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. 

Warming Up

 Warming up but too slowly. And despite Asshole Abbott's assurances, the Texas Power Grid disappointed. Asshole Abbott might be the worst governor in Texas history. But he's got strong half-wit appeal. I'll give him that. I got out for a while yesterday and I'll get out again today. I'll be so happy to have this holiday stuff and the New Year's eve/ New Year's day nonsense out of the way. It's really one of the most screwed up times of the year. I have yet to hear any of the most obnoxious carols, and that's a good thing. Avoidance of carols is part of my strategy to make the season endurable. 

Only a few more days!

Probably Over The Worst

 Now recovering from this idiot cold SNAP today, beginning to, anyway, until the next idiot bomb cyclone and generational once-in-a-billion-years epochal and apocalyptic storm system. Enough already. But it really was pretty bad. 

And, as usual, I will be very happy to see this year's holiday season, and New Year's, in my rearview mirror. Good riddance. 

So Far So Good

 Really bad yesterday with terrible wind chills but dry and sunny all day. Not as cold this morning as last morning but still unpleasant, and it is cloudy. But the wind is way down and it might reach 20 today. When it finally thaws Saturday I'll have to check the outdoor faucets. They were well insulated but when it gets this cold and stays so cold for so long, who knows? And I fully expect to go through all of this again this season-- yet another unprecedented blast of bitter cold and once again the talk will be of a "generational storm", a "once-in-a-hundred-years" winter storm. Earth's climate is out of balance, the weather machine has been perturbed by fossil fuel burning, and there will be increasingly wild excursions from equilibrium. Expect chaos. That's really bad for me because I like order and predictability. ORDNUNG! Alas, so many things are beyond my control. If only.

I remind myself that I am not the only victim. We are ALL victims. Every living thing is a victim. 

The Winter Bum-blast

 Oh yes, it has arrived. But yesterday it was very pleasant and that allowed me to do what I could to prepare. Big thing is the wind chill. Can't have a proper winter bum-blast without a howling wind: sound and fury signifying nothing. Idiot, random, nature. Idiot, random, universe. The fine-structure of nothingness. It's a right nasty place for anything sentient. 

Tomorrow it won't be quite as bad, because the winds die down substantially. Saturday a high above freezing, so they say. And a rapid warming next week. Until the next "generational" storm. How many "generational" storms can you have in one generation? I thought 2021 was supposed to be a "once in a hundred years event". It gets rather stupid when every winter features a "once in a generation" crap storm. Something is obviously screwed up here.