We are in Huntsville, in northern Alabama, and it does not usually get down that cold. When these cold arctic fronts come through, then it has been down close zero a few times. We have not really needed much heat on this past week, it has been warm enough, and we do not use heat in the bedroom unless it is really cold. I just turn on the electric blanket in the evening to warm up the bed and then turn it off when we go to bed. Now, it is showing even colder, down to 10 on the 22nd, and you can see, we have rain that day as well, which is the worrisome part.
That looks like a real risk of a hard freeze overnight. I just looked. We're gonna be down to 21° on the 22nd, 11° on the 23rd, and 10° on the 24th!!! My place will be colder than that. That ain't a white Christmas, that's a blue Christmas!!! Thank goodness we got no place to go. It's good to be retired, huh? ps: What weather site is that? I like WeatherUnderground's graphical displays, but it only goes out 10 days.
Before our last snowfall. Wife wading through the snow. https://i.postimg.cc/HLp7H77r/2-Kennelwood-Dec-14-2022.jpg
Amazing that you would volunteer for that...and those eternal nights. I worked for company that played the morning TV news as we got ready for the day. A coworker was from Minnesota. When they showed the blizzards there and the people getting frostbite as they shoveled out their cars, she would get a tear in her eye because it made her homesick...bless her heart.
That does not look like fun to me anymore, @Don Alaska . I remember wading through snow almost to the top of my legs when I lived in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and I am seriously glad that I do not have to do that anymore. Do you guys ever think of moving to someplace warmer ? This is a picture of my neighbor (and my oldest son) who came over to plow out my driveway when I lived in Idaho. Mostly, I could take my little Mazda pickup and run up and down the driveway every hour or so when it was snowing and keep it packed enough that I could get to work in the morning. Some nights, the driveway was just too deep for the Mazda, and I had to park at the road and walk up the driveway through the snow. I always had 4 studded snow tires and a couple large bales of alfalfa or bags of grain over the rear axle for weight because the Mazda was just a B2200 2WD.
After our slushy snow today, we got the driveway cleaned to the blacktop. The farm drive is another story. the water is making holes and ruts that will now freeze in sub zero temps next week. It will be like riding a camel getting in to feed the critters.
I probably would've moved a number of years ago, @Yvonne Smith but my wife won't budge. She just has too many friends here and has a social network. She also has her church job that keeps her going. She is more able than I am. She had to tend chickens today , as I couldn't get out there. I guess my extra weight makes me sink deeper. I got out the snowshoes today for the first time in years, but she saved me from having to use them. I now understand that sometime this weekend the Alaska sons and families are coming out to have a "dig mom and dad out" party. Our snow machine /snowmobile is buried under the snow and there are still a few buildings that need to get cleared. The previous owner of our house said he had to employ a dozer to clear the driveway one time. We never have yet, but we are almost there now. The problem being a driveway over 600 feet long through the woods, so the trees don't allow a lot of room for snow. I added about 500 pounds of weight to my truck to give it more rear traction. We still haven't had the guts to get the wife's car out of the garage. Weather is predicted to be clear and cold for the next week, so maybe I will be able to get some stuff done to move the snow out of the way. Back when we had kids at home and livestock, the boys and I would pack down paths with snowshoes so the wife and daughters could do livestock chores. The girls always had trouble using snowshoes and my wife won't even try them.
It is okay as long as we don't have to go anywhere and the power stays on. I just am not as able to move the snow and play in it as I once was.
Crap. The low temp forecast for Thursday the 22nd, Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th have been revised to 18°, 6° and 7°!!! Uh, we don't do that here. There must be an error.
Son is over to try to find places to put the snow. He is a far better tractor driver than I ever was, even before my accident. At -25 F. he was having some trouble with getting diesel, but that has now been resolved. He said it could get to minus 40 tonight. I think it is finally getting cold (groan). If he can get things cleared out enough that we can get wife's car out of the garage, there will be a warm vehicle with which to travel, otherwise, we will have to continue to use the truck.
Our neighborhood sets out luminaries on Christmas eve. Candles set in sand in waxed paper bags line the subdivision. It is a long standing tradition. I can't help with the setting out. I hope I have the intestinal fortitude to light the ones we are responsible for, with the weather. Bought two long butane lighters, just in case. Hubby once used his blow torch because matches didn't work. We were new here.