Countdown to Spring – Seriously, Phil?

Yes, it's back - the once weekly version of this dull as dishwater series.  So, let us begin.

             Last night, as I have done for the last three nights, I maintained vigil on my waterlines to make sure they didn’t freeze by running both the hot and cold water taps for at least 30 seconds every 2-3 hours.  Yeah, sleep was less than ideal.  However, I had it happen New Year’s Day 2018 when the temperature went to -7°F.  It’s been below 0°F at night since Wednesday night, and there’s just something about waiting half a day for natural thaw and/or calling a plumber that made me decide to go for the sleep deprivation option.  It almost worked.  Had I not slipped up and checked it at 6 AM, I might still have hot water.  That’ll come back later today, though.  You might say let the water trickle or use heat tape on pipes for a better night’s sleep, but this is a unique situation where anything less than a periodic full-on tap run will not work.  Don’t argue with me – I get grumpy when I haven’t had at least my normal night’s sleep.

            But, I digress.  We turn to the south from here in New York to a little town called Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  At around 7:25 this morning, they hauled the groundhog/woodchuck/whistling pig/destroyer of gardens and lawns named Phil out of his nice warm spot to go through the ritual of predicting how the rest of the winter is supposed to go.  This morning, it was proclaimed that Phil did not see his shadow, which allegedly points toward an early spring. 

Yeah, right.

Much as I would like to climb on that warmer and less snow and ice laden bandwagon, I have my doubts about Phil’s forecast this year.  Quite frankly, with it being maybe 10°F down there in Punxsutawney at the time, I think Phil was either hypothermic and couldn’t see or think straight, or he just wanted to get back in his nice warm hutch and told the throngs of people amassed there what they wanted to hear. 

We’re supposed to be getting some nice 40 and 50-degree weather here for the first few days next week.  It’s sort of the January thaw we didn’t get this winter.  I’ll enjoy the warm weather like everyone else.  It’s a great little respite.  But I know that the 12” of light fluffy snow that fell earlier this week will still be here after the temperatures drop back down into the more normal 20s and 30s during the day and 10s at night later on in the week.  Some of the mountains of snow that were created by bulldozers and front-loaders this past Wednesday will likely be there into March, if not until the first day of spring.

Yes, Punxsutawney Phil is right in that the weather will get better as time goes by.  It will get warmer, the migrating birds will return, the hibernators will come out of their dens, the grass will grow, the trees will come into leaf, and the flowers will bloom.  But I have a feeling it’s going to be on a normal seasonal schedule and nothing sooner.  Sorry, Folks.

Only 46 days until Spring.

Countdown to Spring: Be Careful What You Challenge

I have some rules.  Don't challenge anything bigger than you unless you have a real chance of winning and not getting the snot kicked out of you is one of them.  Sadly, I forgot that when I challenged February to get its last licks in.  It hit -8°F this morning, which is actually the coldest I've seen on my thermometer all season.  No hot or cold water in my kitchen presently, although I suspect that will change for the better as the temperature rises.  It's presently +10°F and it's supposed to go into the 20s as the day goes by.

Dear February, I didn't mean for you to take that challenge so literally.  I did say earlier that I knew winter wasn't done with us yet and I meant that, so I am aware of how ferocious you can be.  My apologies for offending the potentiality of your 28 days.

But, you're still out of here come Saturday.

Only 24 days until spring.

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Countdown to Spring: It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn

I was up a few times in the night to make sure the boiler continued to boil on, which it did with only a few very slight struggling moments.  By the way, if anybody wants a recommendation for an additive to prevent heating oil from gelling in the line from the outside tank to the inside furnace or boiler, I’ll be more than happy to provide it.  It’s worked all season for me.

I was resisting the urge to look at the temperature before morning light.  Why look, anyway?  It wouldn’t make a difference to know and would only make me shiver at the thought of it.  Yet the weather geek within me still wanted to know.  So …

Still o’dark-hundred (5:30 AM):  -3°F (-19.4°C)

A sliver of light on the horizon (6:00 AM):  -3°F

6:30 AM:  -3°F

Sunrise (6:49 AM):  -4°F (-20°C)

7:00 AM:  -5°F  (-20.5°C)

When the sun is actually over the horizon and shining on my little corner of the world (7:14 AM):  -5°F

And the most important time of all …
When the temperature started to go back up (7:21 AM):  -4°F 

So, while it may be darkest before the dawn, it tends to be the coldest after that, at least in this instance.

Science lesson over.  Time to warm the tootsies again.  Stay warm, everybody.

Only 32 days until spring.

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Countdown to Spring: Baby, It’s … Oh, You Know

After hearing the forecast for where the temperatures were heading last night, as in below 0°F, I decided I wasn’t going to look to see how cold it was outside when I got up during the night.  I was in denial and seeing the reality wasn’t going to help, especially at 2 AM. 

My sleep was light and unsatisfying as I listened to make sure the boiler wasn’t having its food supply cut off by the cold gelling the fuel in the line from my outside tank.  It chugged a little, straining just a bit to draw in the oil, but never faltered.  It has failed in the past – and what a less than fun couple of hours that was – but the additive I’ve been adding to prevent it has worked so far.

As it became light enough to see the outside thermometer, morbid curiosity finally won.  As of a half-hour ago, the temperature was -3°F.  It probably won’t get any worse than that, either.  They were predicting -10°F in my area, with it getting down to -30°F in the Adirondacks.  A sampling of temperatures currently in that most northern region of New York suggested that that potential low of -30°F wasn’t even close to obtained.

February is notorious for being brutal.  Cold, blustery, and snowy, I bet it prompts more people to consider moving to a warmer clime than any other month.  But, there have been times when it wasn’t all that bad.  I’ve even had my crocuses and snowdrops in bloom in the middle of February on occasion.  That’s the exception, of course, but it’s an exception I wouldn’t mind having right about now.

Only 42 days until spring.

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