Weather nerds unite!

Last Saturday I finally got the chance to attend a weather spotter training class at my library. I’d been wanting to do this for a long time, as I’ve had a life-long fascination with tornadoes and severe weather. But with the kids’ schedules taking over my schedule for the last 16 years, it’s been tough [...]

Read Full Post »

Fall is coming

We’ve had cooler, drier weather lately, which has enticed me to open the windows and enjoy the sneak preview of fall. Early in the evening before darkness settles in, cicadas hum their lazy late-summer song. After dark they’re followed by the nighttime symphony of crickets, whose chirps are so soothing and peaceful, I fall asleep listening to [...]

Read Full Post »

Summer is here

I think I put away my winter coat for the last time this spring. It had been riding around in my car for several days because earlier last week, my son had an evening baseball game and the weather was still cool enough (to me) to justify wearing a winter coat. I think I can [...]

Read Full Post »

Is the week over yet?

I hope I can make it one more day to the weekend. This week was busier than I imagined it would be. Being sleep deprived hasn’t helped any, either. It makes it harder to cope with stressful stuff, like when my son’s middle school called me on Monday asking if I could help them track down the [...]

Read Full Post »

Frostbitten feet

We sat through another frigid baseball game tonight. The wind, the cold– they haven’t gone away. I tried to dress warm enough to survive the game without cooking myself at work by wearing too many layers. I dug out my full-length wool dress coat from the back of the closet and wrapped my extra warm black [...]

Read Full Post »

Where did spring go?

The calendar says it’s spring and blooming flowers make it look like spring, but after a weekend of temps in the 30s and 40s, it sure doesn’t feel like spring. In fact, spring in the Midwest has sucked this year. The mulch I bought and didn’t spread last weekend is still sitting there, all 10 [...]

Read Full Post »

Midwest flooding

If April showers bring May flowers, what do March & April monsoons bring? Flooding, school closures, and cancelled sporting events. Track, baseball, and now a local soccer tournament have all succumbed to too much water. I’m hoping they don’t call off another day of school. We can’t afford to miss any more educational time than we already [...]

Read Full Post »

Spring storms = Sleepless night

Last night was awful. I didn’t get to bed until 12 am and as I was settling down to sleep, a thunderstorm rolled in. At first I thought it would be relaxing to fall asleep to the gentle rumble of thunder. But within minutes, there was a bright flash of lightning and a booming crash of thunder. [...]

Read Full Post »

Too much rain!

When my son asked me earlier in the evening if school would be cancelled because of the rain, I said, “No way– that’s wishful thinking.” But his wish came true.
It rained all day and into the night, with more expected overnight and into the morning. The weathermen said we could have 5-7 inches of rain before [...]

Read Full Post »

Snow again!

We’ve had a snowier than usual winter. The most recent snowstorm on Friday turned the media into so many Chicken Littles. They predicted everything from 2-12 inches. That’s a pretty wide margin of error. We ended up with about 4-5 inches; some areas east of here got more. So I guess they were right.
They would [...]

Read Full Post »