respublica

The seasons change

Just as the last day of summer can be very hot, the last day of winter can be cold. Such is today.

Last year was different, the first day of spring was really spring

This year

After a day of rain

Came a bit of sun toward sundown yesterday. 

This was the view that hit us during Ferdie's last walk of the day. 

The Gore Effect

I realize this is not fair, but it honestly never ceases to make me laugh. Just a bit.. So often where Al Gore goes to speak on this topic, the weather is as wintry as it can get thus the term, The Gore Effect.

In DC, the House of Representatives' Science, Space and Technology Committee has postponed its environmental subcommittee hearing scheduled for today on Global Warming due to a major snowstorm.

So tired of winter clothes

We have so many items of outerwear around that we shrug in and out of everyday. We have cold weather jackets, snow jackets, mid cold jackets, mild temperature jackets, scarves, hats, gloves for snow and gloves for driving, gloves for dog walking, gloves for using the iphone. We have boots for wet, shoes for cold, shoes for going to the store, and shoes for church. Not to mention sweaters, sweatshirts, plain jeans and flannel lined jeans, cords and khakis... and umbrellas. All within reach and all making everything as cluttered as can be.

And, it's exhausing having to put on and and take off so many times a day.

I'm ready for spring and summer.

That was yesterday this is today

Our seminary maintenance men and student workers did a yeoman's job clearing the campus of snow so that everything is walkable and driveable this morning. They were working past midnight and have been at it since around 6 this morning.  Thank you all so very much!

Yesterday

Yesterday afternoon Ferdie climbed the stairs way over the to side with less snow.

Today he went right up the middle

Also today

And the traditional snowman in the quad appeared over night.

The roofs here at Concordia Seminary are pitched very steeply and when big snow loosens up, the snow roars down and crashes in huge piles on the sidewalks or on top of someone's head...if they aren't careful. Here's our back door

That big pile came down from the roof all at once. 

 And a couple of our front boxwoods got hit hard by roof snow

Q

Some group somewhere decided that this would be the year winter storms got names, why should hurricanes get all the names? A couple of weeks ago the blizzard which hit the northeast was named Nemo.

What are they calling our midwest storm which actually began way out in California and moved steadily east?

Q

Yes, we seeing winter storm...Q

When it comes to weather, we toe the line

We're expecting to be in the midst of a big weather event today as is most of the central part of the country. Every school in the St Louis metro area cancelled for today during the early evening last night. This winter storm, which is covering large parts of the country, is supposed to hit here around the noon hour and oddly, has not been given a name. When the snow storms hit the east coast recently they were all named by the weather channel. I guess the midwest isn't snow storm name worthy.

What's amusing though, is how St Louis forecasters can simultaneously tell us this will be a "can't miss" storm while at the same time reminding us that we are, as usual, "right on the line" of weather or no weather." Just one year I'd like to live somewhere that is not "right on the line."

So Channel 5 is hedging their bets and reporting this morning on the snow falling heavily in Wichita Kansas. They sent a reporting team to Kansas City the other night to cover the big fire in Country Club Plaza and must have told the group to stay in Kansas for storm reporting. We'll get a look at a big snow in case it actually does miss us.

 

 

Surprise! A light dusting turned into 4 inches

An LOL answer to a cold question

It's been common wisdom for years, for generations even, that in very cold weather if you don't wear a hat or other head covering most of your heat will escape through your head.

So this question was asked of WebMD: "Do we really lose most of our heat through our heads?"

Answer: "Only if we're wearing clothes on the rest of our bodies."

Mwahahahaha. So the answer on this ten degree morning is yes.

 

The jackets are piling up

Could we possibly have more jackets and coats hanging around or laid on chairs or door handles? With the crazy up and down temperatures lately we've had to guess at what kind of outerwear to put on every time we go out the door. Some days this decision changes by the hour.

We have winter jackets with hoods and without hoods, spring jackets, inter-season jackets, all in plain sight. Hats, gloves and scarves scattered around.

Today it will again be almost 70 but changing late in the day until tomorrow is back in the low 30's upper 20's. One jacket for walking the dog changing to just a sweatshirt mid morning and back to winter wear tonight.

No wonder everyone is sick.