JANUARY 2017
12th-15th. Clearing skies.
16th-19th. “Alberta Clipper” brings light snow and flurries.
20th-23rd. Clouding up with snow developing; 3 to 6 inches possible.
24th-27th. More snow; additional accumulations in most areas.
28th-31st. Fair skies followed by wet weather.
That was the Farmer’s Almanac long-range weather forecast prediction for January 12-15th, for my neck of the woods, North-East Ohio. They were wrong.
Today is the 12th of January, with a full moon to boot. But I can’t see the full moon, because skies are most definitely NOT “clearing” as the Almanac predicted. They’re cloudy and windy and pouring rain.
Last night it rained heavy all night long and the wind blew so hard I was sure trees, power lines (and maybe even the barn) would be down by morning. But none of that happened. What did happen was water. Lots of water. Like “I should consider building an Ark” kind of water…
It’s winter. My most un-favorite time of the year. The ground is frozen. All that water has no place to soak into. The temperatures are in the high 40’s and I’m not complaining, but around midnight tonight they will drop below freezing and stay that way until Sunday or Monday. Now, I’m no genius (honest), but I’m guessing this will make the water, all that water that has no place to go, a teensy-eensy-tiny little problem. You know, for things like driving, walking across the driveway, letting dogs out to pee… That sort of thing.
On the plus side, if you enjoy playing ice hockey or falling on your ass, then you are in luck with this kind of weather. As for this Amish family down the road from me, they are not in luck. No luck at all here. I do hope they move their buggy, before it freezes solid. I also hope their horse has a warm dry spot somewhere in that barn.
Clearing skies – my ass… The real forecast for January is more ice, more snow, more rain, more clouds and more cold. All I want to do is cook loads of comfort food, eat, get fat and crawl under a cozy blanket with a big glass of wine. ~A
