Category Archives: weather

fall, snow, weather

Hip Hip Hooray for Fall

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It was close to 80 degrees this weekend. Truly unseasonable weather for this region. L loved it since the ski areas in her neck of the woods are already open or will open this week. Coming home to nice warm temps in the upper 70’s is a bit like taking a tropical island trip in the deepest darkest days of winter – something to be enjoyed and treasured.

With the oddity of our balmy October and November, a major topic of discussion has been “when will fall really arrive?” Last year we had several snow falls in October and a full on blizzard in late October. This year? Not! No snow and no temperatures conducive to snow. Even some debate with myself as to whether I was wise to have shut off the water to the sprinkler system a few weeks ago to avoid freezing pipes.

But this morning! Ah this morning. What did I find when I let Molly out for her morning frolic? This:

Fall has well and truly arrived at long last. Nothing whispers fall better than a soggy, just below freezing, huge flake, dump of wet and wild snow.  I love this kind of weather!

The sky is grey and filled with white flakes, the trees and wires are coated in a rime of lovely white, but it is still warm enough that the streets and sidewalks are mostly clear. In fact, I took these pictures moseying around outside in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

Hip Hip Hooray for Fall!

idiocy, sadness, weather

One Of Those Days

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Today has been one of those days.

L headed back to the mountains this morning, which is always a bit sad.

The person working on the entry form for the Humane Society 5K Run and Pet Walk is no longer working for the hosting company. Of course I find out by the receptionist telling me over the phone that he is no longer with the company. At least it makes some sense for why it was taking him so long to get the form ready. I just wish they had let me know before it became a critical item on the event timeline.

Severe thunderstorm warnings started coming in by 2pm. By 3pm it was pouring rain. By 4:30pm, the alert sirens were wailing away with flash flood warnings. And of course it was then that the lightning started hitting nearby. Some of the bolts hit only a few hundred feet away and made such a boom that I literally leaped from my chair. (And of course Molly hasn’t gotten even an inch away since the thunder began.)

And now, even as I write, patrol cars with loud hailer at full volume are driving up and down the streets announcing “We are under a tornado warning. Seek shelter now.”

I think I’ll go hide under the bed and sleep until tomorrow. Sounds a lot more appealing than the day has been so far.

(And no, the picture is not mine – it is by Fred Smith and appeared in Meteorology News)
hoax, Molly, rabbit, weather

Thumper Attacks!

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Tonight Molly and I got started on our walk a bit late – we had to wait for me to go fix mom’s electricity. For some reason she gets a little perturbed when her kitchen outlets and refrigerator quit working. {*grin*}

As Molly and I walked along, we passed near a stand of bushes. Suddenly there was the boom and squeals that signal the upset presence of a wild rabbit. Sure enough, there about 2 feet in front of us was a rather large doe working to get us to follow her. It has been hot and dry around here, so I suspect she moved her family to the bush near an irrigated lawn to solve the heat and water problem. In any case, she didn’t want us to linger near the bush and was trying hard to decoy us into following her.

Molly was all in favor of a policy of hot pursuit. Nothing like a big squealing rabbit right in front of your nose to get you excited if you are a dog. I had to explain to Molly that if she actually did catch up to the doe, she would probably suffer grievous injuries. The first thing the doe would do is flop onto her back and use those big paws and strong back legs to break Molly’s nose and then attempt to rip off her face, followed by sprinting away while Molly was distracted by the pain. I don’t think Molly really believed me, but she was willing to continue on with our walk. Good enough. After all, some wild rabbits around here are really big:

(You can read all about this rabbit here.)

The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful until we started back to the house. The entire sky from horizon to horizon in the west was being lit up by lightning, fast approaching us. Which was pretty amusing given that looking in the other direction you could see the stars in the clear sky. Now if some of it would just yield some rain.

Time to go protect the garden from big bunnies. {*grin*}

electricity, rain, stove, thrills, weather

VBS and Other Tales

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It must be time for VBS (Vacation Bible School) in this neck of the woods.

Why you ask?

Well … we have had severe thunderstorm warnings, a tornado warning, and even a brief flash flood warning in the last 4 days. All in the late afternoon or early evening. When did VBS begin at church and what time does it meet? I’ll give you three guesses and won’t even count the first two.

Tonight brought forth water and more water as it thundered and poured water in sheets. Of course the gutters on the house chose then to suffer downspoutnodrainus, a nearly always fatal disease caused by pine needles in the craw, i.e.

The water was cascading out of the gutter and everywhere except out of the downspout. Me being me, I decided then would be a good time to unplug the downspouts while I waited for my chicken to finish baking. No need to get a hose or turn on the water; mother nature is dumping enough you can’t even see your hand in from of your face.

(No wonder – my arms have shrunk so I can’t possibly see them!)

As I am standing there with my arm in the air and my hand in the overflowing gutter, pulling pine needles out of the downspout and enjoying the icy water running down the inside of the sleeve of my rain coat, across my chest, through my pants. down my leg, and into my shoe, the thought crosses my mind about possible obituary headlines for when I am struck by all the lightning flashing nearby. (And how is that for a run-on sentence?) Some of the better ones included phrases like “Dumbass Former Mayor Dies Holding Hand in Air During Lightning Storm”, “Idiot Gets Grounded Just Before …”, or even “Franklin’s Experiment Sans Kite Proves Fatal To …’, etc. The worst thing was that the ice water running through my pants was the most thrilling moment of my day. It’s been all downhill after that.

I suppose my thoughts of electrocution came from replacing the heating element in the oven earlier this afternoon. Nothing like throwing both stove breakers (Ask me how I first learned that there were two double breakers for the stove.) and unplugging the (3) cords from the stove before disassembling the lower oven to pull out the old element and put in the new one. I have to hand it to GE. The stove was a high end model purchased by the people we bought the house from more than 20 years ago. In that time I have had to replace the broiler element and now the oven element. Never a problem with the burners or the built in microwave or the computer … Had to replace a little plastic knob on the cleaning timer, but not much else. they just don’t build ’em like that anymore.

Time to go put on dry pants. The thrill is gone. {*grin*}

Molly, odd question of the day, walk, weather

The Heat is On

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So much for the summer cold front. It was truly glorious while it lasted, but the reminder of fall and the coming of winter was brief. As I write, the temperature is hovering between 105 and 108 depending on which of my two shade thermometers you believe. Needless to say, tonight’s walk is going to be late in the evening and warm.

Speaking of which, I have upped my daily walking to 6 miles a day from 5. It is just enough extra that Molly gives hints that we should turn towards home every time we pass a possible turn off in that last mile. But when I say “Not yet, we still have further to go.” she takes it in stride. It hasn’t dampened her eagerness when I put on the ear buds and pick up the leash, signaling it is time to head on out.

Which segues naturally into my question of the day: which one or two out of three would you choose? Now that you are bewildered, the question comes from listening to Meatloaf’s “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” last night as I walked. In the ballad, the three refers to the infamous triad of “I want you. I need you. I love you.”

Aw heck, just take a quick listen, I’ll wait:

In any case, it led my mind to ponder the question(s):

  • If you only get one of the three in a relationship, which one?
  • If you only get two of the three in a relationship, which two?

I assume we all want all three in our ideal relationship, so the question is moot for the case of three. My own answers for the one and two cases are predictable to those who know me. If I only get one, make it love. If I only get two, make it love and want. But I know people who would answer differently, so what are your answers?