Don't like the weather? Stick around!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

I hope you have had a great Christmas and New Year's holiday break! I know not everyone gets two weeks off at this time, but I hope you have enjoyed the time you had. I have been enjoying the time with my family. It is one of the many things I enjoy about being a teacher. Typically, when my kids are out of school, I am also out of school.

I have been sitting here at the end of the day, looking out on the glowing embers remaining from a huge fire in our backyard (more on that), waiting for feed trucks to come off the hill before I go do night time checks on the farm ("put the chickens to bed"), contemplating what, if anything, to write tonight.

I thought back on the holiday break, and decided on the weather. I know, I know, it seems like such a lame topic, but I live in Arkansas! Weather is a common topic of discussion, because there is always something to talk about. These past 2 (maybe 3)weeks are definitely a good example of same.

The last week of school in december started off a wild ride. Arkansas natives (sometimes called "Arkansans") are often heard to say, " if you don't like the weather, stick around awhile. It'll change. (Feed truck's coming off the hill, I will be back).

(40 minutes later)Okay, fed, and put to bed!

Anyway, the weather! 3 weeks ago today, the weather was fairly nice, but on the cool side of things. Just like you would expect for December. Monday, December 15 dawned cold and drizzly, at least here in Drasco. I drove down to school, and watched as the day got colder, and grayer, and wetter. Sleet is such wild stuff. I believe I described it once as tiny ice ball-bearings. Then it was announced that school would dismiss at 1:30. As I watched the sleet start to stick to edges of sidewalks and car windows, I knew I was in for a rough ride home.

Sleet, some snow, and light freezing fog for the next 2 days, most schools cancelled across the north and central part of the state. Then Thursday was cold, but fairly nice.

Friday Dec. 19, last day of school before break, testing for the last 15 students (okay, there were more, but not many). Gorgeous! Sunny, and a pleasant 70 degrees in Conway (or very close to it.) Drasco had 65 degrees or higher. There was talk of possible tornadoes.

Saturday was sunny but cool, and then Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Christmas dawned cold! very cold. Sunday at church we had people saying they had 10-15 degrees showing at home. Monday, Bob (my father-in-law) said his porch thermometer showed 4 degrees at about 7 am when he got up to deal with a dog. I believed every bit of it, because puddles in the chicken house driveways had frozen solid enough to support our van. The day stayed cold, although fairly sunny. It took a 20-something ton feed truck to break the ice on those puddles Monday night. When I saw them Tuesday a.m., they were nearly 1 1/2 inches thick!!

Then over Christmas Eve, Christmas, and (for our British and Canadian friends) Boxing Day, we had more typical Arkansas December weather. Cool, mostly sunny, some wind and night-time fog or mist (not the German version).

We have enjoyed the week leading up to New Year's, with nice cool weather, allowing work in the yard, or just a pleasant walk down the road. These past 2 days, I finally had to actually do some work in the yard. Hey, I said the weather allowed it, I didn't say I did it!

I spent today dealing with some trees. I have 8 trees in my front yard that need to come down. 3 are dead, and threaten our small storage shed. The others are in the way of a planned construction of a shop for Michelle's seamstress business. After taking care of chicken house chores, breakfast, and some other miscellaneous things, I went to get the chainsaw and get started. Wouldn't you know, the best laid plans........

After drawing the starter rope 4-5 times to work the mechanism loose, the first strong pull snapped the rope! Bummer! After spending Nearly 2 more hours finding tools, rope and other parts, and about 30 minutes unwinding the twisted starter rope, I finally got the chainsaw started. We didn't have as much daylight as I needed to cut down all of my planned victims, but just to say I got something truly accomplished today, I took down the biggest of the 8.

We got it cut, Ian and I split it into good firewood, and it is now stacked nicely behind the house. To celebrate, we burned a huge pile of old rotting logs, and the smaller branches, creating the big bonfire I mentioned earlier. The wood pile was about 4 feet high, and as it burned down to coals, we thought it was a beautiful night for a wienie roast. That's how nice the weather was today. We had hot-dogs, and s'mores, and then sat around the fire for about an hour.

That was 4 hours ago, and I wouldn't want to go sit out around the glowing embers, or a big fire now. A very heavy fog has moved in, and everything is wet and cold.

I don't know what tomorrow's weather is supposed to be like, but if it is not what I want when I wake up, I just need to wait and see what it changes into.