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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 10, 2012 23:48:38 GMT -6
I knew the weathermen would get proven wrong. The last couple of days the temps have dropped. There was mention of possible snow. No snow in February? Ha! We shall see ... we shall SEE!
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Post by Phalon on Feb 11, 2012 8:20:54 GMT -6
Flip-flops in February? And shorts, dresses with bare legs, short sleeves, and no coats?!
Maybe if it was a normal winter, and there was a burst of freakishly warm weather like we sometimes get; it seems every once in awhile in past years there will be one or two days in February when it'll get up into the 60s.
But like where Joxie lives, it's been getting steadily colder here this week, mostly hovering in the mid-30s by day. The teenagers coming out of the high school dress as if it's June.....just as they have all winter. I pick up LX from school every afternoon, and sit in my car with the heat on, amazed at the disregard for the cold these kids have. Yesterday, it was snowing and blowing, and it was no different - flip-flops, short sleeves, and bare legs in February! With temperatures in the teens! There's no way I could tolerate having my toes, legs, or arms exposed to the winter elements like that.
But then again, nobody ever said teenagers were normal....except teenagers, and their idea of normal is skewed....it has to be.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 11, 2012 17:20:09 GMT -6
It is definitely Winter here again. I have small wisps of snow on my back porch, so there had to have been flurries at some point during the night. (My back porch faces North and is colder than my front porch.) I didn't see snow anywhere else, so it must have melted.
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Post by stepper on Feb 11, 2012 22:29:01 GMT -6
I was sort of the same way when I was their age Phalon. I had a paper route with most of the houses being close enough that I walked the route in all kinds of weather. The only time it was a problem was when it was snowy and cold and blowy at the same time - and even then I'm sure I was underdressed. Maybe it was because I was walking at a decent pace that I didn't usually notice the cold...I don't really know.
The weather guessers are saying tomorrow morning will be wintry here too Joxee. There might even be frozen precipitation! We'll see.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 13, 2012 7:18:09 GMT -6
So did you get your precipitation, frozen or otherwise? It snowed here most of the day Saturday, coming down quite heavy at times. We only got about three inches though; I hear just to the north and south of us there was much more. It's the shape of the shoreline; it's the same with summer rains - systems tend to split, often missing us entirely.
It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful day here. Crispy cold with plenty of sunshine.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 13, 2012 17:19:49 GMT -6
It's snowing! And it's sticking to the ground now. The ground isn't completely hidden yet, but it shouldn't be long now. It's coming down pretty good. I noticed over the weekend that the frogs have gone silent once again. So Winter is definitely back.
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Post by stepper on Feb 13, 2012 19:11:20 GMT -6
Yes, but it was otherwise. Temps in the upper 30s so what we got was all wet. This morning it was still misty and foggy and in the low 40s - that lasted until about noon. By the time I went home it was comfortable - and tomorrow we'll be near 80. That's going to melt the chocolate. Thank goodness we have air conditioning!  |
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 13, 2012 20:57:26 GMT -6
Well, so much for the snow. It turned to rain. Every once in a while it sounds like it turned to sleet for a brief minute or two ... but it's mostly rain. Some snow still on the ground, but have no clue what I'll see in the morning.  I must admit I have a bit of fear that I could lose my lights if things turn to ice again and stays there. Jan/Feb of 2009 rears its ugly head and I fear going without lights for 17 days/nights again.  I so hope I keep my electricity.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 13, 2012 22:28:53 GMT -6
According to the news, it's suppose to do this all night, and tomorrow. Then a warm front is suppose to blow in. If I don't lose my lights, I'll be a very happy girl. The good news is that Mom has a whole house generator now, and will be able to keep up with her nightly dialysis without interruption.
I can't get any channels on my satellite, so I turned off the TV. I usually put it on a music channel, and keep it playing in the background. It's quiet here, except for the rain/ice. A little soothing and creepy at the same time. (Plus the roar of the computer fan.)
If you don't hear from me in a day or so, you'll know I'm in the dark freezing my buns off. 
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Post by quettalee on Feb 13, 2012 22:33:41 GMT -6
Make sure to dress in layers, Jox! Hopefully it won't come to that. I never want to live through what we did in Jan '09 again. That was awful.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 13, 2012 22:38:28 GMT -6
I know. A day or two is bad enough, but 17 days/nights was too extreme. Well, I had it better than some, some went without lights for another couple of weeks, so I got off easy. I'd choose the 17 days/nights over 4 weeks any day.
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Post by quettalee on Feb 14, 2012 0:37:14 GMT -6
Mine was 7 days. But I was house and pet-sitting across the river and if I had not had the use of their four-wheel drive, I would've been in a worse mess. It was bad enough as it was because of course we had no heat in their gigantic three-story house & their boxer WOULD NOT go outside to use the bathroom. I had to clean up after her all week. My friends were in Florida and had I not had the responsibility of their pets, I would've stayed with friends. As it was, I had to tuff it out with a boxer and three elderly cats. :/
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 14, 2012 18:17:19 GMT -6
Yeah. I could have gone to Mom's. She had a generator. But my niece and her family were staying there, and I had two cats I would have had to load up, along with their supplies, and it would have been a major hassle, so I stayed home with the cats. We liked it better just the three of us. 
And thankfully I didn't lose lights during the night. Although I did lose my satellite signal. Oh, well. It was a temporary 'overnight' thing.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 15, 2012 5:54:04 GMT -6
Thank goodness you guys didn't have to go through that nightmare again!
We got a bit more snow out of the deal - just enough to give everything a new layer of pretty yesterday morning.
It turned misty later in the day though, turning the snow to slush. Fun to stomp in....but only if you're wearing boots.
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Post by stepper on Feb 15, 2012 20:02:29 GMT -6
I go out on the porch and watch a while when it's doing that. And if I'm tired at all, the sound on the roof puts me right to sleep. I've been known to pull a Phalon and take coffee or tea with me.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 16, 2012 16:16:10 GMT -6
My porch's don't have a roof over them. I wish they did.
And . . . They're back! Making noise like they hadn't been interrupted. I do love to hear them sing in Spring. Unless it ain't Spring, and did it sort of irritates me. 
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Post by Phalon on Feb 17, 2012 7:28:32 GMT -6
I'm the opposite; the sound of rain hitting the roof keeps me awake. The fault lies with the roof itself - our bedroom is right next to the side patio, which has a horrible, big (and ugly) aluminum overhang that runs the length of the house. The rain hitting it is not a gentle 'ping, ping', it's a deafening "BANG, BANG!" And least it is to me; Hubs has no problem what-so-ever sleeping through it.
Now, the front porch is a different story. I've been known on occasion to fall asleep in my rocking chair, listening to the rain. All I have to do is close my eyes, and with the sound of the rain, and gentle rocking motion of the chair, the next thing I know, Hubs is waking me up.
No spring peepers here, yet. To tell the truth, I don't even know if we have them in the yard - I'm not sure what they sound like. The croaking of bullfrogs - that's a sound that's familiar to me; the creek in the ravine is full of them. It's more of a summer sound, than a spring thing, though.
Yesterday, there was quite a noisy ruckus here, not of the reptilian variety - it was the crows that were going crazy. They started to roost in a maple across the street just before noon, flying in either alone or in pairs, until there was about thirty of them all cawing at the same time. Mid-day is an odd time for them to roost, and I wonder what called the meeting to order. It didn't last long though; about five minutes later it was adjourned, and they all left at the same time in the same direction. Strange, but interesting to watch.
Early this morning it was particularly beautiful outside. I let the dog out around five, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat on the back porch while she covered every foot of the ravine, sniffing the scents of whatever roams through there at night. It was still dark, the sky was clear and filled with stars. A spectacular sliver of moon, glowing golden hung just over the ravine maple. I love the moon when it's that color - Hubs said there is a term for it, but couldn't remember. "Simply Beautiful", I think, should be its name.
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Post by Siren on Feb 17, 2012 9:05:56 GMT -6
"Mid-day is an odd time for them to roost, and I wonder what called the meeting to order. It didn't last long though; about five minutes later it was adjourned, and they all left at the same time in the same direction. Strange, but interesting to watch."
You know how they say, "He's funny, without even trying," or, "She's pretty, without even trying,"? Well, you are a writer, without even trying. And I mean that as a high, high compliment. The line about "called the meeting to order" made me laugh, and then, made me think, "Dang, she's good."
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 17, 2012 18:41:11 GMT -6
No spring peepers here, yet. To tell the truth, I don't even know if we have them in the yard - I'm not sure what they sound like. The croaking of bullfrogs - that's a sound that's familiar to me; the creek in the ravine is full of them. It's more of a summer sound, than a spring thing, though.
The crows were cawing something awful here yesterday too. Freaked me out. Made me wonder if I was in a horror movie.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 18, 2012 8:02:58 GMT -6
<blush...> Thanks, Siren! They reminded me exactly of a roomful of executives squabbling at a board meeting.
I'll have to pay attention to ravine sounds this spring, Joxie - the sound in the video is familiar - I know I've heard that kind of chorus before, but I think I'm remembering it more from the trail or the nursery, and not our yard.
Speaking of the ravine....the dog is driving me insane. Hubs ran off a coyote last night while letting out Quetta, and she's been growling with hair raised at every little outside noise since. This, I'm sure, is going to be like the time she chased a chipmunk up one of the maples (we have tons of squirrels, but chipmunks are a rarity in our yard) - she was obsessed for over a week, and would just stand there under the tree, looking up and waiting for the long-gone chipmunk to come down. Can dogs have OCD?
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Post by stepper on Feb 18, 2012 9:13:13 GMT -6
Maybe Quetta has CDO. That's like OCD, but the letters are in the proper order, like they're supposed to be. Now that I think about it, I haven't heard frogs in more than a year. The one that burrowed under my driveway has been gone too long to have survived, and even the pond across the street is quite. It's warm enough, and wet enough (now), but except for the ducks and a few snowy egrets, the pond is overly quiet. It was a really difficult drought and while the pond didn't go dry, it didn't fare well either. Maybe when it gets further towards spring the frogs will make themselves known because it's warmer. |
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Post by Phalon on Feb 19, 2012 7:28:17 GMT -6
Stepper, I'm gonna be stupid here, and say I'm not getting it.
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Post by stepper on Feb 19, 2012 17:27:21 GMT -6
Alas, if you have to explain it, it isn’t funny.
Unless you mean can dogs have Obsessive Critter Detectors, then we’re talking about Obsessive-compulsive disorder; the point of the joke being that one who has OCD would insist the letters be in alphabetical order.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 21, 2012 7:23:11 GMT -6
Ooops, sorry I didn't get it, Stepper. (I'm very familiar with having to explain my own jokes, btw.)
This morning started off at 39 degrees and calm; right now its 33 degrees, blustery, and snowing. Pretty much shoots my roller-skiing plans for this morning to hell. But if it sticks! Maybe I'll be able to get out the sticks!
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Post by stepper on Feb 21, 2012 19:23:26 GMT -6
Our forecast: Wed-80; Thurs-85; Fri-75 early and lose the Sierra Madre effect; Sat-sleet
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Post by Phalon on Feb 22, 2012 6:37:11 GMT -6
Here I go again, Stepper. What's the Sierra Madre Effect? Kind of like the Lake Effect, when the weather is affected by a geographical feature, I'm assuming.
The temperature rose into the high 30s yesterday; the snow quickly disappeared. There must have been a lot of moisture in the air though. It didn't rain, or even drizzle, but every time I came in from outside, my hair covered in a veil of mist.
The weather doesn't matter today; I'm going to be in a classroom the majority of the time. "Confronting Old Wives Tales of Plant Health Care" - sounds like it could be very informative, or boring as hell. At least they're serving lunch mid-way through. I hope there's no giant screen icky bug pictures beforehand! Bluck!
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Post by stepper on Feb 22, 2012 20:13:04 GMT -6
What's the Sierra Madre Effect? Kind of like the Lake Effect, when the weather is affected by a geographical feature, I'm assuming. You're pretty good at assuming. The Sierra Madres are mountain ranges in Mexico - and I think they reach up into the US also. In this case, the effect is that the west Texas dry line is moving eastward farther than usual for this time of year - it drives out the humidity. When the line has past us, we will get down sloping winds from the Sierra Madre range in Mexico. These down sloping winds heat up and spread out over the state. A few years ago the same thing happened except instead of 85 the temperatures reached 100 - the highest February temp recorded around here. The effect won't last more than a day and as soon as it quits the temperatures will drop again. Except the weather guessers are saying it's going to get a tad on the cool side before they level out. Today was wonderful. I took a cycle ride at lunchtime and almost didn't go back to work. Spring fever. |
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Post by Phalon on Feb 23, 2012 9:18:51 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 23, 2012 17:51:59 GMT -6
Very pretty.
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Post by stepper on Feb 23, 2012 18:29:19 GMT -6
Nifty pictures - somewhat like a fern leaf pattern?
Are you in for some of that snow I saw on the news? My SIL is near Chicago right now and an email earlier this morning said they expect a fairly substantial snow storm.
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"There are people you meet, who move in and out of your life, like ghosts-- and after they're gone, you find that they've left a part of themselves with you.
