HOW COLD IS IT -- PART 2

The news says the east coast is dealing with record warmth.  The Missouri river is way over its banks and dumping flood waters into the Mississippi.  There have been tornadoes in Alabama and earthquakes in Oklahoma; so I guess our week of double digit below zero weather here in the Northern Rockies is not the worst that could happen.

 Over the holidays we had a house full of kids who wanted to play in the snow but nobody cared to spend even a few minutes in our arctic air.  The school teachers were a little annoyed that weather cold enough to close school happened during Christmas vacation.

Our neighbors’ plumbing froze up and the kids came to use our bathroom until they could thaw things out.

 The icicles have icicles.

 When these cold fronts slide down out of the north, there is usually no wind.  Still, after a quick walk to the mailbox I couldn’t feel my face and I had to take an ice scraper to my glasses.

 So we’ve spent the days huddled by the fire, and when a hot flash hits I’m kinda glad.

HOW COLD IS IT?

How cold is it?  So cold I had to use my hair dryer to thaw out the aluminum window frame so I could open the window to get to the bird feeder.

 So cold it was frosted and icicled.

 That’s right, seven degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 14 Celsius: a bit frosty.

 The finches were glad to get a free breakfast.

 An Oregon Junco was next in line.

There are always chickadees.

 I finally found a name for this little guy.  They come and go so fast I’ve had a hard time getting a clear photo.  At first I thought it was some kind of warbler or wren.  But now I’ve figured out it is red-breasted nuthatch.

 Of course we have a plethora of sparrows (aka flying pigs) visiting the bird feeder.

 And the squirrels clean up the left-overs underneath.

 Still, for all the frigid temps, construction continues across the street.

 But they’re using a gas heater to warm things up before they go to work.

WAITING TO GET OVER THE BRIDGE

Forty years ago this month we moved from a two bedroom apartment into our present home.  During the passing decades our house has been through a devastating flood and several different remodelings.

 One of the last building projects was the addition of a front porch where we like to spend summer evenings.  From the porch is the view of a tree-lined irrigation canal which channels water to nearby farmland. 

Our friends tease us about having waterfront property.  It is nice to have nothing but the canal across the street, and just beyond the that is an assisted living complex which makes for very quiet neighbors.

 At least it was quiet until the facility purchased a big chunk of land to develop into an even bigger place.  With all the aging boomers it seems nursing homes are a good investment.

So a HUGE hole has been dug and concrete walls are going in for a basement. Also part of the design has been another bridge across the canal just a few yards from our house.

 As soon as the water was gone for the season, backhoes were brought in and they proceeded to dig up the canal banks to make way for the base of the bridge.

 All day long heavy equipment comes and goes, loading and unloading and rattling the windows with their rumble.

 This morning I took photos of the progress of the new bridge from the original bridge at the end of the street.

 It’s going to be interesting to see the finished product.

 Our view in this direction will soon be blocked by a building several stories tall.

There is one advantage to having access to this place just out our front door.  When the time comes, our kids will just have to toss us in a wheel chair to cart us off to the geezer house.