lblanchard | Entries tagged with weather

it probably hasn't been raining for weeks, but it sure feels like it, and there's rain on the menu all week. A little sunlight would be nice.

The amaryllis seeds are packed up and the envelopes stamped. I have great hopes that I'll remember to take them to the mailbox tomorrow.

Mr. Darcy's cough is worrisome, although it doesn't seem to be getting any worse and he's still largely a happy camper with a robust appetite. We've made a vet appointment for next Monday, when we'll have a rental car. He can no longer walk that far.

The city is revamping its property tax calculations. A database leaked by our local paper suggests that our taxes will go up 690%.That's right -- almost a sevenfold increase. We think that will push our total tax burden up over 50% of our net taxable income. It may also push us out of Philadelphia.

The prevailing winds in our area are out of the west, meaning that our house is protected from the effects of winter winds by our neighbor to the west.

Not so during a northeaster. The rear of the house is exposed on the north and east walls. It's a smidge under 60F in my office today, and quite drafty. I am wearing multiple layers of clothing.

Trudging out to the Flower Show today did not look enticing, even though I set out my clothes, even though I got up at 5:30, and even though the buses were running and the Flower Show was open.

Ferko doesn't like the cold one little bit and is asking if The Lap is open. Better get my light colored lap apron on.

It's 7F by the backyard thermometer this morning. Pretty cold by Philly standards -- in fact, I believe the last time it was this cold was 1994. (I may be wrong.) I gave the sparrows an extra handful of seed this morning after Roy physically extracted The Scamp from his ambush site behind the Nameless Shrub.

It's sunny, though, and expected to go all the way up to 20F. I am trying to decide whether I want to venture out to buy produce. Maybe I should put it off to tomorrow, when it's predicted to be a positively tropical 30F, albeit with snow flurries.

(Reminder to those who think I'm a total wimp: I have no car, so a shopping expedition involves spending some time out in the weather walking to bus stops, waiting for buses, etc., rather than scuttling from house to car to store. Although

pameladean and other car-free folks in cold climates may be snickering at my fussing.)

On our courtyard thermometer at 7:00 a.m. -- a balmy 10F.

Eat your hearts out, you shivering Midwesterners!

Seriously, this is pretty chilly for us, and I am kicking myself for not having moved the plants into the alley this year. I hope I don't lose the peony. (But why should I?

pameladean grows 'em in Minneapolis!)

I went out back and flang out an extra couple of handsful of seed for the sparrows.

Ferko has transformed herself into a lap cat. Wants to be on my lap almost all the time. She's hard to type around, though, and little clouds of white hair float through the air every time she moves or I pet her. I can't seem to groom her enough.

The biggest and plumpest of my seedling hippeastrum bulbs is now putting out a flower stalk, one that appears to be almost full-sized. This makes three so far.

Snow is forecast, to be followed (or so says the hyperventilating media establishment) bone-chilling cold. I wish these guys would turn down the alarmism. Still, I had best hustle to the ~~crack dealer~~ yarn shoppe and the Asian grocery this morning. Roy has already headed out to the sidewalk de-icer purveyor (hardware store).

It was as bone-chilling as advertised this afternoon, with another complexity.

I had several errands to run, each of which would keep me inside for ten or fifteen minutes.

To go from Point A to Point B, I needed my big old parka plus scarf, gloves, etc.

Once inside Point B, even with scarf, gloves, etc. off and parka unzipped, I got all toasty sweaty right quick.

Lather, rinse, repeat for [counts on fingers] five stops plus three bus rides punctuated by a ten minute wait in a howling gale.

Result? I got home with my sweaty self chilled down to a shiver.

But I don't care any more. I'm in warm dry clothes, plus a sweater, plus a fleece shawl, plus a fleece lap robe. The fact that my office is 62F and drafty doesn't bother me a bit. I can warm my hands on a mug of steaming coffee.

This fleece lap robe, $3.99 at the Wal*Mart, may turn out to be one of the season's best investments. It's cheap, it keeps me warm, and it's precisely the color of the prevailing animal hair.

081220_01_331tasker
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

This is grander than most, and obviously well-maintained. More than I can say about the door to its left. Damn taggers. I saw this while biking back from an unproductive run to The Craft Shoppe by the Delaware on Saturday. It faces a small city park.

Last I looked, the thermometer outside the kitchen window said 14F. Winds are supposed to gust between 25 and 45 mph. And I have a full set of rounds to make on foot and on the bus.

At least the sun is shining.

081213_09_1328south
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

Let's see what happiness I have today:

1. I forgot the starting time for a meeting so I won't be going to it. Instead I'll stay home and finish the books for work, whee!

2. St. Michael the Archangel is on the case at Harry's Occult Shop (pictured, right), smiting our would-be insect overlords and making the mantis pray instead of preying. (My sister and I are going there tomorrow so she can moon over crystals and such.) I have a heap o' detail photos on Flickr, which you can reach by clicking the photo.

3. Temps are supposed to be in the sixties today, a good day for a leetle bike ride.

4. Roy is off to Maine now so I can work on his Christmas present tonight.

(EDIT: No work on his Christmas present -- I spent the evening chasing $3K I didn't expect to have in my nonprofit's books at the end of the year.)

I have a couple of nice happyhappyhappy comments for the day:

It stopped raining! The sun shone every now and again! I was able to get on my bike and go to various stores

There is a brand of inexpensive South African red wine called "Herding Cats" -- I picked up a cabernet shiraz. The cats being herded on the label are a pair of rather annoyed-looking leopards.

I managed to keep up with the press of business at work.

I did a back of envelope calculation and my little organization will end its thirteenth consecutive year in the black.

My sister has made shinies for my daughters-in-law and my grand-daughter so I am supporting the family by buying presents.

On the unhappy side, I haven't heard from Roy since he left for Maine on Wednesday, and he's overdue for his return by about 90 min. I was way too busy to notice he hadn't called until about 30 min. ago.

~~ETA: This would explain it:~~

CONCORD, N.H. – An ice storm to compare with some of the Northeast's worst made a mess of the region Friday, leaving 1.25 million homes and businesses in seven states without power as it forced schools to close and toppled ice-laden trees and power lines onto slippery roads.

Most of the outages were in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York, and it was expected to take several days to completely restore electricity. The storm wreaked havoc from Maine to Pennsylvania, leaving a sparkling, ice-covered landscape that was too destructive for many to find beautiful.

~~No power, no cell phone recharging and/or cell phone lines jammed.~~

ETA II: Ooops. I confused his trips. He was to go to Maine next week. He just called me from Washington DC, where he's sitting on a private car waiting for CSX to hook them up to an Amtrak train. Poor baby. Looks like his Maine trip may be off, though, judging from the news reports.

chakolate's meme, and I'm in the mood to do one.

I am happy about several things today:

It's very wet out but not cold so I can go stamp*stamp*splsh in the puddles on my way home from my meeting (and I did)
My actual revenue and expenditures for the symposium came within a gnat's eyelash of matching the budget
The folks who want us to trim the budget on the grant we got are being humane -- just revise the budget and timeline and explain the changes in a cover memo
My treasurer liked the three ideas I offered for finding more funding for said budget trimmings
I got something excessively shiny for my kitchen for next year. It came in the mail and the lj user responsible knows who she is. Proper thanks will be forthcoming

More happy happy happy tomorrow.

081130doily
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

I really really liked working this pattern, and I'm happy with the way it came out, too. I think I'll make some more.

Somewhat belatedly, I changed over the holiday wreaths and hand towels from autumn to winter/Christmas and deployed some Christmas kitsch, including a lurid 14" tall plaster Santa Gnome.

We've discovered a hole in the basement foundation through which muddy water is pouring. We plugged it with a combination of kitty litter and Quikrete, which seems to have done the trick for the moment. Serious work on the problem will be called for once the weather dries out a bit.

EDITED TO ADD: Yesterday I biked the drives, with a few photo stops, and also went to the PathMark. Total about 14 miles. It felt less difficult. Today my knees are stiff, not sore but with a funny feeling as though something around them had lost its flexibility. However, it's also raining heavily whereas it was clear yesterday.

081122_01bookarts
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

It was unseasonably cold this morning, with temperatures in the low 20s and a brisk 15 mph wind out of the west. The first test of my winter dress-for-biking skills. Three layers on the lower body (pantyhose, leggings, microfiber pants); big honking parka; scarf; earmuffs; gauntlets; neoprene toe thingies. Dressed like that it's a wonder I could move, but I was toasty warm as I biked over to the Free Library.

I delivered a bunch of brochures and bookmarks for this book artists' fair, and bought some stocking stuffers -- wee handmade blank books. Shown here, a wee handmade book vendor.

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Page generated Jul. 21st, 2025 01:53 am

The News from South Philly

and other points of interest

Entries tagged with weather

Rain, rain, go away

Northeaster

Cold

This morning's temperature

Ferko / hippeastrum

Fleeced and loving it!

South Philly Rowhouse

Eight Days of Happiness: V

Eight Days of Happiness: II

Eight Days of Happiness: I

Doilies and Christmas

Book / Paper / Scissors