Waiting on snow to roll in last night, I got an email from the weather channel letting me know that November 30th was the last day of fall. What??
I thought the last day of fall was December 21st this year!
I had no idea there are two official ways to define a season… in this instance, fall.
Meteorological fall = “Fall as defined by weather patterns and calendar convenience.”
Astronomical fall = “Fall as defined by Earth’s tilt and orbit.”
Hugo aligns with meteorological seasons because it looks/feels like winter.
It seems crazy to think winter doesn’t begin until December 21st (astronomically) when there’s not a leaf to be found on trees around here. Astronomical fall (“regular” fall) is based on sun angle and day length. Considering daylight savings time, I think the winter solstice thing is overrated. 🙂
Now you know: There’s a huge difference in the size of bear’s claws.
Temps dropped on Sunday and it snowed. And then, it snowed off and on all day yesterday too. We didn’t get much, but it sure felt like wintertime just the same. There was enough frozen precipitation to count as the first snow of the season, even though it seems crazy that a November snow is a fall event and not a winter one.
When it’s close to 30° in February, we don’t think it’s horribly cold. Since it’s the first time we’ve had freezing temps in the middle of the day for a long time, it feels like it’s at least -20°. Our bodies — and brains — simply aren’t used to it yet.
It’s snug and warm inside the barndo.
I can’t say it often enough… radiant floor heat is the bomb! Putting a bare foot on a warm surface is bliss when it’s cold outside. Even the hounds like it.
Happy Veterans Day! 🩷
Today is the holiday set aside to honor all military veterans who have served in the nation’s armed forces — even though they deserve our gratitude every day. Join me in recognizing the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication of men and women who have defended the country in times of war and peace. Thanking Veterans today and everyday for their service and commitment to protecting our freedom.
Now you know: Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I in 1918. Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day in 1954. After World War II and the Korean War, many Americans wanted to honor veterans of all wars, not just those who served in World War I. As a result, Congress passed a bill to rename the holiday, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law on June 1, 1954, officially making November 11 “Veterans Day.”
More snow is in our forecast starting today for 2 days. We’re currently in the 6″-8″ zone, but “totals will shift/change as we draw closer,” per my favorite weatherman. Have I mentioned that I’m SICK of winter? Yup, my much loved snow has worn out its welcome around here. It’s time for the white kind of precipitation to move on north.
Do you ever feel impish? And then act on it?
Perry’s been sick for a week (feels like 3 months) and he went back to work yesterday. If Perry has a hangnail, he’s so sick he thinks he might die. I can look at him and say, “you don’t look like you feel well,” and his voice immediately takes on a whining tone and he’s off to bed. He’s also the least likely person to say anything that would hurt the feelings of another. As I was waiting on my laundry to dry so I could fold and put it away, a thought struck me that involved poor Perry.
I took a selfie and let AI do a bit of editing, then started the following text exchange…
Me: Welp, I screwed up I think. Perry: How so? Me: Sends photo (photo on the left below). Perry: **loooong pause** Me: No words, right? Perry: You have bangs.
He didn’t say it definitely WAS a huge mistake — or even that I look like a big turd.
I followed-up his generic response by sending him the real photo (photo on the right above). His reply came immediately, “I’m so kicking your butt.“
The moral of this story is that it’s sometimes ok to act on impish thoughts. We both had a good laugh and I now know that bangs are no longer an option.
But going gray? Hmmmm…
Now you know: You can’t legally buy Jack Daniel’s whiskey in the town where the Jack Daniel’s distillery is located. Lynchburg, TN is located in Moore County. It’s a “dry county” so it’s legal to distill alcohol, just not legal to sell it.
What crazy ride the weather in southern Indiana has been throughout most of the month of February!
Yesterday’s thunderstorm was still rumbling when I finally fell asleep, and here I am — just a few short hours later — and it’s snowing so hard I can’t even see the home of those pesky neighbors as I look out the window to my west. Letting the dogs out at the butt crack of dawn, I watched them make the first footprints in the falling snow. By the time I raised my photo to take a photo, Dharma was the only one left in view.
There’s a reason why Hugo is the star of most of my dog photos.
I’m not sure if Hugo hasn’t figured out the whole having his picture taken action yet, or if he is simply wants to be the main character in this dog show. What I do know is that almost every attempted photo of Dharma looks like the one above, or similar to the image below:
Raise a camera or my phone to snap a shot and ole’ Dharma turns away and snubs me. No amount of coaxing will bribe her to look my way.
Merida is similar in her attempts to foil any decent photographs, but her evasion tactics include spinning and continuous movement. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the only decent pictures I’m going to get of the girls is as they sleep — or on the rare occasion I can catch them off guard.
Now you know: Dogs have a strong sense of personal space, and having a camera (even a phone’s camera) pointed directly at them can feel intrusive.
It’s rained here all day. This evening, the thunder and lightning was no different than a spring storm — with the exception that it’s just 43°. Close to midnight, it’s still storming and Hugo is scared. I wonder if some of his time before he found us was spent outside in bad weather.
Poor lil’ fella has cried ever since the thunder started.
Ben felt so sorry for him that he crawled in the dog bed with him.
Neither of them appreciated me taking a photo and interrupting the conversation they were having about how thunder isn’t anything to worry about…
Wintery mix is next, but at least the thunder will dissipate.
The thunderstorm won’t be around much longer says weather.com. It will be leaving just in time for the wintery mix to hit while we watch for “significant flooding.” Sheesh! It’s predicted we’re to get another inch of snow on top of whatever ice decides to stick around.
For the record, the cold season in Indiana lasts for 3.1 months — from December 1 to March 5 — and the coldest month of the year is January. That means we’re already on the other side of this winter and spring can’t come soon enough for me.
Now you know: Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph listing three accomplishments. Being 3rd President wasn’t one of them. This is his epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom & Father of the University of Virginia. (Inventor of the swivel chair would’ve been my top notation if I were him.) 🙂
