--- Snow Bunting ---

Monday, 12:35 pm: I’m fairly certain, but I think it might actually get above freezing this afternoon. The sun is out and dazzlingly bright. Luckily any breeze we have is barely noticeable. All in all it is great outside.

A few days ago there was a young moose taking a break a few hundred yards from our house down a field road. He, or she, seemed unconcerned about my wife’s presence. Also this winter we have had Snow Buntings [Plectróphenax nivális] eating at our birdfeeder on a regular basis. Normally we only see them when we drive down Route One or some other local road.

I’ve been busy cleaning my espresso machine this morning. Every so often the tiny holes in the filter need to be cleaned out. I’ve lost count the number of cups of espresso and cappuccino I’ve brewed over the past three or four years. Now if I only had the ambition to bake pastries I could open my own café; although that sounds like a lot of work to me. Back to Weatherspeak:

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 31° (F.)

Barometer: 29.766 & falling rapidly

Humidity: 48%

Wind: N at 2 mph very light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Clear

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 4.5 ° (F.) at 5:12 am

High wind: 12 mph at 9:38 am

Tuesday, 1:00 pm: Today is an unremarkable day, weatherwise. I’ve made a few attempts to remove the accumulated clutter and debris off my desk. Luckily I did find my keyboard, so I can actually type something. Except for a few years in the Army, I’ve never been noted for my tidiness. I know it is a learned behavior and I need to make a greater effort.

Yesterday and today we’ve had a light dusting of snow. Not enough to get out our snowblower, and barely enough to shovel off the steps. As I type I am wearing my slip-on snow boots. I am waiting for my wife to come home, anytime now, from her volunteer work and I help her in with her assorted equipment she lugs around with her. So I keep my boots on. My house slippers and sandals don’t work in the snow – I’ll slip and fall and end up on my rear-end and damage to my pride.

Tomorrow is my appointment for a dental cleaning. I have to keep my pearly-whites in good working order. Back to the weather stuff; I hope the weather holds, so the drive there and back is not a harrowing as it was last week when we picked up friend in Caribou.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 9.5° (F.)

Barometer: 29.621 & falling rapidly

Humidity: 49%

Wind: SSW at 2 mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Light scattered clouds

Precipitation: light snow dusting earlier – not measured

Since midnight:

Low temperature: -11.3° (F.) at midnight

High wind: 12 mph at 12:43 pm

-- On US Route 1A in Hamlin, Maine during the storm --

Thursday, 1:50 pm: The National Weather Service says a “blizzard”; they’re right. This morning at 8:00 am when I telephoned in my snowfall amount to the NWS office in Caribou I reported about 13½ inches since the start of the storm yesterday. We’ve received another inch or so of snow. A lot of the white stuff is blowing around and it is difficult to sort out what’s from the sky and what’s being blown around from the ground. And the temperature has been steadily going down from a relatively warm 24° (F.) at 6:00 am to a current 8.5° (F.).

-- Downtown Van Buren during the storm --

I was up as 6:00 am and fired up our snow blower. Two hours later I finished and now it looks like I may need to make another few passes to keep our driveway and paths clear. I’m pooped! My noggin is telling me to take a siesta before going back outside. We’ve already have been to Caribou to pick up a friend from “day surgery”. We drove through one white-out, saw an oncoming car slide into our lane but missed us, and a car slid off to the side stuck in a snow bank. That’s enough for one day.

I like the term “blizzard” it has that sort of Doctor Zhivago-ish ring to it; bleak, white and very cold. Sorry, this blog isn’t in wide-screen Cinerama. Failing that here’s the weather.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 8.5° (F.)

Wind chill: -1° (F.)

Barometer: 29.920

Humidity: 77%

Wind: W at 5 mph highly variable

Visibility: < ½ mile variable due to blowing snow

Precipitation: ca. 14½ inches snow

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 8.2° (F.) at 1:07 pm

High wind: 21 mph at 1:01 pm

Low wind chill: -3° (F.) at 1:07 pm

Tuesday, 9:00 am: Phew! It’s cold again. I just finished bringing in armloads of firewood and the wind chill was [is] –20° (F.). The sky is clear as a bell and is very brisk with the wind. It’s the kind of day that turns my cheeks pink and a pleasant smile into a scowl. My wife says give me the appearance of wizened rural folk; I say I look like Gabby Hayes, except I have my teeth.

Not being the run of the mill outdoors type, I’ve abandoned my outside chores for the comfort of a toasty wood stove, a mug of tea and National Public Radio. I haven’t quite braced myself for today’s cold. Of course that goes for most days. Hopefully my lackluster enthusiasm isn’t that apparent.

All grumbling aside, we have a full day ahead regardless of the weather. We have a lot to do before the much-predicted snowstorm arrives tomorrow. Life in this corner of Maine goes on.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: -6° (F.)

Wind chill: -20° (F.)

Barometer: 30.154 & rising rapidly

Humidity: 51%

Wind: NW at 12 mph variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Clear

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low temperature: -9.4° (F.) at 6:41 am

Low wind chill: -22.7° (F.) at 7:23 am

High wind: 20 mph at 3:25 am

Saturday, 9:40 am: Our weather has settled in, for what would seem typical winter weather. Today is a bit warmer than normal, although it is certainly not Hawaiian shirt weather. Instead of three or four layers of clothes, we only need two or three layers. It’s that ambiguous fine line between cold and “really” cold.

My wife is busy cleaning and vacuuming downstairs. Not so subtly, she requested I write my weather blog, to get me out of her way. Here I am, pecking away on my computer per her request. At least she caught me off-guard and my imagination hasn’t switched on yet.

This winter, so far, we’ve noticed the complete absence of logging trucks down our road. We’re thankful for this small blessing. They’re noisy and too fast. Although, I am sure, they would disagree because it generates income for them. Environmentalism up here is viewed with some skepticism as something people “from away” try to impose. You know those rascally people “from away’. Oh, my gosh, I am editorializing again.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 8.5° (F.)

Barometer: 29.694 & steady

Humidity: 60%

Wind: NNW at 1 mph very light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies 100% overcast

Precipitation: None

Since midnight:

Low Temperature: 5.5° (F.) at midnight

High wind: 17 mph at 3:29 am

Low wind chill –1.2° (F.) at 3:30 am

Sunday, 11:55 am: It’s almost noon and the temperature is 12° (F.). It’s not quite as warm as yesterday, but warm enough for here. If you were to ask me ten years ago, back in Arizona, if I thought 12° was warm, I would have thought you lost your marbles. Needless to say, things have changed. As I type, a snow flurry is passing overhead and is blowing snow all over. The visibility has dropped to just a few hundred yards or less. I don’t expect it to last very long. It might blow over before I finish this blog.

I brought in extra firewood for tomorrow, so our pet-sitter wouldn’t have to carry any inside. At this time of year, pellet stoves start to look really appealing to me. It’s that age thing again. I’m not hearty: My wife is the hearty one. Soft creature comforts feel really good to this body with loud crackling joints. New and potentially embarrassing bodily noises are in store for me, I’m sure. It goes along with my AARP card and my "senior" coffee at McDonald's.

--- Cosmo checking me out as I type ---

That’s about it; any creative juices I might have seem to be flowing at a snail’s pace. It’s not quite making it out of my brain today, or they got lost somewhere before they reached my keyboard. I’ll blame it on the snow flurry, which [did] finally pass by.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 12° (F.)

Barometer: 29.546 & steady

Humidity: 71%

Wind E at 3 mph light & variable

Visibility: > 3 miles

Skies: Low overcast

Since midnight:

Low temperature: -10.4° (F.) at 6:47 am

High wind: 17 mph at 11:52 am

Saturday, 2:00 pm: In my last weather blog I wrote about the bitter cold. As I write, the temperature is a relatively moderate and a robust 23° (F.). During the night to mid-morning we had about 2½ inches of snow. I was out busily working with our snow blower to get rid of the snow before it turns to slush, and then it’s impossible to move. Although, at the moment, it doesn’t appear it will rise above freezing. Our dogs seemed entertained watching me move snow. They thought it was playtime with snow blowing everywhere.

On Monday we are driving to Bangor for some minor service work on our car; which means while in Bangor it’s time to dine out and head to the mall. Living in the country is its own reward, but I do miss some of the amenities city-life offers; like paved roads and sidewalks.

Our planned trip to Europe is still on schedule thanks to Swiss Air who are pleasant, very efficient and well-organized; many pats on the back to them. Their reservation agent spoke I with was in Cape Town, South Africa. It’s all part of this new global economy. I thought he would be in Boston or New York. I only missed the mark by several thousand miles and many countries away. Next time you are on the telephone for computer-related technical support, ask what city they are located in. Back on topic and on to weather.

Current values from our wireless Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 23° (F.)

Barometer: 29.3000 & rising slowly

Humidity: 56%

Wind: WNW at 13 mph variable with high gusts

Visibility: 2 miles & variable

Skies: Generally low and fast moving cloud base with occasional periods clear skies

Precipitation: ca. 2½ inches snow

Wind Chill: 13° (F.)

Since midnight:

Low temperature: 20.5° (F.) at 5:25 am

High wind: 24 mph at 11:34 am