Looking at the forecast for the week ahead, it seems the rain has firmly decided to settle in. According to the latest report, we’re looking at steady showers through next Thursday—with chances of rain hovering between 45% and 75%. The temperatures will be cool and fairly consistent, offering the kind of weather that encourages cozy indoor pursuits rather than outdoor adventures.
Honestly, I don’t mind. Final grades for my class have been calculated and recorded, and the busy semester I’ve had is now over. I have no big plans for the weekend. It feels like the perfect time to relax, catch up on some much-needed sleep, and finally spend some quiet hours reading. There’s a certain peace in the soft sounds of rain outside my windows while getting lost in a good book.
Whatever your weekend holds, whether it’s braving the rain, enjoying beautiful spring days or, like me, embracing a slower pace, I wish you a happy, healthy few days ahead. Enjoy the weekend!
I had planned to write today about a recurring dream I’ve been having, but it has snowed all night and now we are having a rare Vermont thunderstorm. With bad weather inevitably comes a migraine. I dread today anyway. I have a dentist appointment late this afternoon. I think I might just go back to bed.
That being said, here’s you Isabella pic of the week. I missed her when I was in the hospital.
I almost titled this post “Another Snow Day,” but snow day usually implies a day out of school or off work because of snow. For there to be a snow day in Vermont, a snow storm must be particularly severe. This morning’s snow doesn’t seem to be severe nor as bad as had been predicted. Some parts of Vermont did get a significant amount of snow, but where I am, seems to have only gotten about an inch or so of snow. Of course, there is always the possibility of two things: 1) the snow may begin to come down at a faster pace before I leave for work, and 2) there may be places between my apartment and work that are in worse shape than we are. Thankfully, the snow should be over by mid afternoon, and when I head home at 4 pm, the roads should be in better condition. I wish I could just stay home today. However, I have a class to teach, and I will be the only person in the museum today.
My plan today is to leave earlier than usual and give myself plenty of time to take it slow and get to work safely.
Today is going to be an ugly weather day. It started out at midnight last night at -4 degrees. The temperature has risen to 2 degrees and temps will climb throughout the day ending at 32 degrees by midnight.When the temperature rises like this, it usually means a nasty weather front is coming in. It’s dry outside right now, but around mid-morning snow and mixed precipitation should begin. According to our local meteorologist, the snow has a chance to turn to freezing rain on my commute home. I hate freezing rain. I can handle snow, sleet, and rain, but not freezing rain. If you’re not familiar with freezing rain, it comes down as supercooled rain that freezes when it contacts any surface, which means it leaves a glaze of ice everywhere. Ugh! I hate freezing snow.
Anyway, I wish I could just stay home and snuggle up with Isabella. She seems to always find a warm place to nap. The other day, she finally discovered a place that I’ve wanted her to try out for years. Several years ago, I bought her a little cat house, which she has always ignored. The most she has ever done is stick her head in and turn around and walk away.I also bought her a nice cozy looking, fluffy cat bed, which she has never even contemplated using. She prefers a fuzzy blanket. The other day, I looked up, and she was in the little house I’d gotten her. With her eyes closed, you could barely notice her, so I made a noise to get her to open her eyes. I took the opportunity to take the picture below. It apparently pissed her off that I saw her in there, and she crawled out and stomped off never to return again. Such a stubborn little girl!
When I was growing up in Alabama, we didn’t have snow days. We were more likely to have hurricane days. Today, we are expecting 3-5” of snow. That’s not enough snow to cause a snow day at work. In fact, where I work rarely ever has snow days. I think twice in the last nine years have we had a delayed start, but never the full day. Since I’ve moved further away from work, I have had to take a few “work from home” snow days because there was too much snow to get to work. Today will not be one of those days. It hasn’t snowed enough so far to make it difficult to get to work. Yesterday had more of a chance in at least making me late for work because we were expecting snow squalls and whiteout conditions around the time of my commute to work, but it never materialized where I was. There was just some light snow on the way to work. So, today, I’ll be heading to work as usual. Besides, I have things I need to do at work today, so it’s off to work I go.
My sympathies go out to my friends in the South who will be dealing with snow and ice today. It has been snowing here for a week and very cold with windchills as low as -9 where I live, but most of the snow has not been accumulating more than a dusting. Burlington was experiencing whiteout conditions yesterday, but we just had light snow because the mountains stopped most of the snow from the west. Some places on the eastern side of the mountains received snow, but where I live, it’s been only a dusting. Tomorrow, we may get 1-2” of snow, but that doesn’t compare to northern Alabama who will get 2-4” of snow. My weather app actually says 7-8”, but that’s not what the meteorologists down there are forecasting, Even if they get 1-2”, it’s more like us getting 8-12” because they are just not prepared for winter weather. No one has snow tires, and I’d be surprised if very many people are aware there is such a thing as snow tires. Some places have a supply of salt and sand for the roads, but only the state has plows, so only the state roads get plowed. In other words, if a person lives in a rural area, they will be stuck in their homes. Roads are usually closed, which means if you get out on the roads and have an accident, insurance will not cover it, and trust me from experience, anyone who gets out on the roadways will have an accident. The last time I experienced a winter storm in Alabama, the roads were covered in nearly an inch of ice. It was tricky to even walk on the roads, let alone drive on them. Every car I saw went into a ditch. The good thing is that it should not be a long lasting winter weather event; the temperatures should reach the lower 40s by tomorrow. That being said, there will most likely be massive power outages due to the weight of the ice bringing down power lines. Rural areas in Alabama losing power is no different from rural areas in Vermont losing power, you could be without electricity for days.
If you are wondering, my family lives in the southern half of Alabama, so they should experience rain but no snow. As bad as it is when North Alabama gets snow, they do get snow more often than South Alabama. In my lifetime, I can think of only four major winter weather events in the area of Alabama I grew up in. We’ve had more hurricanes and tropical storms than we’ve had winter storms with ice/snow accumulation. South Alabama is not prepared at all for winter weather, and it usually means you are stuck wherever you are for days, usually without electricity, because the crews to restore power also can’t get out until the icy conditions are gone.
At the moment, it is 5º F this morning. Yesterday, my weather app showed the high today was supposed to only be 8º F; however, this morning, my weather app says that the high should be 17º F. Needless to say, it’s cold outside. The temperatures are forecasted to be cold all week, with windchill temperatures below 0º F. At least we will get some sun today. The weatherman just said that mountain snow is expected Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. As a rule, I’m not usually affected by mountain snow, but we might get 2-4” of snow on Wednesday. Regardless, snow has not stopped falling for days now. Most of the time, it has been very light snow, but snow nonetheless. I wish I did not have to leave my apartment today, but I have to go to work.
Wherever you are, I hope you stay warm and safe today and have a wonderful week ahead!
I have to go back to work today. I am not ready and wish I had a few more days off, but I’ll be the only one there today, so I don’t have much of a choice. Besides, I have a doctor’s appointment today. It’s a regular check up. I had been forced to reschedule because I had COVID when my original appointment a couple of months ago. I have several things I want to discuss with my doctor, so I am eager for this appointment.
Going to work today might not be so bad if we weren’t having a snow storm today, though looking outside, it doesn’t look like it’s as bad as it was expected. We’ve probably gotten about an inch so far, but we are expecting up to 8” today. I doubt we’ll get that much snow. It really shouldn’t (🤞) affect my commute to and from work. The worst should come after I get to work, and when I head home, whatever snow has fallen should have been cleared from the roadways.
For a little bit of humor this morning: as I was typing the title to this post, my predictive text kicked in and when I had “Back to the G” typed, predictive text suggested “Grindr.” I guess this phone (I typed this quickly on my phone this morning) knows it’s owned by a gay man. 😂🏳️🌈
We were expecting 3-5” of snow last night, but it seemed to have been more of a rain event. It was raining when I went to bed last night and when I woke up this morning, we had less than an inch of snow. I’m hoping that the small amount of snow we’ve received is not hiding a layer of ice. I hate when there is a layer of ice below because it makes it deceptively slippery when walking to my car, and it will make it much more difficult to clean the snow off my car so I can actually drive to work.
I’m only working half a day today. I have an audiology appointment this afternoon. Tomorrow, I will be working from home, so this morning is the last time I have to go to the museum until we return from the holiday break on January 2. I need a break from the museum, but I am not sure that next week, which I will be spending in Alabama, will provide the necessary rest (mentally and physically) that I need right now.
Putting all that aside, I owe y’all some Isabella pics. Yes, I said pics, as in more than one, because here are a few Isabella Christmas pictures. The first two pictures are from her first Christmas, which she spent with a coworker while I was in Alabama. The other two are from a few years ago.
I’m planning on a pretty relaxing and chill (and chilly) weekend. I have a get together at a friend’s house tomorrow night, but otherwise, I’ll be spending time with Isabella and keeping warm. We are expecting sunny weather this weekend but also lows in the single digits and highs in the 20s. I honestly don’t mind the cold as long as there isn’t a lot of wind, and it looks like this weekend won’t be too windy.
Well, that’s about it for today. I don’t have much to say really. It’s a work from home day, so my chill weekend will start early. Have a great weekend everyone!
Joe
The Closet Professor 