Snowfall at 1:00 pm

Monday, 1:30 pm: I think I got what I wished for – snow. As of this writing, the total amount we have received is about two inches and has not yet melted. Today’s high and low temperatures are only within a degree or so of each other. Snow is so much easier to write about compared to rain which is gray, keeps us inside too long and causes any creative streak that I may have to get washed away.

My outdoor temperature sensor now seems to be calibrated okay. Any temperatures displayed below should now be correct. Even modern technology needs to be tweaked occasionally. According to my wife, this writer needs to be tweaked once and awhile too. My wife attributes this to my XY chromosomes vs. the allegedly superior XX chromosomes. Hooey! I believe it is a motivational issue – laziness.

With all the rain we received over the past week I thought the Saint John River would be close to, or at flood stage, but it just seems a bit higher than normal; nothing really dramatic. Even our local roads are in good order. We [did] eventually get our studded snow tires put on our Honda, which will give us an extra margin of safety over the next months of driving.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 30.4° (F.)

Barometer: 29.886 & rising slowly

Humidity: 75%

Wind: NNW at 5 mph

Visibility: > 3 mile beneath cloud base

Skies: 100% overcast

Precipitation: ca. 2 inches – snow

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 30.3° (F.) at 2: 20 pm

Today’s high temperature: 33.0° (F.) at 12:08 am

High wind: 14 mph at 2:07 pm

Sunday, 9:17 am: Still more unsettled weather. At least the temperatures are more in line with what I expect for mid-November. Since the beginning of the month we have had more than 3+ inches of rain. I would like to think snow is coming soon. But I better be careful for what I wish for.

Besides the recent weather not much is new or unusual here. In the next week or two we’ll be heading south for a little two day R & R in Augusta and Bangor. It’s that brief time we need to recharge our batteries and reset our internal clocks

Because of the persistent overcast, there has been no chance to observe the Leonid meteor shower. Unfortunately they [whoever they are] say this year’s Leonids are supposed to be spectacular.

I have to go now. My wife says we need to take our dogs for a walk, then off to do other assorted chores I managed to put off. On to my weather; besides being unremarkably overcast here’s the other information:

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Note: temperatures may be off by ca. 3° (F.) while the sensor is being recalibrated.

Temperature: 32.6° (F.)

Barometer: 29.922 & steady

Humidity: 79%

Wind: Calm

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: 100% overcast – low ceiling

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 28° (F.) at 5:45 am

High wind: 8 mph at 12:37 am

Friday, 12:20 pm: Our local weather has certainly been unseasonably warm. In previous years, what would probably be snow coming down is today’s rain. Not only rain, it is very windy today with a peak gust of 25 mph. Most of the sustained winds are around 10 to 15 mph. There is a High Wind Advisory posted for Aroostook County This entire weather maker which, for us, started last week has dropped more than 2.84 inches of rain. It’s definitely not a day to be driving high profile vehicles, and a much better day to be inside, at home.

I’ve done some recalibrating of my Davis weather station’s thermometer, which seemed to be reading about six to seven degrees too high, that of course is unacceptable. What is now being transmitted via APRS is now correct. It’s a slow process to recalibrate it, because it takes 24 hours of data to be analyzed before any adjustments can be made. And not just one 24 hour interval, but it has taken three 24 hour periods of data to get the correct temperature.

I was in New Brunswick yesterday for a dental appointment, and the Trans-Canada Highway was almost empty. It was raining so hard that my truck’s wipers couldn’t keep pace with the downpour, even on high speed. Fortunately for me the return drive home, in the dark, was much better with only scattered light rainfall.

But today at home it’s almost leisurely. We’ve got plenty of firewood inside, and outside chores have almost come to a halt. It’s warm enough that our windows are open to add a little fresh air inside and to help moderate the heat from our woodstove. This is great! What an uncomplicated life.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 62.1° (F.)

Barometer: 29.505 & falling rapidly

Humidity: 100%

Visibility: < .5 mile

Skies: 100% low overcast – fog

Precipitation: .59 inch rain -- currently raining

Wind: SSE at 16 mph

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 62.1° (F.) at 12:20 pm

High wind: 25 mph at 11:36 am

Monday, 12:10 pm: It’s not quite fog and not quite rain, just another in a series of misty, gray and very overcast days. We went for a walk this morning on our road. Our dogs returned covered in mud and muck halfway up their legs. Today’s bleak weather doesn’t seem to affect their enthusiasm for a leashed romp. The dirtier the better in pursuit of a good time, is their motto.

I left my camera home: The humidity is too high and I didn’t want to damage the camera’s electronics. This blog is again without photographs. Today’s dismally gray weather descriptions are coming from the equally gray wrinkled recesses of my mind via my fingers. Thank you, spell-check! Photos are so much easier.

Living out in the country, it’s always a thrill to get mail. Shortly when our rural mail carrier arrives, with lights flashing, it’s usually something to look forward to. In addition to email and telephone, it’s one of the ways we, in rural America, stay connected to the outside world. It’s teatime. Ciao!

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 40.5° (F.)

Barometer: 30.402 & falling slowly

Humidity: 100%

Wind: Calm

Visibility: < 1 mile

Skies: 100% low overcast

Precipitation: .25 inch rain

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 36.8° (F.) at midnight

High wind: 7 mph at 4:46 am

Sunday, 2:40 pm: Perhaps I spoke, or wrote, too quickly yesterday. From the time I wrote yesterday’s blog until now, our weather has deteriorated significantly. Throughout the day, today, it has been raining and sleeting. Just being outside is uncomfortable.

As you probably have already guessed, I have more free time now that the warm weather has passed, and I have no great desire to be outside today. So blog writing has moved up my mental list of things to do. I tried taking a leisurely siesta an hour ago, but after three cups of coffee and two slices of cake I pretty well gave up on dozing, as my brain switched into a caffeine-driven high gear.

Our road is awash in a mixture of mud and sleet. If the temperature continues to fall, I suspect by this evening we’ll have a very slippery road. It’s time to get our studded snow tires put on our truck and SUV. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea on Friday, so our winter tires are in the back of our vehicle where they don’t do much good.

Do I tempt fate and brew myself a cup of espresso? I’ll let you know next time.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 36.3° (F.)

Barometer: 30.373 & rising slowly

Humidity: 100%

Wind: NNE at 2 mph light and variable

Visibility: < 3 miles

Skies 100% low overcast

Precipitation: .27 inch rain & sleet mixed

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 34.9° (F.) at 10:01 am

High wind: 10 mph at 12:15 pm

Veterans Day, 10:35 am: What a nice semi-sunny day for a holiday. The air is cool and crisp, and compared to recent days the humidity is relatively low. I should probably turn on my NOAA weather radio to see if this will continue.

Yesterday while in Presque Isle, I was pricing new computers. Mine seems antiquated by today’s standards, yet still works well; it’s just a little slow. It must be all the additional software running in the background, like my automated weather station and my Internet security software. My biggest complaint isn’t price or selection; it is whatever I buy will be outdated by the end of next week. I am sure you’ve heard that before. It is impossible to keep up with computer technology. I recently saw or heard on the news that Iran is limiting Internet connection speeds within their country to 128 kbs. Lucky them, my normal dial-up connection speed is 28.8 kbs. Iranians have faster connections speeds then I have?

Our new dog, Cosmo, is doing great. He’s a clever fellow: He sits in front of our refrigerator trying to figure out how to open the door, at least that’s what I think he’s doing. Border collies are very intelligent dogs. If they knew how to play chess they would probably win. For the time being he’s content running circles around our other dogs – it’s part of his herding instinct.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 45.1° (F.)

Barometer: 29.972 & steady

Humidity: 60%

Wind: Calm

Visibility: > 3 miles under the scattered cloud base

Skies: Variable cloudiness

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 35.5° (F.) 2:01 am

High wind: 7 mph at 2:44 am

Thursday, 8:40 am: Our snow has melted away, and the last two days we’ve had, on and off, rain and drizzle. It is not exactly ideal weather for working outside, because our ground is pretty well saturated. Since daybreak this morning, the fog has been increasing giving our part of the north woods an eerie quality to life.

I’ve been thumbing through my catalog of bad old movies. I haven’t decided which classic low-budget sci-fi trash to order this time. I’m sure whatever I order will be dreadful; at least I hope so. It must be the fog today, some of it has seeped into my brain.

We attended our astronomy club meeting in Edmundston, New Brunswick on Tuesday evening. Most of the members were concerned about not being able to see, due to the weather, the transit of Mercury across the sun, and the upcoming Leonid meteor shower. Fortunately the Internet will provide ample opportunity to view other people’s images they’ve posted; although it is not exactly the same as seeing it first hand.

That’s it, I am tapped out. Today my creativity is like airline food, kind of bland and nondescript. On to my weather data:

Current values from our Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 46.8° (F.)

Barometer: 29.527 & falling rapidly

Humidity: 100%

Wind: Calm

Visibility: < .5 mile

Skies: Fog 100% overcast

Precipitation: .09 inch rain

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 44.9° (F.) at 6:10 am

High wind: 6 mph at 1: 29 am

--- Measurable Snow This Morning ---

Monday, 11:00 am: It’s snowing! As you can see from the photograph we even have accumulation of about half an inch, which I telephoned into the NWS in Caribou. I was caught napping; I left out garden hose outside and the water in it froze and I can’t budge it. I hoping we’ll have another few days of warm [above freezing] so I can drain and store it away until next summer.

This morning I stocked our birdfeeder with sunflower seeds and out first visitor for the season was a blue jay. Yesterday we had two moose crossing our road in front of our house. They seemed unconcerned about our barking dogs, as they leisurely strolled into the woods behind our house. They didn’t even bother to stop and look. Now that’s confidence!

Our house is quite snug and comfortable. Hopefully there is no need to go outside for awhile. Soon it is time for my midday siesta, not to be confused with my many other breaks during the day. My wife is reading, I am typing, and our dogs are snoozing. The energy level in our house is on cruise control for the moment.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 32.1° (F.)

Barometer: 30.324 & steady

Humidity: 81%

Wind: N at 3 mph light & variable

Visibility: < 3 miles

Skies: 100% overcast

Precipitation: ca. .50 inch snow -- lightly snowing

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 22.7° (F.) at midnight

High wind: 3 mph at 11:00 am

Sunday, 2:50 pm: I know it is really autumn now, because yesterday our outside temperature never got above 32° (F.). Today it is almost the same. So far our high temperature for the day is 34° (F.). We also have some very light snow flurries today, but nothing is sticking. And today we alternate between periods of 100% cloud cover to periods when it is almost clear.

Not much is new around our house. The mice have started coming indoors, and I’ve dusted off our mousetraps and started setting out traps at night. Though not exactly like Elmer Fudd where the mice win [I hope!]. Within the next week or two I’ll be putting up our storm windows on our porch. Each week more and more of our activities turn indoors. Whatever activities remain outdoors are in preparation for winter.

Until then, I have been drinking some espresso topped with whipped cream. Now I just have to find some pastry, somewhere. Too much caffeine – too much short-lived energy. I even brought in extra firewood. Our new Border Collie, Cosmo, is sitting faithfully next to me while I type. Life is uncomplicated and pleasant today.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 33.2° (F.)

Barometer: 30.363 & steady

Humidity: 46%

Wind: NNW at 4 mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Scattered & variable cloudiness

Precipitation: No measurable -- very light snow flurries

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 22.5° (F.) at 5:14 am

High wind: 14 mph at 8:49 am

Friday, 9:25 am: The weather over the past few days has been, well, alternating sunny and cloudy. Whatever I write in this blog is bound to change shortly. Currently we have variable high cloudiness. I keep crossing my fingers with the hope of something dramatic to report. Failing that I’ll try some keyboard wizardry. My snow stake from the past few years took a header into the ground. Being more than a bit rotten, it fell apart and disintegrated like a pre-Columbian artifact. Off to the hardware store for a replacement stake!

Last night my wife, Ruth, started back taking a conversational French class in Madawaska. She speaks American English with a German accent, and now Acadian French with a German accent; that ought to confuse everyone, including me. German idioms don’t necessarily translate well into French. I’m already functioning at maximum capacity, anyway, just speaking English. There is no need to complicate my life or vocabulary. Laziness I suspect.

Yesterday we drove into town for lunch at “the” Chinese restaurant. We also have a diner, an American [non-ethnic] restaurant, a fast-food burger place, a tea shop and coffee shop; the last two with limited food menus. We can drive a bit farther north or south on US Route One and increase our selection. Or we can across into Edmundston, New Brunswick. It depends on what kind of fare we want to sample. There’s a place in Van Buren that advertises its daily special on a marquee outside its door. Once a week they advertise “Beans and Bread”. It has really piqued my interest, and now I am really curious about, perhaps, trying it. I am sure it is delightful. Why am I thinking about food again, and so early in the day? It isn’t weather-related, so on to my weather:

Current values from our wireless Vantage–Pro weather station:

Temperature: 31.9° (F.)

Barometer: 29.924 & rising slowly

Humidity: 68%

Wind: WNW at 3 mph light & variable

Precipitation: None

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: scattered cloudiness ca. 30-40% cover

Since midnight:

Low temp: 24.1° (F.) at 5:55 am

High wind: 8 mph at 9:17 am

Enjoying the weather, our new dog Cosmo

Wednesday, 9:30 am: An interesting start of the day. The sky is heavily overcast and dark gray, and at times almost black. The cloud base is quite low, although under the clouds the visibility is fine. It looks, and feels, like snow, but the temperature is just a touch too warm. And last weekend was certainly unusual, weatherwise. I hope it is not a portent of things to come over the next few months and into winter. Although we did have recent bad weather here, it was not even close to the bad weather that affected locations farther south in Maine.

Speaking of weather, my wife “weathered” her family’s visit from Germany well. Her major contribution to their trip was her nonstop translating and navigation skills with a map, which, I suspect took its toll by the end of each day. By the time they returned to our house, my wife was speaking to me in German and to her family in English, which is fine with me because I understand most of it. Except for her sister her family doesn’t understand a lick of English, and looked a bit puzzled when she spoke to them in English. I think they look naturally puzzled – oops!

Our new senior Border Collie, Cosmo, is doing just fine. If he was ever a herding dog, he’s now given that up and replaced it with sofas, recliners, and easy chairs. He hasn’t tried to herd us anywhere; he prefers walks, naps and snacks. Car rides are at the top of his list of favorite things to do.

Current values from our wireless
Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 43.5° (F.)

Barometer: 29.811 & rising rapidly

Humidity: 95%

Winds: Calm

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: 100% low overcast

Precipitation: .002 in.

Since midnight:

Low temp: 40.8° (F.) at midnight

High wind: 13 mph at 8:56 am