it Began to Rain!
Have your ever thought your were about to meet the end of the world? Utah’s weather has always been predictable. In the winter, an average of 20+ degrees. Warms up to snow. Snow storm comes. Then the sun appears and the snow disappears. The temperature stays in the 20’s
This week it snowed and snowed. The wind blowed and blowed. [I know, the word is blew.] And it got colder and colder, with ice climbing up the windows. When the sun came out, it got colder and colder–or so it seemed.
Now, I have two furnaces: the basement furnace is steam with three zones and thermostats–registers along the floors. The floors are warm–nothing else is warm, but you can walk barefoot on the floors all winter. The upstairs furnace is gas and when it comes on the throw rugs rise from the cold floors as if to carry us a loft. Only the air is warm–nothing else warms up.
I also have a gas log in the fireplace where the heat goes up the chimney and the cold air circulates around the room. No drafts. None. The house is draft free. And the windows don’t sweat the small stuff.
Outside the snow drifts are like the waves of the sea–undulating across the lawn, the roof, the sidewalk, and through the driveway. Three feet on the flat and over four feet where the snowplows have created walls across the roads and the driveways. Actually we look like a Christmas card–all the trees are coated with snow.
Now comes waves of rain, as the typical January thaw brings temps in the 30’s for the next week. And the weather forecast includes winter storm warnings county by county for the next three days! When did we ever have storm warnings a week in advance?
The end of the year! Really. The 23rd of December 2016 they striped the roads and put the storm warnings on the over-freeway signs. “Major Winter Storm coming this weekend.” Life continued on as before. People shopping in preparation for the holiday. People delivering gifts to neighbors. People making cookies and Christmas candy. People finishing decorations inside and out.
Christmas Eve about 6 pm the blizzard started. The wind howled and blew the snow on a horizontal plane. All night it snowed. All day Christmas the snow continued on and off. Flurries continued mid-week. Then…
New Year’s Eve a repeat. 2017–2nd verse, a little worse. When we awakened Monday morning the whole world was white and the wind was still blowing. The papers announced this was a 100-year storm.
Well, I don’t know about 100 years. But…Utah is in the middle of a major drought. Not to compare with California and parts of the Northwest, but a major drought. Little rain and less snow for as long as anyone around here can remember. And Box Elder County where I live is not supposed to get more than seven inches of water a year. We live on a desert with sage brush and sand that scratches permanently when it blows–and the wind blows both directions every day around here.
What to make of such a weather pattern? I am in two heavy shirts and a puffer vest with flannel jammies. Wrapped myself in a blanket and climbed into bed with a comforter and two quilts–just to get warm. [The furnaces are still on!]
Climbed out long enough to finish my descriptive blog; hopefully not long enough to get chilled again. Tomorrow is another day, a warmer day with rain to fall on the snow and run into the frozen drains. Flooding is predicted–did I mention that?
If this is more than you want to know…try again tomorrow for a brighter, more meaningful message from Utah’s favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS And take a chance on my new blog “Be of Good Cheer” launching soon.