MIGHT maybe have a handle

[old2soon]

on the WHY of folks leavin the North country-north of Chicago fer me-when reaching a certain age the one effected can only determine fer themselves. Been here north of the windy city since just before Christmas and I are NOT a happy camper.  Couple mornins ago it was -12 F here with "highs" in the single digits.  This morning wuz "only" -6 when I got up to let the dog out so she could do her business outside. And at 1400 hrs local depending on who zackly you chose to believe it is either 8 or 9 degrees F as I post this. And with ritis-think arther here-rearin it's ugly azz head I now KNOW the WHY of folks leavin this neck of the woods after retirement for WARMER climes!  40 year ago next month I departed this neck of da woods for East Texas. And were it NOT fer my Brother and S I L needin a house slash dog sitter while they are now approaching the South pole-well let's just say I duz love em both. Those two did in fact celebrate New Years in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires part I would have enjoyed. The south pole thingy-pay money to visit cold azz weather?? Duh! RIDE SAFE.

[..]

South Pole - but it's a dry cold   

[solo1]

Denny, it's supposed to get up to the 20's in NE Indiana next week.  We have another problem though... the flu here in Indiana.  Visiting hours in the hospitals have been cut.  I'm not sure if I even want to socialize right now.

What a winter!  Wind chills way below zero for quite some time now.  My arthritis is going great.  It really likes the cold weather.

[six2go #152]

  I'm not sure if I even want to socialize right now.

I hear ya Wayne. I've been wanting to come out to your place for a sit down & chat but Linda & I have been tossing a cold back & forth to see who could catch it the best, so I've kinda been a hermit until things clear up around here. Now with this flu thing in full swing, I'm thinking of extending my solitude ways for awhile.

[RDKLL]

I have only been in Mesa AZ for a couple of years but I am so glad. It has an amazingly temperate winter. It is hot, but it is a dry heat at 120 degrees with all my gear on but that's fine!

[cookiedough]

I sympathize with your below zero temps here in WI as well.  It has been for well over 2 weeks now -9 below most mornings firing up the truck and here it whining and whistling upon startup for the first few minutes.   This has not been this cold for so long for many, many years in a row cannot remember it being that cold for so long in a row for weeks and weeks. 

It is a treat one day it was 9+ in the morning vs. -9 in the morning and it actually felt WARM to me vs. ICE COLD.  I do hear though a HEAT WAVE is coming later this week suppose to be close to 30 degrees for a high.  Time to break out the shorts and sandals for those nice toasty warm temps which is what is more normal high temps in WI winters. 

It has been so bad that only happens 1-2 times every winter already certain sections of the roads nearby have been buckling creating upheeves in the road just a few days ago in Madison WI the beltline buckled causing a major 12 car pileup that luckily was cleared up before 730 a.m. rush traffic.   that beltline can be like the equivalent at times (well sort of) like rush hour traffic in L.A.

ONLY good thing about this SEVERE below zero temps for so long is it is too cold to snow much at all.  However, I bought a small portable propane torch had to thaw the ice off the edge of my entrance house door to the attached garage and bottom of my patio door forming ice INSIDE on the wood patio door on bottom.  Usually the ice goes away once warms up to 20 degrees or more but has been 10 degrees or below for highs for weeks in a row and that is NUTS...

Just glad my basement tankless hot water heater has not frozen up like it has in years past which I am surprised it has not but NOT much winds with these bitter cold temps.  At least that is one positive right??

I do not remember in recent years it EVER being this below zero cold for so long.  To have -9 degrees for over 1 week in a row is rare for cold temps in the early morning hours. 

thinking about buying a portable jump starter myself just in case even though 2 of the 3 car batteries are ONLY 4 years old one never knows.   It would make a nice present for my daughter next winter though in case her car or her friends cars do NOT start next winter while 3+ hours away on college campus am sure it will be used at least once next winter living up in northern WI if not by her but her friends cars.

[old2soon]

-8 when I took the dog out bout an hour ago. Wow-as I'm posting this it has warmed up to -1.  Neighbor called a bit ago and my house in Missouri-well the place I rent-the house must have burst some pipes cuz I have a stream running out from the back of my house. Called my landlord and the local P D cuz my L L is also a contractor and has to shut down todays job to go and repair my pipes.  Oh well I'm "only" 540 miles away and know how totally helpless I feel right now. First wife when I called in from California one morning informed me that some pipes had leaked but she already had the plumber to repair the leak. 1st wife's parents homesteaded in Alaska so she Knows how to git stuff done. Ah well-this too will pass. I'm ready for summer right the heck NOW!  Winter-I M H O-really sux!  RIDE SAFE,

[Hook#3287]

You should have seen how giddy the weather people got when we hit the 20's just before the storm that dropped 12-13" of real nice light snow.  Corse the wind has blown it into drifts and cleared it in other places.

It's 6F now. 

Had to shut down the garage/barn job in Hardwick, Ma. due to the machines said "Nope, too cold"

I've heard there was a load of winter diesel fuel delivered to the area that wasn't treated correctly and everywhere equipment that never froze before, is freezing up.

My town, and the one just south of us, highway depts diesel pumps both froze.

Forecast looks good for next week, mid 30's and even high 40's

[old2soon]

Yup-just got off the phone with my L L and he informed me the busted pipes were under the house NOT in the house. AND other than the rain showin up next week in Missouri will be bout near warm nuff to ride. NO/NONE/NADA/ZERO water damage inside my casa. Sooooo somewhat of a silver lining in an otherwise almost a catastrophe!  Or in military parlance-a near miss.  Or phrased yet anudder way-dodged a Bullet!  The cold here at my Brothers place has been BRUTAL. Do NOT wanna know how much it costs here to keep this place heated in the winter. Or for that matter what the tricity bill is in the summer here fer A/C!  Oh and yet more fun in Missouri where I live. The city cut off valve for the water in the buffalo box was Not working properly when the city showed up to cut off my water. L L informed me the city had some "fun" gittin my water turned off!  Couple weeks before I left the city patched the water main right in front of my house. Had to move my cage so they could get the excavator in to work.  And the day the did that repair was in the high 30s low 40s when the guy was in that water filled hole patchin the main. The pump they brought along was hard pressed to keep up. Oh well-so how is everyone elses new year?  RIDE SAFE.