Spring Heating Benchmark Missed

I missed my Fall heating benchmark last November: it got cold early, and we had to turn the heat on before Thanksgiving. I missed my Spring benchmark this month: it is remaining cold, and I wasn't able to turn the heat off on Valentine's Day. Anything blooming outside will get creamed this weekend!

How cold is it? It's so cold, the National Weather Service has issued a Severe Weather - Hard Freeze watch through Sunday morning, and we are expecting lows in the mid-20s for the next couple of days, and highs in the 40s. There's even talk about snow in the Central Valley! Normals for this time of year are 40s and 60s. I'm going to have to bring in the Plumeria and cover the Meyer lemon.

We've already had an unrelated 5-hour power outage, which could affect the temperature in the apartment if it happens again. We've got lots of food and blankets, and the water pipe outside is insulated. I have a knitting project underway. I guess we're good for the weekend.

7 Days till Christmas

The tree is all decorated, there's a crackling fire going in the fireplace, and Husband is asleep in the La-z-boy. It's cold enough outside that we can really enjoy the warmth of the fire, and we keep it cool enough inside to require fleece booties and a sweater.

I finished my first cabled scarf, and now I'm looking for a new project for a toasty greyish tweed yarn I bought. But I may put that on hold for a while and stop by Rumpelstiltskin on Sunday to find some silk-blend yarn to make fingerless gloves for Daughter. It would be a crochet project, so I think it would be quick to finish.

Winter arrived like a brick - it was just fine, warm, colorful fall, and then suddenly there was a HUGE rain storm, and after that the temperatures dropped into the 20s. We're now in the midst of what the meteorologists are calling "normal" storm tracking, where every few days we have rain showers, followed by a few days of fog. The temps are also back in the normal range of 40-60 degrees. It's been a couple of weeks since we've seen real sunshine, and it's beginning to tell on everyone's tempers.

Daughter and I have been baking cookies, and will probably do a few more. No plans for a gingerbread house this year, though. I bought Christmas stamps today, and hope to get cards in the mail tomorrow.

The Big Freeze after the Big Snow

This morning, the temperature was 23 degrees, breaking a previous low for the date. I brought in the tropical plants that are still portable, and covered the ti, which is not portable, with a fleece blanket we got from some "save the wolves" organization.

Tonight, the weather man said we will experience another night of "hard freeze", so Daughter and I hung a bed-sheet from the bolts in the patio overhang, and brought the small pots into the shelter between it and the house. I'm hoping the overhang, the sheet, and the warmth from the house will be enough to prevent them from being killed.

I'm sure it was already in the 30s when I got home from work at 8:15 this evening, because my cheeks were stinging when I went out to retrieve the mail. We've insulated the outdoor pipes and I have to remember to leave a faucet dripping when I go to bed, so the pipes don't freeze.

Despite the cold and clear skies, this is a "burning not recommended" day - to preserve air quality, people are being discouraged from using their fireplaces because there is no breeze to disperse the smoke.

Snow?

The excitement is building, whipped by the animated storm maps of the meteorologists on every television channel. A very cold storm arrived today, dumping enough snow in the foothills to warrant closure of Highway 80, one of the busiest trans-sierra routes. There have been over 45 storm-related accidents in the last 4 hours up there!

But why the excitement? Because the storm is so cold, there is a good chance of snow here on the Sacramento Valley floor - anywhere from a trace to 3 inches! The high temp tomorrow is forecast to be somewhere around 41 degrees, and the low on Tuesday morning in the mid-20s! As I write this at 10:30 p.m., it has been raining for about 45 minutes, and that is supposed to change to snow tonight. If so, I'll be out there with the video camera in the morning! If not, there will be a lot of disappointed children, myself included.

Christmas Season Officially Launched

With Thanksgiving just barely behind us, my attention must now turn to Christmas. This year, I may not get the week off I usually take. I use the time off to begin the time-consuming jobs I set for myself: the photo calendar, gifts for library staff, Christmas cards, baking, cleaning. I've already rescheduled once, from this week to week after next, but I may need to work through that week as well, in order to complete all the database renewals at work. I'm just thankful we are a household of adults now - no insane caching of tons of gifts for children any more.

So, I actually have a 5-day "weekend" - Thanksgiving through Monday - and I need to put it to good use. First thing will be to hit the craft show at the Crocker Museum. Not only does it attract a higher class of craftsmen, but the gift shop at the museum is a treasure-trove of interesting items that would make good gifts. Next is to collect the photos for the calendar. That will actually be a challenge, because we haven't taken a lot of photos this past year - at least not of family members. Laurel has promised me some of hers, so we'll be able to put something together.

Last job for this weekend: swapping all the shorts and tank tops for turtlenecks and sweats. The weather has finally got chilly, and it's also been foggy the last few days. Fog is a sure sign of winter, and makes everything seem much colder. However, I MET MY BENCHMARK! I did not need to turn on the heater before Thanksgiving, and, if things continue as they have been, I may still not need to do it for another couple of weeks. Wonder if I can make it to Christmas ... (probably not.)