Our low temperature was 3 ( -16 c ) degrees this morning in Knoxville. This BREAKS the old RECORD LOW of 8 ( -13 c ) degrees from 1885, back when President Chester A. Arthur was in the White House 130 years ago.
This is what I saw when I woke up this morning:
All of my weather sources has a different forecast, so I don't really know what to expect between now & Sunday.
When I look out my window, then I know what it's doing, I guess.
I am a bit perplexed at a text one of the weather stations sent me: areal Flood Watch issued for J County.
That's not my typo, that's what it read.
Oops, OK, not a typo-I'm just dumb.
I've never seen it put like that before.
I'll be glad when it warms up again.
The electric heat can't keep the place warm, and the propane heater only heats the living room.
We've all been sleeping in our clothes and a light jacket at night, plus piling the blankets on.
During the day, we stay bundled up in layers and huddle under the blankets.
We have newspaper stuffed in door cracks and towels stuffed under door cracks, and the cold still seeps in.
It's still my dream to one day live in a house that is warm year round, instead of freezing to death from October to May.
We didn't get out of the 20s (-6) today, but a lot of the snow/ice has melted.
Our yard looks like it's got mange.
The shady side is still snow covered, but the sunny side is clear.
Our road is completely clear.
I'm not sure how you can get melting when you're below the freezing point, but whatever.
Badger attempted to skateboard now that the sidewalk is clear, but didn't last more than a couple of minutes.
It's just way too cold out there.
I've not been out today, I'm not risking it, clear or not.
My arm is still throbbing from my fall, what was it? Tuesday?
My nurse niece says that it's possible I did break it, but I think it's just a bad bruise.
I mean, come on, I'm no Skinny Minnie.
I came down hard on that shoulder, my entire full weight was on that left shoulder.
Of course, it still hurts.
Cowboy went over to help Dos get her propane heater going, she's the one that was without power for several days this week.
She wants to be prepared just in case she looses power again.
I say propane heater, but it's an artificial fireplace that uses propane.
Her line had frozen up, which is why she couldn't start it herself.
If we get any more bad weather, now she can have heat at least.
Today is her birthday, she was trying to keep it quiet, but in a family this size-you have no secrets.
She's 61, born in 1954.
The closest in age, of my brother/sister-in-law's would be the two youngest, Cinco was born in 1962 and Finis in 1964.
I was born in 1970.
Let me do this in order: Uno May 16, 1952, Dos Feb 20 1954, Tres June 26, 1957, Cowboy Nov 22 1959, Cinco Feb 1,1962 & Finis March 25, 1964.
They do not talk about Angel Baby, he died very soon after birth.
Cowboy thinks he was born in Nov.1955 or 1956, but he's not sure, and he doesn't know where he is buried, or even how old he was.
They are sure he never made it to his first birthday, and more or likely, never made it to five months old.
I'm going to admit, it's a little odd being younger than your brother & sister-in-law's.
Cowboy finally got our baby gate up, just in time for the weekend.
He made it himself.
He took scrap lumber at the plant and made us a gate.
I think it looks pretty good and much sturdier than those plastic gates.
It probably should have been a bit higher, but it'll do.
