Posts from the ‘Weather’ category

Comfy?

Karl

This is a new variation…”arms” stretched out in front. He is asleep …eyes partly open.

Karl

This looks more comfortable – my sweet boy…he was snoring when I took this. Well, it is 4 a.m. – I’ve been waking early and I just get up and get to it…one of the benefits of working from a “home” office. Starting very early most days is how I can take time during the day for a long walk or errands or sometimes a nap of my own!

A benefit of this nearly empty (still just 5 of us) rv park is that I’m sitting on an end spot – no one within 100 yards of me and nothing but prairie to one side. I don’t have to worry about light and noise bothering anyone and can leave blinds and shades open on the “prairie-side” – even at night. The park has low, parking lights and no bothersome “street-lamp” lighting to shine in. I have this thing about liking to get up in the night and look out – it is perfect here with just the low, twinkling, site lights.

I was up several times last night. The wind howled most of the night. The slide-out sections of the motorhome have “toppers” – canvas awning-type things on rollers that roll out with the slide when it extends and keep dirt, etc. from collecting on the roof of the slide. They work…the downside is in high wind they “flap”. They are fairly taught but not tight enough to stop some flapping in wind. Between the living room slide and the bedroom slide, it can sound like I’m on a sailboat and all of the sails have been let loose to flap in the hurricane…it is noisy is what I mean and sounds like things are coming apart. In Ohio, the bedroom topper came completely unrolled. The slide looked like it had its own parachute – that’s when I brought the slide in. I don’t like to do that as Karl’s preferred sleeping place – other than the sofa – is between the bed and the back wall which is unaccessible with the slide in… Well…there is that expression “let sleeping dogs lie”! – there must be a reason for it as my dog is not spoiled… he’s not!!

the big storm(s)

The weather channel online referred to the current series of storms as “the big storm”. It has been pretty wild in some places. So far here, a lot of wind, periods of heavy rain, a bit of thunder and lightning, but the clouds have been spectacular and provided for a dramatic sunset Friday evening when the first front had passed.

We took a walk in the calm AFTER the [first] storm…

Walking on the road

Departing Storm

The cloud line in the departing front was lit in soft pastels by the setting sun.

OH Fields

OH Fields

The fields and grass looked 10 times greener after the rain in the early evening light. This part of Ohio is wheat-corn-soybean rotation. The fields that are green now are wheat – planted last fall.

And the grand finale – a fiery sunset…

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Goodbye Canada Dry

I was born and raised in northwest Ohio – not too far from where I am currently “parked” in the Winnebago. In this area, the “local” ginger ale is Vernors.

A little history, courtesy of Wikipedia:

In 1862, James Vernor was called off to the American Civil War. According to legend, he left a mixture of ginger, vanilla and spices sitting in an oak cask in a pharmacy he had been working in. After returning from battle four years later, he opened the keg and found the drink inside had been changed by the aging process in the wood. It was like nothing else he had ever tasted, and he purportedly declared it “Deliciously different,” which remains the drink’s motto to this day. Its current slogan is “Barrel Aged, Bold Taste!™”.

Vernors is a golden ginger ale with a pungent flavor, more like a ginger beer. This style was common before Prohibition when the less flavorful pale ginger ale became popular as an alcoholic mixer. While Michiganders who grew up with it tend to like it, many other Americans are suspicious of it, as it doesn’t taste like a “typical” ginger ale.

As I’ve moved around the U.S., there are some areas that carry Vernors and some that don’t. After the advent of the internet and the availability of nearly everything online – for a price, of course, I even had the stuff shipped to me at what worked out to $1 per 12 ounce can. Thankfully, my favorite grocery in Montana now carries Vernors, although only in 6 packs…still better than the shipping scenario!

In Florida, sometimes the grocery had it and sometimes they didn’t. Towards the end, I bought – GASP! – Canada Dry Ginger Ale. Canada Dry is nothing like Vernors but it was as close as I could come. Nearly the first thing I did when I arrived in Ohio was acquire a bit of Vernors…

Vernors

This is only one trip – I made 3 trips…I have as much Vernors as I can find room for in the motorhome.

Vernors

This storage area under the dinette seat is now full to the brim with Vernors…oh, and a bit of wine…

Now, when I brought back the first load of Vernors, I still had about 18 cans of Canada Dry left. Bleah! – still – I MADE myself drink the Canada Dry before I could have my first Vernors.

Canada Dry

The last Canada Dry…

Vernors

First Vernors!!! – in celebratory style…

Although the Vernors is stowed and I had planned to roll west yesterday afternoon, the weather did not cooperate. A storm the Weather Channel called “The Big Storm” was just west of Ohio and although I don’t think it will be as bad here as it was in TX, OK and the middle U.S., it is enough to keep me parked. The current plan is to sit here and work through the weekend and roll on Monday morning.

The downside to this plan is that Jeannine and Rick are stripping wallpaper this weekend. I offered to do the cooking (vs helping with the wallpaper). This offer was met with some skepticism as they know I love to cook. I’m not sure how it will all work out…

A good fire

WoodstoveWe have had rain off and on, it’s cool and crisp and last night rained all night and continues this morning.  All fire restrictions were lifted the beginning of this week.  The time was right – first fall fire in the woodstove!  A bit odd this year after all of the scare of fire during the summer.

But, suddenly the weather forecast is much cooler, much wetter and snow levels are dropping with each front.  The leaves are turning on the aspen and birch but the larch pine are still green – usually the color here peaks about mid-October.  No fire-reds or oranges here like the east but the brilliant blaze of yellow and gold mixed with the ever green is still beautiful.

There is usually not much time between the end of the color and the first snow – every year I’ve lived in Montana (since Feb ’94) it has at least flurried on Halloween.  And often it gets very cold and we get a first heavy snow in early November.  So, yesterday was spent putting away mower and trimmer and getting the snowblower ready to go.  Garden and lawn stuff to the rear – shovels and snowblower to the fore.  In the next couple of weeks it will be time to put the driveway edge markers in place – so much easier when you can see the edge of the driveway :) !

The change of seasons is not subtle in Montana.  We seem to always blast from one into the next.  The summer-fall transition is my favorite as I’m never sorry to leave the heat of summer behind.  The last several weeks of balmy days and lots of sunshine have been wonderful.   Now we’ll start being cold and damp and I always say that it feels colder during this first cold, wet time then in the dead of winter as I adjust to different temps and humidity – the fire feels pretty good!

there’s snow on them thar hills…

Road HomeI woke in the night 2 nights ago and heard rain – a good sound considering the fires and dryness of this area.  And it was a nice gentle rain so good moisture.

Yesterday afternoon, I was driving in to town (Kalispell) – blue skies, puffy white clouds and belatedly I noticed – SNOW on the mountain tops!  It is high – probably 3500-4000 feet higher than my home and a bit higher than that from the valley floor, but beautiful.  Mountain tops are made to have snow on them…

On the way to town, I stopped in Somers, MT – a little town that lives on the northwest border of Flathead Lake.  There is a bit of an historic railroad trail that Karl and I walk.  It’s on the way to the grocery I prefer.  There is a restaurant along the trail and they have a garden to grow their own veg and herbs.  The sunflowers below are from that garden – the lake and mountain view from along that trail.

Sunflowers

Lake

Rainy day Monday

RaincoatRain – finally!!  It has been cooler and fall-like but we really needed some rain to put a final end to fire season.  Today’s rain will not put everything out but it is supposed to continue through the week and hopefully things will get damp enough to be rid of smoke for good.  Skies have been mostly clear, but when a breeze kicks up, the sky gets hazy and smoke seeps into the valley.

The leaves are starting to turn, the sun is more southerly, no frost yet but we have been close a few nights. 

As grumpy as everyone was during the heat and smoke – we are now kind of “over the top” happy.  Everyone saying “What a beautiful day!” all over the place.

Let Fall begin!