I have several blogs in the works on our political situation here in the US, as well as some on theology and one about why Father would appoint a godless Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Hitler or some presidents to lead nations, but those can wait a week or two.
Frozen in Kentucky, we are getting our share of the polar vortex that “proves” global warming. 🙄 The bottom line, like William Goldman said early in his illustrious career, “Nobody knows anything.”
So Tuesday evening, February 9, we went to bed with moderate winter temperatures and woke to a frozen wonderland, pictured below. With temps staying below freezing now for four days and no sign of getting above it before Thursday, February 18 (and just barely, then!), the ice is still on our sidewalks, although salt trucks have pretty much cleared the main roads. A few of us have worked up the nerve to clear our walks, but most are still under the glacier that has gripped the central US this week.
Before heading out on Wednesday for our 1-2 mile walk, Anita found our “hand-warmers” and I wish I could load the video associated to the third pic. It’s really ‘cool’ how the white sodium acetate reacts in the aqueous solution when you click the metal disk which allows the supersaturated NaCH3COO to crystallize in the water. You can see the chemical reaction at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m25n9179ym4. (Just for the record, I do not have any affiliate links from which I get remuneration. Any referrals I provide in my blogs are just because I like the products.)
Just to give you an idea of how cold it was and how frozen it felt, hardly anyone was moving about on Wednesday as schools and everything shut down in Lexington. I know we’re wimps compared to friends in Canada and Norway, but no one knows how to drive 25mph here unless the weather forces them to do so.
So out we went, with warm hands and hearts into the wasteland of arctic air that had seeped into Kentucky. We used our hiking sticks to keep our feet steady, but even then, Anita felt too unsure of her footing, so I returned her to home and wandered Copperfield alone. But not for long! Even with hand-warmers, taking my glove off every few minutes to take a picture made me decide to head home pretty quickly as well.
Baby, it’s cold outside! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MFJ7ie_yGU. (Red Skelton’s section is hilarious!! 😂)
I always wondered why someone thought Valentine’s Day ❤️ should come in the coldest month of the year!
The Copperfield Clubhouse Pool was cool, as were the trees and bushes around it!
Cars were pretty much unmoved. Some were creative about preventing the ice from locking down their wipers, except for Charles who had no intentions of driving, but was called on a mission of mercy to a friend in the hospital.
Smaller trees seemed to do better than big birches around the neighborhood. The birches were not as bowed as they were in 2003, but still arched under the weight. Basketball, being the local primary religion in Lexington, one of the “idols” had to stand unattended since it was too slick for the supplicants to participate in “worshiping at the altar.” 😇
Back at home after perambulating the neighborhood, our friend across the street was as surprised as Anita and me that the USPS actually could drive around for mail delivery today! I guess their slogan, “Neither rain nor sleet, . . . etc” really works! Well, we’ll scrape some ice off the sidewalk and garage and go have a hot cup of Chili Chocolate from Peoria, Illinois! Thanx, Sean and Mikki!
Final note, for Valentines Day/Chinese New Year, we ordered out at the Palomar Malone’s for some steak and lobster mac & cheese! That was after checking the web for traffic cams to make sure the drive was navigable. And here’s an icy panorama to finish off. Happy Year of the OX! San Nin Faai Lok! https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a35394134/year-of-the-ox-prediction/
capost2k 