I've been too busy and gloomy to have much of anything to say of late. I can't take any more winter! A few days ago it was sunny, temps in the 80s, with 70% humidity - in other words, a nice summer day. Two days later (yesterday) it snowed on and off all day. Today is sunny, but it was 18 degrees this morning. I feel desperate for a taste of ( Read more... )

RAIN! We've been in drought conditions in Iowa, on and off, for several years. At times, including now, it's gotten severe. Right now only about 35% of corn and 33% of soybean crops were rated as "good to excellent". That's pretty catastrophic in a state that's as agriculture-based as Iowa. But today, after 40 straight days with nary a drop, ( Read more... )

I walked outside in my winter coat this morning to take Alpha Son to work, and quickly discovered that I was WAY overdressed.  I checked the thermometer, which informed me that it was in the mid-60's.  We had an ice storm over the weekend, so bad that everything was entombed in thick, clear ice.  The weather had continued in that vein since then, ( Read more... )