Tuesday, 10:45 am: Oh my gosh, I’ve got extra time today. I’ve decided to take a break today, no shopping, no errands, no chores around the house; just a lazy day. I am still in my sweat pants.

A few days ago I received an automatic email alert about the possibility of aurora activity. But then, like now, it continues to be overcast. My chances of seeing the Northern Lights have been dashed by the weather. It’s been such an odd summer. With the ongoing drizzle and mist, our neighborhood frogs have been out in large numbers, hopping and bouncing all over the place; in our driveway, on our walkway, on our steps, and on the road. I think they are protesting the weather too, or maybe they are enjoying it. They’re not out with beach umbrellas yet.

My wife’s family from Ost Deutschland will be coming for a visit in October. Our house will be filled to the rafters with erstwhile German tourists looking for a frontier-like holiday in northern Maine. After a few days they’ll be driving down to Florida, a favorite tourist haunt for many European visitors. That reminds of the song, “Holidays in the Sun” by the Sex Pistols. But they are just a tad too [former] East German to appreciate punk, more like listening J. S. Bach or Big Band music while blasting down the Autobahn at 160 Km/h. They traded their Trabant [an East German car] in for a BMW. Unification worked out well for them. Lucky for me they are not from the part of Germany where they like to yodel in their spare time. Phew!

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 61° (F.)

Barometer: 29.90 & steady

Humidity: 88%

Wind: S at 3 mph light & variable

Visibility: < 3 miles

Skies: 100% overcast

Precipitation: none – misty

Since midnight:

Low temp: 55.4° at 3:10 am

High wind: 6 mph at 3:10 am

Sunday, 10:30 am: Another much delayed weather blog. I can’t exactly say it is writer’s block, just a lot of other work around our house. By the time it comes to writing I, of course, procrastinate and it never gets done and I take a nap. Hmm, sounds all too familiar about expressing my First Amendment rights. I guess it’s just another bump in the road – verbal blockage.

Last night we had our first frost, which I promptly telephoned in to the National Weather Service in Caribou this morning. Frost in August; I hope this is not an omen of weather to come in the next few months. My temperature sensor is located about five feet above the ground and indicated a low temperature of 34 degrees. All our firewood is stacked and our woodstove is ready to be fired up.

This week we will be driving down to Bangor and Augusta for a little rural R & R for a couple of days. I am sure we will be dazzled by stores and restaurants open past 8:00 pm. I like the amenities Down East motels offer, the basket of shampoo, mouthwash and mints. Of course, enough free coffee to send my heart into palpitations. I am easy to please. Hopefully this is free of typographical errors. Ciao!

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 61° (F.)

Barometer: 30.23 & falling slowly

Humidity: 67%

Wind: SSW at 1 mph very light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles, earlier fog

Skies: Haze

Precipitation: early morning frost

Since midnight:

Low temp: 34° (F.) at 5:22 am

High wind: 8 mph at 9:29 am

Friday, 7:00 pm: Lots of work! The past few weeks have been filled with hard labor around our house. I think I might be getting too old for this stuff. My weather blogging has dropped off dramatically due to this increased workload. I apologize, and I’ll make up for it in the winter months.

Today I’ve got too much to say and no idea how to say it, lest I leave something out. We have met our new neighbors down our road. They’re from Connecticut, and they seem like urban refugees akin to us. I think we’ll have a kaffeeklatsch with them soon. They are, after all, “From Away.”

Tomorrow is our amateur radio club’s annual picnic. It’s a potluck affair with a wide variety of people and food. I lean towards the processed meats [hotdogs] chock full of chemicals and dyes that might glow in the dark. I also like white bread hotdog buns made with ingredients that may have actually been good for me [at one time] before the bakers added things I can’t pronounce or spell. My wife will be bringing her kayak and demonstrate her ability to stay upright for more than five minutes. I don’t fit in it; I am too tall – lucky me!

Current values from our
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 62° (F.)

29.79 & rising slowly

Humidity: 59%

Wind: NNW at 2 mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Scattered cumulus clouds

Precipitation: .001 inch occasional light sprinkles

Since midnight:

Low temp: 42.2° (F.) at 3:57 am

High wind: 19 mph at 12:05 pm