“There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”



So said Alfred Wainwright in A Coast to Coast Walk. The light is returning. We are past the solstice. From here on out, things get brighter, and it will be time to begin planning and budgeting for the garden in earnest. 

I think that this qualifies as the deepest part of winter. We've been under winter storm warnings of one kind or another all week. Witness what has happened to my poor snowman. He was blown over in the 45 mph. gusts (above). Remember when he was first brought to life?


I picture his little, spindly sunflower-stalk arms swinging in wild circles as he struggles to keep his balance. 

I shall soon be testing Wainwright's maxim regarding clothing. The solar panels need another cleaning, something that I will not say that I don't dread. Right now there is a Wind Chill Advisory until tomorrow at noon. FEMA is calling out dangerously cold windchills, and a ground blizzard. Wednesday & Thursday's 8" of snow are now being whipped across roads, causing icy conditions. The air temperature is currently -9 Fahrenheit, and there's a 16 mph. wind that makes it feel like -32. 

I'm taking FEMA's advice and staying home. We've still got enough wood to burn it through this snap, even though it decreases our store for the early spring and goes against our new rationing principles. 

One of the nice things about the 'burbs is the lack of snirt. Snow actually stays white. Somehow, quite a lot of it is still clinging to the trees, which adds a dramatic effect to the landscape. 

I wouldn't be surprised if Christmas is cancelled this year. I imagine that by this late date Rudolph has retired to live out his days bellowing at Clarice about the old days amid a pile of empty Old Style cans, while the flamboyantly gay Hermie entertains, perhaps in sequins and rose colored star-shaped sunglasses at a white grand piano in the North Pole castle. In other words, unless Clarice and Rudoph spawned a new mutant flying reindeer, there are going to be a lot of disappointed children around the world.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stairway Complete; Fruit & Vegetable Season Begins

In which I magically make 5 pounds of tomatoes disappear

Trains, Canoes, and Automobiles