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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1 comment:
Dare I say I'm sitting outside under a mesquite rocking in my swing warmed by the sun while I read this? I find you courageous and probably in much better physical strength than I am. I think I would just perish. Soldier on against the elements!
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