride in our work. I will say we are the last ones to get thanked. When the snow comes down, we clear the streets. The fire department and police department get thanked and DPW gets nothing. We'd like to see a little gratitude thrown our way."