One of those days...like getting into your trusty ol' car, turning the key, and... nuttin'. Zip. Nada. Zilch. I usually have a blog idea the
afternoon before now, but got working on a carving for a flute and, well, did nothing more than make a nice dusty mess. No complaints, here, of course! Getting ready to head in to work, and here it is January 16, 1:30am, and it is 63 degrees outside here in the Piedmont of North Carolina. 52 up in the mountains at both Asheville and Boone, around the big ski resorts. Atop the 6,000 foot peak of Grandfather Mountain, it's 45. Yet all around to the north and west people are without power from the snow and ice, and dealing with a wintry grip that is most unkind.
The ice is the kicker, always. Give me 6" of snow and I'll happily drive it...give me even but a mere glazing of ice and I won't touch it. I call ice "The Great Equalizer" as it stymies virtually everyone from moving about. The AP wires were talking of the continuing woes in Oklahoma where 100,000 were still without power in the ensuing bitterly cold temperatures... as well as the sleet and ice build-up that totaled 4" in some places. Ouch.
There is necessarily and unavoidably this feeling we Tarheels have that we are going to get kicked in the teeth before too long. It has been too warm too long, with just enough minor cold taps to keep it from being ridiculous. I've always considered larger macro-scale weather systems to be like a coil spring or shock absorber on a car...and when the spring or shock is compressed for an extended period of time, the impending 'release' is usually a doozy. Hold that thought.
Do you know where that expression came from, a 'doozy'? Back in the 1920's and the early 30s glamor days of Hollywood, the 'hot' car for the stars was the American-built Duesenburg, and long story short the comment would be made on what a "Doozy" they looked like. Only the wealthiest could afford those beautiful, powerful beasts.
Oh yeah, the teeth-kicking...a doozy of a forecast, at that...it's coming today, at least the major temperature break, as we expect temps to continually head south all day. But we won't get any ice this go 'round, thanks to the coldest air banking on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, allowing the precipitation to race ahead into the warm sector. And the cold regime looks like it will lock into place for weeks as opposed to days this time, with slippery stuff in our forecast picture soon enough. Guess I can't wear my shorts forever.
I celebrate 'first snows' in shorts...this is obviously from a prior year... 
4 comments:
I just love reading your blah blah blog. I greet the morning with it most days! I'm ready for some wintery weather! I was beginning to think there's no reason for a Tarheel to ever buy winter clothes. No flute music? Can you add it to your blah blah blog? If you did, you'd have to change the name. You without inspiration? Balderdash! Now, where did THAT word come from? :-) ~Bobbye
The time has come...for wintry weather, or at least the groundwork for it! Unless my music has an URL, I can't link it...may try to do that soon. "Balderdash" is an 'origin obscure' word, though it has been noted in 17th century literature in several instances, referring to 'nonsense' as we use it today. It was also noted in at least 2 known instances in the 16th century referring to 'frothy liquids'. Ya just HAD to ask that, didn't you?!
"The Great Equalizer"
How true Bob! Looks like things may get "interesting" Thursday morning. As Jeff says, "dare to dream!".
It's a Catch-22 thing with me...I love snow, but I love it better when I can stay home and enjoy it, get out and photograph and play in it...NOT when I have to come in to work and pull 6 live forecasts an hour for hours on end! HA! Yep, our time is a-comin' here in the Piedmont....
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