Scary cold, but not here

[bill_schubert]

My son lives in Des Moines and yesterday it was predicted that the temp was going to be -11 (-23.9C) on New Year's Day.  That's some scary cold.  And snow.  I just checked and the prediction is going the right way.  It is only -9 now.  Still snow.  

We're going down near freezing on F or C scale.

But now it is a balmy 70 (21C) at 11 AM with potential to reach nearly 80 when I'm out with the dogs today.  There will be a nice wind so it will be OK but I need to tank up on water.

I just got through ordering from our very local HEB and scheduled to pick up on my way back from the Canine Ranch this afternoon.  No cost.  It could not be more convenient and safe and easy.  I'm always very tired when I get back from being with the dogs.  Lots of walking and just moving and interaction when I'm so used to doing nothing.  Moving in a lot of different directions while interacting with the dogs is good for me, I know.  And for them.  But tiring.  It is especially nice to just be able to stop off on the way back and have someone put the groceries in the back of my car with only a couple of minutes to go before I'm home.  The way things should be.

I finally screwed up a week with food service ordering.  We received four meals yesterday from Hello Fresh and are receiving three more on Wednesday from Dinnerly that I'd forgotten to skip.  Had to happen eventually.  Not too much of a problem but a little juggling to prevent things from going bad before we get to them.  

We've got enough food for a non-existent snow storm including a spare box of kosher salt for the walkway.  It will be mostly in the 70's.  Figures.

Comments

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

I understand the salt, but why kosher?

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

Bigger box. And I can always use it for smoking a roast beef.

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

Ah!

Now you've got me wondering just how large a package or box of kosher salt I can obtain around here. For the pavements, we buy pet-safe ice melt, but in a pinch I've used ordinary table salt for small areas.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

We will likely not even need it (which is why I like Kosher Salt since I'll use it anyway) but I keep some around just in case. If we lived further north I'd get some ice melt stuff but in our worst storm last year I'd have used a couple of scoops and been storing it for a couple of years before next time.

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

Nah-nah; my little brain was two-tracking. We have to clear a lot of pavement on this property when we have to clear pavement, so we buy the pet-safe ice melt.

And, because you mentioned a big box of kosher salt, I'm now wondering how big a package, box or bag, of kosher salt I can find, just to know how big a package, box of bag, of kosher salt is readily available.

[one-raido.livejournal.com]

Grocery stores here get crazy right before it snows.

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

I'm so envious of your son's temperatures! I really love the cold. The coldest environment I've ever been in was not Antarctica (which was a balmy 5-15 degrees C/41-59F) but Cooke City (pop 140) in Montana. It was -42F/-41C. Absolutely awesome! I do admit that I might be less enthusiastic if I had to live there for months in the winter and shovel show to boot (although I do dream of living through an Alaskan winter at least once), but as a tourist, it's just the best.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

I was fortunate to have gone to college in Maine. So when I was dumb and young and full of energy (1970-76) I lived in a magic wilderness of snow and ice and cold. My moustache used to freeze on the way to breakfast along with the ends of my hair which had not yet dried. I learned to drive on snow packed streets and got intentionally lost in the woods during multiple snow storms over the years. So quiet you could stop and listen to the individual flakes hit the trees and ground. The last year we lived there it was over 100 (38C) in the summer (no A/C) and -40 wind chill that same winter with only electric baseboard heat in our apartment. One night it snowed so that my four or five block walk to work was in nearly waist deep snow but I was determined to punch in so I'd get paid. I don't remember that anyone else showed up so I likely got no credit for the attendance.

Last winter I did not much enjoy the cold weather. It only lasted a week or so but it was not nearly as much fun.

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

That sounds so wonderful! I realise reading this that most of my cold weather experience has been in nature rather than cities and that's where the magic is. Although I did enjoy being in New York in a blizzard for the sheer novelty of walking down Broadway from the Upper West Side right down to the bottom in heavy snow with no traffic. That was pretty magical too.

[sleepybadger.livejournal.com]

We got our first snow of the season today. I hope it stays reasonable by you!