Journal: Monday, 12/15/08

►  Definitely time to rekindle a fire in the wood stove.  (Overcast, blustery north wind and 32ºF/0ºC @ 1:00 AM)

►  Made a trip over to Jo's pottery studio to apply our freeze protection regimen:  Letting the water faucet on the sink drip and putting a heat lamp on the toilet in the bathroom.  The house's front steps were wet when our temperature dropped below freezing.  The freezing mist they've accumulated since then hasn't improved their condition.  They are slick!  I had to crawl down and them back up to keep from slipping.  (28ºF/-2ºC @ 2:00 AM)

►  The turbine vents are really starting to squeal as the freeze up.  It's a good thing Jo is not a light sleeper.  (25ºF/-3ºC @ 4:00 AM)

►  Overcast, blustery north wind, sleet falling off and on with little accumulation thus far.  (20ºF/-6ºC @ 10:00 AM)

►  ISP finally back up at 11:00 AM after around 30 hours offline. Perhaps I should find an ISP for whom providing Internet service is a full-time job and not just a part-time hobby?

►  Overcast, blustery north wind @ 21ºF/-6ºC @ noon. Intermittent sleet falling. Hey, sleet is better than freezing rain since sleet doesn't tend to stick to trees and power lines. I have no idea what the wind chill is, but it's COLD.

►  We started out intending to brave the sleet showers and take the dogs for a brief walk up the road, but the road proved to be too slick for walking. We walked to the upper pasture instead. (21ºF/-6ºC @ 4:30 PM)

►  Hooked up our free (almost) converter to see if we could pick up a digital signal on the rabbit ears TV antenna we've been using for the past 20 years. FAIL! It looks as if there's and outdoor antenna or else no television in our future. (21ºF/-6ºC and sleet @ 7:30 PM)

►  Sleet showers continue off and on. We're beginning to get and accumulation of the crunchy stuff. On bare ground it's melting and refreezing enough to become awfully slick. (21ºF/-6ºC @ midnight)

►  Weather Summary:  High = 36ºF/2ºC.  Low = 20ºF/-6ºC.  Temperature @ midnight = 21ºF/-6ºC.  AM = High temperature occurred at midnight as temperature was still falling ... blustery north wind.  PM = Sleet showers continued off and on all day ... temperature remained in the low twenties ... wind finally laid after sunset.



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Journal: Monday, 12/15/08

Journal: Sunday, 12/14/08

►  South wind continues rocking and rolling, pumping up warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico.  (49ºF/9ºC @ 2:00 AM)  After the arrival of a new cold front forecast for tomorrow, we will get the warm, moist air back as cold air and ice.

►  Weather:  Same song; second verse.  Strong and gusty south wind with gradually increasing temperatures.  52ºF/11ºC @ 10:00 AM.  Precipitation varying between drizzle and a light rain.  Our gradually increasing temperatures are forecast to come to a screeching halt late today when a new cold front moves through our area.  Below freezing temperatures and a "wintry mix" of precipitation is forecast for the next couple of days.  The gusty south wind is blowing rain all the way across the 10' wide porch that runs the length of our house.  The wet porch ought to be interesting once the temperature drops below freezing.

►  ISP:  Also, same song; second verse.  Ozzie is down again this morning.  I'm really glad I don't have a business that might get some last-minute Christmas orders online.  Wait a minute!  I do own a business that might get a few last-minute Christmas orders online.  Grumble, grumble, grumble.

►  Jo washed a load of white clothes and hung them in front of the wood stove to dry.  The stove doesn't happen to be going at the moment, but I'll surely rekindle a fire later today.  (53ºF/11ºC @ noon)

►  Afternoon:  Overcast persisted, but no rain or drizzle fell.  We took our afternoon walk up to the gate and back since it was to wet to walk in the woods.  With the overcast, strong wind and damp air, it wasn't a very pleasant walk, but we got the job done.  57ºF/13ºC @ 5:00 PM

►  In addition to our routine chores and computer housekeeping, Jo and I have gotten quite a bit of show bookkeeping done.  Ozzie has still not come back online.  61ºF/16ºC @ 10:00 PM.

►  Wind has shifted to the north and the temperature is dropping dramatically.  Light rain falling.  46ºF/7ºC @ 10:45 PM.

►  Midnight:  Light rain falling ... moderate to slightly gusty north wind ... 36ºF/2ºC.

►  Weather Summary:  High = 61ºF/16ºC.  Low = 36ºF/2ºC.    AM = Overcast ... strong and gusty south wind ... light rain or drizzle.  PM = Overcast ... no precipitation ... strong and gusty south wind switching to north around 10 PM ... Rainfall today = .3" ... Rainfall this month = 1.0".



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Journal: Sunday, 12/14/08

Journal: Saturday, 12/13/08

►  Piddled with more computer house keeping and tagging photos until I got bored with that and went to bed around 2 AM.

►  Still no Ozzie (ISP).  Mostly cloudy, strong and gusty south wind and 40ºF/4ºC @ 10:00 AM.

►  My ISP is down, my television station has reverted to fund raising this weekend and the weather is lousy and forecast to get worse.  I am not a happy camper.  (41ºF/5ºC @ noon)

►  Now that it is time for me to get off the computer and move on to other things, my ISP has finally come back online after taking an 18 hour break. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

►  The sun is trying to break through the clouds for the first time today. Based upon our weather forecast, I don't hold out much hope for its success. (Mostly cloudy, strong and gusty south wind and 45ºF/7ºC @ 2:00 PM)  (I was totally wrong.  Skies cleared to partly cloudy for the entire afternoon.)

►  A few more hours of partial sunshine than I expected this afternoon, but clouds are now returning. South wind is still very strong and gusty. Winter storm warnings are still in our forecast for tomorrow evening. (43ºF/6ºC @ 5:00 PM)

►  Weather Summary:  High = 50ºF/10ºC.  Low = 39ºF/3ºC.  Temperature @ midnight = 49ºF/9ºC.  AM = Strong and gusty south wind ... mostly cloudy to overcast.  PM = Strong and gusty south wind continues ... partly to mostly cloudy during the middle of the afternoon.




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Journal: Saturday, 12/13/08

Journal: Friday, 12/12/08

►  Mostly clear, calm wind and 33ºF/.5ºC @ midnight.

►  Bedtime. Mostly clear, calm and 32ºF/0ºC @ 4:00 AM.

►  Looking good here in the Ozarks on this Friday morning. Clear, calm and 44ºF/6ºC @ 10:00 AM. NOAA says it isn’t going to last, though.

►  In honor of this last day of predicted sunshine for a while, Jo washed two loads of clothes and hung them on the clothesline.

►  I really must make a trip into town for provisions today.  Jo has only one apple left in the crisper.  Jo gets very cranky when she runs out of apples.

► I made the trip to town Friday afternoon with no problem, except for that giant sucking sound of money leaving my wallet.

►  Our ISP went down early this evening, so no Internet for me.  Boo!  Hiss!



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Journal: Friday, 12/12/08

Journal: Friday, 10/31/08

Early Morning:

► Midnight: Moderately gusty south wind ... clear skies ... 59F/15C ... didn't even need to build a fire in the wood stove this evening.

► My ISP abandoned me during the early morning. Without the Net, there was nothing for me to do except go to bed.

Late Morning:

► High, hazy overcast ... 20% chance of rain ... moderately gusty south wind ... 64F/17C @ 10 AM.

Afternoon:

► Overcast continues. In fact, the sky is darker right now than it has been since dawn. (68F/29C @ 1:30 PM)

► Light rain showers off and on for the past couple of hours. Not enough rainfall to amount to anything, though. Patches of blue sky here and there now. Clearing is underway, I think. (64F/17C @ 5 PM)
► Jo and I decided to go ahead and risk getting wet on a walk, but didn't take the camera. No problem.

Evening:

► Rain over. Sky clear. (62F/16C @ 7:30 PM)

► Started Jo's kiln on another bisque firing. (59F/15C @ midnight)

Journal: Friday, 10/31/08