Idaho got off to a slow start on winter this year. Really slow. We still had green grass in evidence in early December. On Christmas Eve we were blasted with our first bout of snow and cold. Once started, Idaho went crazy. What followed was a month of sub zero temperatures, cruel wind chills, and inside recess days. It was miserable. My van hated it, and as a form of vengeance started having troubles. It would start overheating every morning ... which would mean pulling over and letting it cool down (which, given the weather, didn't take long). The heater also ceased to work properly. It usually took about 30 minutes to start feebly throwing out lukewarm air. Like I said - miserable. I ended up having to replace a cracked water pump, serpentine belt, and thermostat this past Friday.
We got one cold day off from school on January 14th, as temps were -20+ F and wind chills clocked in at -30+ F. Ugly stuff. It was SO nice to huddle in the house that day watching the gas and electric meters spin. On the 16th, I attended an informational meeting on retirement. They advise that you do so a few years before you retire so that you understand the process etc. It was a long day, but I learned a great deal A portion of our retirement money is invested in stocks ... and I learned what exactly I have stock in -- IBM, Proctor and Gamble, Mircrosoft, Apple, Goldman Sachs, Johnson and Johnson, Walmart (ewww), Exxon Mobil (double ewww), Wells Fargo, Coca Cola (triple ewww) Samsung, and Schlumberger. In view of all this cold and miserable weather, retirement and the need to haul my body over the river and through the woods to work every day, seemed mighty tempting. Luckily, just as my spirit was beginning to wane, the inversion to blame for it all finally broke (on Friday). There was much rejoicing in the land.
Of course, once the inversion broke, the winter storms moved in. On Sunday morning we woke to about 5 inches of white stuff. Today several more inches were added, plus a great deal of wind. Once again, schools are closed. The roads are a nightmare, so I am very thankful that I do NOT have to fight them in order to get to school. No sign of snow plows yet, so we're more than happy to hibernate. We actually had a leisurely breakfast. I'm going to do some laundry and bake some bread. I am really thankful for this little gift of time that winter gives us sometimes. I just wish more businesses had the sense to put the welfare of their employees ahead of their pursuit of a buck. I hope that those forced to go to work in this mess arrive safely at work and then reach their homes safely tonight.
Bailee and I shoveled out yesterday, but today we were "rescued" by our wonderful neighbor, Alberto. He is the best ever, and arrived early this morning to shovel us out. No small job, and I was thankful the snow was lighter than yesterday's fall. It at least made the task somewhat easier. We certainly are blessed with good neighbors.
