President’s Day, 2006, 11:00 am: Fortunately it continues to be cold. I was worried about global warming, well at least not today and not here. Last night I was talking with some ham operators on my amateur radio on the 80 meter band. They were in southern Maine and commenting about their low temperatures in the teens. When I mentioned my local weather, they jokingly wondered what continent I was on. Not a continent or country, but the Saint John Valley were, I think, we have our own micro-climate, or some other dynamic that’s causes us to literally to chill-out. After all we are, more or less, geographically isolated here. If the world was flat we’d be hanging on by our fingernails up here. Hmm, is this some new and convoluted view of the physical sciences? Stay tuned!

I’m typing today’s weather blog on my wife’s laptop computer which is in our kitchen, and she’s baking oatmeal cookies a few steps behind me. I’m strategically located to eat warm cookies straight out of the oven. I do have stiff competition from our dogs.

I’d like to think we are pioneers in a harsh climate living in a log home, except with automobiles, electricity, satellite television, espresso, and all manner of wonderful electronic gadgets. Okay, okay we are not really pioneers, but just maybe there is hint of the spirit in our genes. From one of my many gadgets, our local weather:

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station

Temperature: 19 degrees (F.)

Barometer: 29.79 and falling slowly

Humidity: 56%

Wind: W at 10 mph and variable

Precipitation: None

Visibility: > 3 mi. with high light overcast

Since midnight:

Low temp: -13.8 at 6:28 am

Low wind chill: -14 (F.) at 6:20 am
10 minute average

High wind: 14 mph at 10:26 am