Just Before...

 

The weather is supposed to get bad soon.  From this evening to Tuesday could be under freezing.  Thats mean faucets will be running & the stoves will be on.  This won't be fun.   We could anywhere from scant to blizzard.  I'd like nothing, but I doubt that will happen.  This time of year brings little good for me.  

We'll do what we can.  The house will be as ready as it can be.  Shopping will get handled today & possibly not on Monday.  It'll depend on how bad things get.  It may be Tuesday before I can hit the stores again.  

Oh well, here we go.  I'll get showered & then we'll go shop.  Take care.

Cya...

Melting...

 

At 32°, we're warmer than we got yesterday.  The ground is melting a lot of this from underneath.  What was on the van is melting due to the air & what little sun is shining.  The trash didn't run this week, but they probably got worse in surrounding areas.  That may have made it too risky to drive those trucks.  They're doing more road work today.  The state agency is coming to handle the main road.  

We lucked out twice, both rounds of this just skirted by us.  We got some, but nothing compared places nearby.  It's the little things.

That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Goodbye Hello...

 

January left us with a layer of crunchy ice.   Other than some other foul weather, it wasn't a bad month.  Winter weather does come with the season.  Goodbye January 2023.

Hello February.  You just had to open with with ice didn't you?  This has been a rough month for us for the last few years.  I'd like to break the cycle.  No major weather would be nice.

That's about it for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Icing...

 

Short post.  Everything is covered with a hard, icy crust.  I'm trying to get things a little better, so things will thaw out faster.  I hate Winter.  

I didn't see any articles, so this is it for now.  Saty safe.  Take care.

Cya...

White & Grey...

 

Not much to write about this morning.  It's cold, grey & covered in white sleet.  Our chances for more frozen stuff is over in about an hour.  It won't really warm up for a bit.  So, it'll be another cold, dreary day.  I was over Winter before it began.  

We took trash to the curb.  I'm doubting it'll get picked up today, we'll see.   Last time it did this, it took the garbage trucks a few days to get back out.  So, it's wait & see.

That's all for. Take care.

Cya...

Frosted Morning...

 

It started freeze pissing last night.  It wasn't sleet, snow or really frozen rain, it was nature taking a light tinkle of frozen crap.  It looks like it snowed a little last night, but not nearly as much as they expected.  I don't even think it's snow, I think it's just itty bits of ice.  I tried to brush of the steps, but it was a solid piece of bumpy, frozen sleet.

I can still see grass through most of it, so it's an an inch or so deep at most.  It's supposed to keep this up all day.  I can occasionally hear it tap against the windows.  Snow doesn't generally tap when it hits glass.   I'm not sure we've had any snow yet.

It's an inside day for us.  Here's hoping this doesn't get any worse.  Take  care.

Cya...

Blood Letting & Icy Plunges...

Not much to post about today, but, here we go.   I had blood drawn yesterday.  It was supposed to be today, but the weatherman called for a semi-serious ice storm yesterday.  Nothing went as planned.   Most of the storm stayed north of us, this area only got some icy air & drizzle.  There's much sign that we had any precipitation at all.

The blood letting was heavier than normal.  I was expecting my typical for test; CMP, CBC, CD4, HIV-Viral Load.   When I got there, the specialist had ordered 10 test.   2 of which weren't handled because I had not been told to fast beforehand.  An additional test was also not handled due to the lab tech not understanding exactly what the doctor wanted.  

Even with 7 tests, they wound up using 9 vials.  The lab tech was great though.  I didn't feel a thing & there's still no sign of bruising.  Usually, the needle is starting to hurt halfway through just on  4 vials & I leave bruised.  I hope I get her again.

My appointment is 2 weeks,   Other than that, health matters are hopefully handled for a bit.   I don't need to get any more illnesses.

Take care..

Cya...

It's The Last...

It's December 31st.  2017 is down to mere hours, not even 12 left.  Soon, it'll be down to minutes & then seconds.  Then will be no more.

I'm trying to close out this year with less animosity than I've felt for most the last 365 days.  There have been some things I've liked.  Some I'm waiting to see how they pan out.   Even though most of the stuff I've enjoyed this year I was engaged in last year or before, there were some new things.   I liked the movies, The Martian, The Boy & The Beast, as well as Final Girls.  Most of the comics I liked wrapped up this year.  Most of the music I listened to was from earlier as well, but I did find Scissor Sister's SWERLK.   My roomie & I have been watching the Boulet Brother's Dragula.

As much as it's important to recognize the new, it's also pertinent to realize when you're over something.   We've hit that with a lot TV shows.  For most, it'll be just for the season, but may done with entirely.  It's OK to realize something you used to be into isn't working for you anymore.

It would've been easier to end this year gracefully, if it this morning hadn't coated the car in a layer of ice.   It was frigid & we had to wait for the car to thaw before going to the store.   If all goes well, we'll start the year off by going to see a friend tomorrow.

In 2018 I hope you will:

Take care of yourself

Be kind to people

Take care of the strays, even those that aren't 4-legged

Try to smile

Find some joy

Cya...

Good Bye 2017.

Cold Again...

The temps have plummeted again.   The low for last night was supposed to be in the low 40's F.  When I woke it was at 32.  It's since dropped to the mid 20's.    Our predicted low for tonight has dropped down to 10,   That's way too cold for my sake.  

It was raining off & on all night, so now there's a thin glaze of ice over things.  It will get worse if we get anymore rain.  It's predicted we will.  Here's hoping the weathermen are wrong.

I know we need the rain, but we don't need another ice event this Winter.  I've had it with this on & off cold season.  This Winter has been a constant flip-flop.

Here, I was hoping for warmer weather only to have this crap show up.   In like 3 weeks, it'll be Spring.  I'm seriously ready for it.

Cya...

Afterwards...

We went shopping this morning.  It was an interesting trip. We got to see all the damage the ice storm had caused.  We were very fortunate.  Most places at least some significant damage. 

The mailbox place reopened & our mail arrived.  Walmart was still wiped out from the pre-storm shoppers.   Most of the roads were clear, but there were still some nasty spots.  

Hopefully, this will all be cleared up by later this week.  We have plans.  The second part of the Hobbit should be out Friday.  We want to see it before all the schools let out & the theater's packed with children.  

Until tomorrow.

Cya...

Hazy Shade...

The weather didn't listen to me & gave us an ice storm.  It's not nearly as bad as it could have been or even as bad as it has been in the last decade.   Still it was a storm with ice & that sucks.

Last night there were power outages in our area, our lights flickered, but the electricity held.   There were some crashes as limbs broke from the ice.  It's cold (25 F) & getting more so by the minute.  Our low for tonight is supposed to be single digit F.  BRRRR!!!!

I started the little car fine this morning.  Not, that we're going any where.   The roads looked passable but the crepe myrtle is bent over from ice & blocking the drive.  

The van was no where near as cooperative.  It took me 10 minutes just to get the door open.  Then it was a back & forth for nearly  45 minutes trying to get the ice off the windows.  The back windows had close to an inch.  The sloped front had almost 5 inches at the bottom.  It took forever to get that ice off those windows.  

Now it's snowing.  According to the weather channel, we've had almost 2" in ice & over 7 in snow.  The ice I can see, but the snow totals seem a bit high.

OK, my fingers are frozen & typing is questionable right now.  I'm not sure how much worse the weather's going to get today, so I'm getting this post done early.   We still have power & electricity.  We don't have to go anywhere, so we're pretty much set for the day.

Cya...

OMG WTF COLD!!!

Yesterday seems so far away.  It was a nice balmy 70 F & people were sporting shorts.  We were complaining the car was too warm.  Silly us, silly Summer children. (Quick nod)  This is the 5 day forecast for my  area now.

The unseasonal cold will remain a few days longer past this.  Then we're supposed to be getting back to normal temps.  I seriously do not need an ice storm.  Those things suck!  

We opted to do Friday shopping today, in case the ice storm is as bad as they're saying it can get.  They've called for anything from a 1/4" ice & a few inches of snow to an inch of ice & a foot of snow.  How about we settle & just go for none.  Too late for that, the stuff is already coming down.  Hopefully it doesn't get too bad.

Cya...

OK, I Underestimated A Bit...

I knew we were going to get cold this morning, but not this cold.  It wasn't as cold as it was supposed to be.  Nor, did we get hit with frigid hell other parts of Oklahoma did.  Still, it was below freezing, wet & windy.  Therefore, serious BRRRR!!!

We had to go shopping this morning.  The roads were fine, but the van was covered in ice this morning.  It took a bit getting it thawed out & the windows cleared enough to drive.  Driving on the cold stuff doesn't bother me that much, you just go slower & brake carefully.  My roomie on the other hand doesn't want anything to do with it if she can help it.

If ice & snow make you more nervous/scared than cautious, then you shouldn't be driving on it unless you absolutely have too.  IMO, nervous drivers are dangerous. Then tend to over react to everything.

The frozen stuff is heading for us for a while.  I'm not happy about it.   Where's the rest of my damn Fall.  We've been averaging 20+ F under our normal temps.  I want 50's & 60's, not 20's & 30's.   Winter needs to back itself up another month & let Fall have it's day.

Cya...

Groundhogs & Bad Teeth...

The little beastie saw his shadow again, so here comes another six weeks of wintery hell.  This little animal shouldn't get to do the weather report even if it is only on February the second.  To add to the drama, I had to go to the dentist.  This meant a 30+ drive on the ice.  Wouldn't have done it but somehow I cracked a tooth.  Never felt a thing until I noticed a sharp place on my tooth.  It had happened yesterday, but no one was in my dentist's office so I had to wait until today.


I got up earlier than normal to get cleaned up just in case the dentist will be in this morning.  I hate morning showers.  My early morning zombie stare self goes into pissed off cat mode for getting wet that damn early in the morning.  Finally they call & say I can make the treacherous drive over to his office in Fort Smith, AR.


I warm up the car & get the roommate in their as well, mind you she went willingly, but sat white knuckled & silent the entire way.  The drive was tedious, it took nearly an hour and a half to make a just over thirty mile drive. The roads were either ice slicks or worse, they were rutted from the semis driving over them.  We only badly fishtailed once, maybe twice, but we made it there.


I had just been in the dentist office in December to have my teeth cleaned & annual looksy/X-ray.  Then they saw nothing, but apparently somehow my tooth had been decaying from the inside, yuck.  I was convinced he was going to say, "You need a root canal," but he didn't.  He just drilled & hacked away at the tooth.  Then the bondo experience began.  He'd do a layer, then wait, do another then stop.  All I could think was that, this is how they plaster walls. Finally he was done.  Actually it took almost no time, it just felt like it was an all morning job.


The dentist told me that somehow the X-ray had missed the internal issue with tooth & that it was a good call to get into him so soon.  There very well might've have been a dreaded root canal in future if I hadn't have gotten in when I did.  


It's not that I fear the root canal because of pain, my dentist is good at dealing with pain issues of dentistry.  No I hate the root canal, because they're expensive.  First a few hundred $$ for that procedure & the several more hundred $$ for the crown that would be needed to cover the root canal.  In my best Mr. Mackey from South Park voice, " Root Canals, they're bad."


The real problem here is that I am +. HIV is hell on teeth, HIV meds can be hell on teeth & in turn not taking care of your teeth can be hell on your HIV.  I'd give a link, but you'd be better just to google HIV dental issues & get the most up to date info, the results are fairly immense.  HIV can lead to numerous dental complications & these complications can lead to infections that can impact your overall health.


I'm home now, tooth fixed, roommate sedating herself with facebook & cats & I am thankful.  I'm grateful my tooth wasn't in worse shape, that we survived the drive & that my roommate (who is terrified of ice) went with me to my appointment.  I am also very thankful for my dentist & his office.  I found a good one, Dr. J, Stephen Wilson At Dental Solutions.

To all those out there in the cold, keep warm & safe.  I hope your teeth are doing well, if not I hope you have a good dentist like mine.

Here Comes The Ice...

In the middle of the night I heard this tapping at my windows, then a skittering sound across the glass.  I woke to figure out it was sleet, the beginnings of a mess.  We're supposed to get an Ice Storm here in OK today. I'm not a fan of the ice, it doesn't really scare me like some people, but I'm still not a fan.  

For those of you that just get snow, snow is far easier to deal with than ice, which is mostly what we get around these parts.  Snow can compact and actually give some traction.  Ice just leads to idiots trying to drive their cars like they're in some auto version of Skating With The Stars or the ice chapter of Top Gear.  Take your choice, neither one is pretty.

Ice demands respect.  If you can't give ice its due, then stay off of it.  Ice can send a well equipped vehicle, with a seasoned driver plummeting into a ditch.  What do think it can do to you & your vehicle?  For a lot of us, that part is avoidable, we just hunker down & stay in our homes.  That doesn't mean we're out of the icy woods though.

No, there are plenty of ways that the ice will still mess with you. Can you open your door or is it frozen shut?  Did your pipes freeze?  Do you still have power?  These are just a few of the bad things that happen in an ice storm.  Imagine being stranded out on an ice covered highway unable to get home.  Ice can leave you totally stranded; no power, no telephone, no way to get to or do anything.

If we are lucky, the ice will turn to snow.  Snow is far less problematic & usually prettier.  Icicles are pretty, you say.  You think those frozen spikes are pretty?  Ice is dangerous.  It can fall off of buildings in chunks or spikes, it can black ice a highway, it break tree limbs that fall through your roof.  I doubt there is little ice can't do if it gets chance.  Ever see a glacier?  


Give the frozen stuff it's due, stay inside if you can, but just play it safe with ice or you might end up like Dr. Yang, here...