We’re in the double digits below zero fahrenheit this morning, with our highs supposed to be around -2F. This has inspired me to share this lovely poem someone sent to me.
‘WINTER’
a poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre
SHIT, It’s Cold!
The End
Yup, looks to be a few days of the really blue stuff coming our way. Yesterday was above freezing and snowed and rained all day. Today it is frozen solid, and I am not able to make much of a dent to clear the laneway out.
Don’t worry, tomorrow is supposed to be even colder. 
But then it’s supposed to turn quite mild by the weekend, and then we’ll be starting into the January thaw for a few days.
djm
took it’s sweet time gettin’ to ya!
Miserable thing, innit!
I should have known it was you who sent it, Denny.
Oh sure…I was in denial, Deej. How warm is it supposed to be by the weekend? I thought it was going to hit the teens, which of course is quite a heat wave compared to what we’re getting, but still not warm enough for my liking
That’s nothing. It’s 38.9F here, I swear I spend 3/4 of my life sweating. It was a balmy -20F up at my sister’s yesterday. Guy a little further up in Hayward, WI dropped dead of exposure 200 yds from his home. I haven’t been on my XC skis in so long. Last night my wife almost cried when the weather report withdrew the possibility of snow for our area. It was a cruel thing for them to do. On the other hand all that cold up North has helped to drive the Pine Siskins down here, I have about a billion of 'em at the thistle seed feeders right now. They’d be even better against a backdrop of snow. I love winter, it’s the only chance I have to cool down.
Send? Didn’t send nothing!
You get the sun first, we get the weather. 
It’s supposed to be foggy here all week, highs in the mid-30sF. At least it’s quit snowing! The snowpack has melted to about a third of what it was. I managed to get some of the Christmas lights off the bushes yesterday - still waiting for the snow to melt enough so I can get to the tree out front and take those lights off. We’ve lost several branches on a couple of trees in the yard due to the snow but luckily the electricity stayed on. Lots of cleanup work to do as soon as it gets halfway nice. Had one leak in the house when the ice dams built up on the roof but it was in the bathroom right over the tub so it dripped right in there.
My husband’s store lost the gutters - the ice built up so thick and it was so heavy it tore the gutters right off from the building. It also took out the back door light when the gutter over the back door came down - that’s been fixed.
At work we have lots of leaks and one very worrisome crack in the ceiling near where I have to be all day. When I pointed it out to a couple of managers they said “if you hear cracking noises, run.” I spoke to the owner of the store and he snapped “I’m aware of it.” Most of the men were up on the roof for the better part of a week trying to shovel it off - no safety equipment, no training in how not to ruin the roof - the young guys were just told here’s a ladder, here’s a shovel, don’t fall and don’t throw the snow on top of any customers.
I want 80F, sunshine, a light breeze, and some warm rain at night a couple of times a week. 
Since my husband insists we not heat our building warmer than 73F/22C, I’ve been wearing thermal long underwear since October.
Winter is not a good time to be skinny.
Today I was supposed to accompany my daughter to my grand daughter’s music lesson and then we’d do lunch but, knowing my inability to deal with really cold weather, they phoned and excused me from the adventure.
It seems like the last week of January and first week of February are usually the coldest here in Chicago. We’ve gotten heavy snow falls (a foot or so) in April, but 2 weeks into May is our last frost date here.
We’re having the opposite “problem” here … It’s been around 80F and sunny since the weekend. All my instruments are drying out. This is normally the height of our winter season, cool with torrential rainstorms. Well, the hummingbirds do like the warm spell.
Succinct.
Accurate.
Perhaps you need to invest in some manual humidifiers for your instrument cases? The humidifier and instrument can be put inside a large plastic bag inside the instrument case if the case isn’t humidity proof.
I used to use Dampits but I had to refresh the water in their sponge everyday. Last year my husband bought us manual humidifiers containing a gel that shrivels as it dries out. I seem to be able to go a week between needing to refresh them with water.
Thanks, hylde! Yes, I have Dampits and clay humidifiers. Those gels sound like a good idea. My wood instruments are acclimated to and set up for low humidity in these parts. But when the guitar top goes completely flat and starts buzzing, it needs a drink. Hey, and so do I! 
It must be very VERY difficult to be on tour this time of year, what with all the climate affecting instrument hassles.
I got a sunburn today sweating out in the garden. Been riding around on my Vespa without sleeves. Single digit humidity is not so great, but I’m enjoying summer in January.
Here’s what my oboe teacher had me get (she does not recommend Dampits) They are cheap but I’m not sure how great it would be on a guitar. It has a little pad that stays wet on one end and a dial to regulate how much humidity you want in the case. Seems to work fine for my purposes.
you can get them here-
http://www.nielsen-woodwinds.com/c-132-oboe-supplies.aspx
I just fill that gizmo with a little of the distilled water that I buy for this-
This is what I’m using.
One can’t regulate how fast or slow it releases humidity but when it starts to run out of H2O it shrivels up.
They make one on a holder that fits inside a guitar too.
Oasis is the name of the company that makes it. I imagine other companies are using the gel filling these days too.
Well …
It’s 44 degrees Fahrenheit here. (Indoors. It’s below zero outside.)
No kidding.
I’ll explain later.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Oh no Jerry! What on earth happened??
Well, nothing much, really.
We’re moving house, and I’m here by myself minding the fort for awhile.
It’s a big house, and I don’t care to pay for the minimum 150 gallon delivery of heating oil, so I’m using the wood burning fireplace insert to keep a couple of rooms warm. I’ve set the thermostats to keep the rest of the house at 44 degrees so the pipes don’t freeze, using the boiler as little as possible.
It’s interesting, rather like camping indoors. (Gotta go … I think I saw a moose in the front room.)
Best wishes,
Jerry
Well, Izzy, for once I can’t brag about how much colder it is here. We’ve had highs in the 30s-40s almost every day for the past couple weeks. No snow. Wind. This kind of weather is murder on baby trees. I would much rather have cold and snow. This “January thaw” crud bugs me.
Jerry–be careful. Moose bites can be pretty nasty.
T