Tomorrow's high temp here is supposed to be close to single digits. Now to friends in Maine, that's nothing special, but down here, that's almost 30 degrees below normal, and with a wind chill (wind at 20 mph), and many people whose houses aren't properly insulated, or don't have cellars, we'll see hundreds of homes with burst pipes if people don't prepare.
Most homes here don't have alternative sources of heat -- we have a kerosene heater, but that's all. There are times I wish we had a wood stove, like I had in Maine, but that's not an option right now. At least we can take advantage of any sun that comes through our five large south-facing windows during the day.
County and city schools are closed tomorrow, as is the case in much of the state, as the wind chill will be well below zero, about -9 by 10 a.m., then "warming" up to the positive single digits Thursday.
Weird part is that by Monday, we'll see highs of about 62 with lows in the low 50s, then dropping back below freezing by Thursday.
And that, my friends, is the lesson of "Climate Change." It's not that the earth is warming up evenly -- some areas are cooling significantly. It's that we can expect more EXTREME temperatures and precipitation. The past twelve months have been the wettest on record for Kentucky, and the green growth on the north side of my vinyl-sided house can attest to that.
"Snowflake" our "outside" cat has decided that the blue chair in the living room is much preferable to her "nest" out on the porch. We went grocery shopping today and when we came home, she was yowling very loudly to go in. Used to be we had to catch her to come in on cold nights. Now she comes in on her own, but don't get in her way or she'll run you over. In any event, we sleep better knowing that she's inside when temps get below 32 at all, and especially when they are as cold as they'll be Wednesday and Thursday.
And I just found out that Stacey Abrams, who lost a close race for governor of Georgia (Republican cheating probably cost her the election), will be giving the Democratic response to tRump's state of the union. I am friends with her sister, who is a professor at Centre College, and one of my hopes is that if Stacey ever comes to Danville to visit, I can get a chance to meet her.
Otherwise, politically, we don't need another billionaire non-politician running for president. I'm open to ANY Democrat right now, though I have my favorites -- Warren, Harris, Beto, either of the Castros, and many others. We do not need Hillary, Joe, or Bernie, though I respect, love, and appreciate all three. They tried and failed (often through no fault of their own), but it's time for new, younger blood in the party.
And in a completely weird note, by completing the McDonald's surveys on the receipts, we've saved well over $100 this past year on food we would buy anyway.
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