New Year's Eve

 Big event for drunks, unfortunately. I wouldn't be out tonight for any reason. Drunk drivers. Nice weather though. 

In the last few days there have been a lot of multiple car pile-ups. Getting ready for crash and bash night? An early onset of celebration frenzy? Count me out. 

January Winds

 In January the winds really start to kick up and the month has sometimes been notable for dust storms, one after another, the sky turning brown. If not, then January tends to be brutally cold with one ice storm after another. Name your poison. I guess I'd rather have dirt and high wind to deal with than ice. It's a climate of extremes around here. I've lived in Lubbock more or less continuously since 1967. I think I've seen it all, including an F5 tornado that tore the heck out of the area I lived in at that time. For several years after that, tornado watches, alerts, and warnings were common. Now, not so common. We were in the heart of "Tornado Alley". Tornado Alley seems to be a thing of the past. The climate has definitely changed! And it is still changing. 

There used to be huge fields of sunflowers around Lubbock, mixed with the cotton fields. Nobody tries to grow sunflowers now, and I think the change in rainfall patterns must account for that. Annual rainfall is way down, with drought the norm. Cotton does not even do well now. In fact, I remember corn fields, years ago! There's not much you can grow when you've got little to no soil moisture. I think, in terms of survival, Lubbock and the surrounding towns have dismal prospects. We are becoming more and more dependent on a supply of ground water that is NOT renewable-- a finite resource. Nobody likes to talk about that, or think about that. But that is the reality. 

No DUST!

 It was windy yesterday but also mostly cloudy and I never noticed any dust in the air. It looks to be a very nice weekend coming up. I plan to do some work outdoors. There are things I need to do in one of the gardens. 

The only dumb thing left this year is New Year's. And the next really stupid holiday will be far enough in the future to forget about. With any luck at all it'll be rained out.

The Nice Weather Continues

 Stability. So necessary. So difficult to maintain! 

No drama, please. Order and predictability are things I require. 

Getting Warmer, Getting Windier

 Here in Lubbock, dust storms in January are not unusual. In fact, as springtime approaches, the air gets dustier and dustier. I realize now, as bad as things were a few days ago, that we got a mere glancing blow from the weather system that's caused so much misery elsewhere. And it sure looks like ERCOT wasn't up to it. Our governor doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground!

The warm-up is nice, and I'm used to the wind, having lived here so long. 

Getting Much Better

 A thorough check yesterday revealed no freeze issues and that was sort of a nice present. The afternoon and evening featured companionship and peace. Food and wine. It is above freezing this morning and it will be sunny and warmer than average for the next two days. I can't complain about that. We are passed the solstice and we can look forward to more daylight, in slow and incremental steps. That's worth celebrating. If I can survive another New Year's celebration (something I NEVER take part in) I'll be over another hump. New Year's celebrations have never made a bit of sense to me. Winter Solstice, yes. Summer Solstice as a time of mourning, yes. Have a wake for that. Savor the sunshine and enjoy it while it lasts.