The majority of seniors must be more tech savvy than I typically give them credit for. I know this because I signed up for AARP and they’ve made an appearance in my INBOX in a big way. That tells me seniors know how to receive (and hopefully delete) email messages in bulk. Heck, they’re encouraging me to embrace what’s next with confidence like they know something I don’t. 😳
Senior Male Hibernal is here.
Sure, I could say Old Man Winter… but Senior Male Hibernal is politically correct while sounding official. Whatever it is you call him, he’s here in southern Indiana this morning.
Y’all know I LOVE snow. But this wind!!
I’m pretty sure the barndo gets more wind than anywhere in Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, (the windiest place on the planet). Maybe I was used to it before I moved to Seymour — where other homes blocked it — and just notice it more now that I’ve moved back “home.” Or maybe I’m right in the middle of a geographical phenomenon where wind just rips around constantly.
Either way, Senior Male Hibernal is loving what he’s putting down here today.
Now you know: Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, is the windiest place on earth. The location experiences persistent katabatic winds—cold, dense air rushing downhill from the Antarctic ice sheet toward the coast. Average wind speeds there are around 50–55 mph, and winds over 100 mph are common.
The kind of cold that settles over Indiana isn’t loud or dramatic—it’s relentless. Last night, as the temps were in single digits, I trudged out to take a quick photo of the sky that resembled fire in the distance.
Winter in Indiana teaches efficiency and patience in equal measure.
Earlier in the day, the sun shone brightly but offered no warm up. Perry took over the “clean a path on the deck” detail that I did the day before, but he moved with purpose and was more efficient than I was working in the warmer air. He needed patience once the dogs crunched their way across the deck to help. It seems like sound carries differently in the bitter cold — more muted, deliberate.
Smoke rising from the wood boiler and the smell of burning wood lingering in the air is a reminder of the wonderful warmth inside.
You know it’s frigid when…🥶
At the barndo, when the storm door freezes over, we know we’d prefer to simply stay inside. At least the humans want to be inside and warm. The doggies want out… and within moments want back inside. This process is on repeat all day long. ALL. DAY. LONG.
Now you know: The 17 mile “no man’s land” between Cuba and the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay is the largest active minefield in the Western Hemisphere.
Waking to snow yesterday, I put on my snow kickers and grabbed the snow shovel.
I shoveled the deck, the steps and the sidewalk. Although Merida and Hugo don’t care what they have to walk through, Dharma isn’t so surefooted when anything is slick. I looked at the result of my hard work and I was proud of myself!
2 hours later, most everything had melted anyway and I wasted my darned time. ARG!
There won’t be any melting happening over the weekend.
The forecast is for snow most of the day today with temps dropping tonight into single digits. I guess the good news is that the snow won’t be wet and heavy, so it’s likely I can keep a pathway for the hounds by using my trusty leaf blower.
Dharma will appreciate it.
Now you know: Venus flytraps are only found in North and South Carolina (within 100 miles of Wilmington NC), and nowhere else in the world.
Still before noon and I’m about to do the dreaded treadmill. And then… drum roll please… I’m going to shovel the deck before we get more snow and the temps drop to below zero.
I need more outerwear!
If you’re like me, you store winter clothes in the warmer months and switch out when it warms back up. As I was looking for this great pair of lined yoga pants this morning, I found 4 coats that belong to Perry stored away. Those are in addition to what he’s currently wearing and the ones left hanging on the hall tree by the back door. That little dude could move to Alaska and not need to buy winter stuff for a decade.
I guess since this is my view, I only need one good coat.
I’m not going on a Christmas cruise.
Katie leaves with her family tonight to go on a 7-day Christmas cruise. Jerilyn thought that was a great idea. Katie came home last night but isn’t thrilled. She’s more into traditional, I guess.
She may change her mind when she’s in a swimsuit in the sun and I’m here enjoying sub-zero temps and complaining about it. 🙂
Now you know: Scientists grew stem cells into mini brains, which then developed eye-like structures on their own. The structures, called optic cups, were light-sensitive and had lenses and corneal tissue.
It’s the time the year that Christmas commercials are all telling you why you need to buy THEIR stuff. They offer the fastest results, are easy to use and will make you thinner… or more successful… or more healthy than any other product out there. If you’re like me, you find more stuff this time of year that you want for yourself while you’re shopping for others.
If you’re old, shopping online wasn’t always an option.
I can remember going to the best mall around and shopping with a list of items in mind for the people I needed to buy for. It was back when I had a list of toys for my kid and that was an easy trip too. This girl wasn’t headed to a mall yesterday…
…and it wasn’t on my bingo card to go shopping somewhere last night either.
Shopping online makes it waaaay too easy!
So many of the people on my list to buy for don’t “need” anything and their “wants” are above my pay grade. It’s crazy that I spend $200 for a week’s groceries, but hate to spend the same amount for a freaking gift. Gift cards and money are nothing more than trading envelopes and I hate that too.
So I watch all those commercials in the background as I’m surfing for gifts while hoping a big light bulb will come on over my head. If that happens, within one or two clicks I can check another person off my shopping list.
That’s how I saw the new Chevy Christmas commercial (sorry, they have the VERY BEST Christmas commercials of all time). And now, I’ve decided I want a Chevy!
Now you know: Chevy’s current “holiday short film,” Memory Lane, marks the 5th year of the current “Holiday Card to America” holiday-ad campaign. Previous entries include: 2024’s The Sanctuary, 2023’s A Holiday to Remember, 2022’s Mrs. Hayes, and 2021’s Holiday Ride.
