We didn’t get much snow, but it was cold and dreary yesterday —- the high was only about 22° F (-5.5° C). I think Qannik over at The Thundering Herd had the right idea.
Wake me up when it’s over.
I had a lazy, puttering day — I was glad I didn’t have to go out for very long. I kept thinking of a mother Panda I saw on Planet Earth. She was cuddling her baby in the cold, trying to keep it warm. And, of course, there are the Emperor penguins down in Antarctica. Mother Nature isn’t always very nice. I like being sheltered from her.
We’ve not gone anywhere since Thursday. We got power back late Friday afternoon after it being off for 14 or 15 hours. Generator got a good endurance run of about 9 to 10 hours. Some people still don’t have power back. We’re staying warm, even when we venture outside.
Good for you for planning ahead. So far we’ve been lucky down here — when the power goes off it’s only been for a couple of hours. Our backup is the cottage now — plenty of propane for heat and even electricity if there’s not enough sun to charge the batteries. No internet connection, though. That would be sorely missed by me!
I have just returned from a short trip up the mountains to an Ayurvedic center and return to find the temperature like what we are used to in Pune for this time of the year. Due to unseasonal humidity and rains, the temperatures were high till two days ago and we were wondering if we would see winter at all. I am looking forward to snuggling up inside a comforter tonight.
I much prefer the cold to the heat. I’m happy for you.
Sounds like you’re going through menopause. When you get over that you can tolerate heat but not cold—unless you have warm heat inside. 🙂 We don’t. 🙁
still in the deep freeze outside here. i am comfy but not TOO warm inside!
it is hurting me that i cannot get out and feed the birds. but i dare not chance it.
my balcony and all the steps are covered first with ice then about 3 inches of snow.
i could hold on to the railing but with a tray of birdseed in my hands it would be difficult. and just one mis~step and . . . well.
funny. just a few years ago I would have thought NOTHING about trying it!
age and caution have crept upon me i guess.
well.
i wound up going outside and down the stairs after all with a big plate of birdseed in my hands. the snow was deep enough that it gave me traction.
never made it to the ice underneath! it was GREAT !!!
oh. that air was clear and calm and fabulous.
and before i even got back upstairs to my balcony the little darlings were flying all around and landing to eat. it will get down to 17 degrees tonight. they will at least go to sleep with full tummies!
glad you achieved the trip to the birds, but do be careful…
I agree with Cathy, I’m happy you could feed the birds, but please be careful! You’re right to be cautious.
no “snow” here or for that matter “ice” – other than manufactured for a greeting card/snow or in the freezer to pop into a cold drink…neither of which I currently have although something is sure to arrive in the card dept!
I have certainly slowed down my outings because I do not need to be the schoolyard for anything or much of anything else. Most of my groups have gone into Summer Recess – the last one goes tomorrow night…
In spite of the Western images of Christmas, it seems to me having it in late spring makes it easier — here in the states it’s often a mess for people coming home for the holidays.
Being able to stay in in winter is great.
Yes!
Have plenty of food & then hunker down.
I agree!
Jean: re: Spring – except it is now officially Summer…
Of course, our Xmas is summer holidays – similar to yours – which are in the middle of year – means more people are already either on their holidays – students – and then many businesses especially factories close for a few weeks at that time of the year – by the end of this week, holiday traffic jams will be getting under way…
On the food front, it’s summertime so we are not thinking big hot dinners with all the trimmings but I guess if you could do a survey that would be wrong – because many people celebrate Xmas meals as if they were in the Northern Hemisphere! I remember being part of those years but now my Xmas day is spent very differently…but still great 🙂
Nor are we worrying about heating and keeping warm, rather we will be asking the rainmaker to send some cool rain drops – not a lot but enough!
I am going to be interesting in the house atmosphere this year as already the ceiling insulation meant less heating/winter and now it’s an even temp which gives me a suprise when I go out…
Insulation does make a big difference. The cottage is well-insulated, but our apartment down here isn’t.
Good luck on getting some rain!
When does Summer officially start for you? Here they say June 21, and Winter December 21.
We nearly always seem to adopt the 1st of a month to signify summer, so December 1st apparently the first day of Summer. I think September 1st is Spring and something like March 1 is Autumn (your Fall) guess Winter just glides in…
But as we are all becoming aware seasons can be very OUT of season at times…it has been known to snow in the South Island in the Summer period with a drought up the road that continues into Winter!
I think our country is just too skinny and gets battered quickly by all the oceans around us…
Thanks! I find details like that fascinating.
Our bird feeders were so covered with ice that we brought them inside to thaw out in the bathtub! We still haven’t made it above freezing for 5 days and counting — though it looks like that string will be be broken soon, with daytime temps rising into the 40s, still below normal, and back to below freezing at night.
Mike, I can’t imagine that freeze – but I guess you know it will happen and you prepare for it – but also there must be points along the string where you are absolutely sick-2-death with it – wanting a break thru’ that shows that the weather/other is going to improve.
I know I do when day in, day out – the humidity beats one into a really lazy situation. Here often in the afternoon huge black clouds arrive and you really want that cooling rain – it comes… about 5mins worth… not even heavy but seems cooling – THEN you wish it hadn’t – the humidity seems much, much worse and it’s dinner time – too muggy to eat…
Then if it a really bad day, your nightmare continues as you wrestle with the bed…sleep…but really you are tired, finally at some point sleep arrives but you awake in such a sweat TO yet another muggy day!
Then a tropical storm – usually the tail end arrives
Oh well, as least the power is still on…and nothing is completely frozen or even melted…
Cathy, this freeze is abnormal for us. Our average December temperatures are about 50°F (10°C) during the day and slightly above freezing at night. We live in an area with lots of trees and severely bad weather sometimes breaks branches or topples whole trees. We seem to have lost power more frequently in recent years, so we are more prepared from that experience. We’re in the part the country called Tornado Alley and that is our most dangerous threat, though I can honestly say, at almost 62, I’ve never seen one. A few years back, though, I built a storm shelter, just in case. Summers are often hot and icky, muggy, and sticky from the humidity.
Mike: thanks for the information – maybe the world is indeed changing, tipping further on it’s axis or whatever gives stability…