East Coast Happenings

[Diane Amberg]

YES, my sore nose loves Puffs with the Vicks too. Do today's kids know Vicks like we did? Mom slathered it on us, if we even had the slightest sniffle. I've got chicken soup for lunch...if Al ever gets up. We had very spicy, hot Chinese last night...opens up noses too. Whew!

[Diane Amberg]

Had some good chili last night if I do say so. Both feeling somewhat better. The rain last night washed away most of the snow and now the temp. is dropping fast. All emergency services are preparing for really low temps. We've already had two CO deaths and a couple of close calls, a number of serious sledding accidents and a number of hypothermia cases in the area, not to mention a series of serious fires, broked pipes and broken sprinklers. It's to go below zero here tonight again, with the coldest temps since 1997... a hateful time to have to fight fires, as every drop of water that spills on the ground freezes and creats slip hazards for anyone on a hose line. Not a nice time to slip off a roof either. As much as I don't want to, we'll have to go to Bingo tonight. BRRRRR! Hope lots of the much older folks stay home.

[Diane Amberg]

It just occured to me, as I'm sitting here watching the temp.drop, 25 years ago today, in a big snow storm, we moved into this house.The movers were from Buffalo NY and they just laughed at our meager foot plus of snow. The last thing packed on the truck was our snow blower and the first thing off was the snow blower. They cut paths everywhere, the driveway, to all the doors and the basement bilco door. They did a fantastic job. I tried to help push the piano up the driveway, my feet went out from under me and I slid all the way back down the driveway on my butt!

[Diane Amberg]

It got seriously cold last night as predicted ,never got higher than 14 today and is back down to 7 right now. All day long there have been many calls for broken water pipes, flooded apartments, broken sprinkler heads, furnace fires and gas leaks. More suicides too. Really a shame.
Some calls to fire board have been from Mail Carriers or passers-by reporting water running out from under folks' front doors and nobody home... Some away on vacation in warmer climes.
All the schools in this area were closed today, possibly tomorrow too. Many older schools have frozen and broken  water pipes and  their heat is out too. Too cold for walkers also.  A lot of kids here don't have 0 degree weather coats.

[Diane Amberg]

Finally temps. here are getting back to Delaware winter "normal". Usually we get moderated by the influence of the Chesapeake Bay to our south and west and the Delaware River/ Bay/Atlantic Ocean to our east. Even cities in the north that are used to brutal cold conditions every winter cried "Uncle" and closed for a day or so. I have to laugh at people saying that the warming global trend doesn't exist because of this oddity. Winter will always happen, but may usually start later and end earlier, while summer heat continues to rise...in tiny two steps forward, one step back increments. It will take a very long time to make statements that can be proven to everyone's satisfaction.
Time to head to the dentist for my check up and cleaning. Hopefully nothing new going on. Stay warm and enjoy the day.

[Diane Amberg]

Had a good dental check up, nothing needed but a cleaning. I think  saw the truck again that hit my passenger side mirror and broke it off, but again I couldn't get to him and the back was still too dirty to get a look at a plate.  Fortunately Al was able to get one for me and put it on.There was no door damage thankfully. So for $30.00 I was back in business. I don't think the big tractor trailer truck driver even knew he hit me.
I know many of you are watching Downton Abbey again. Winterthur Museum, (not far from here) the huge mansion of one of the wealthiest DuPonts, will soon be having a display of many of the show's costumes. It was built at the same time as the earliest parts of the series. They had even more staff than Downton Abbey did. The museum is  home to a huge collection of American furniture,silver, art etc. in the home's 175 rooms,on 1000 beautifully manicured acres with gardens and ponds. People come from all over the world to see it. I'm hoping they will eventually show some of it on TV, but who knows. Winterthur is a real American Downton Abbey.

[Diane Amberg]

Time for a mental break. I've spent the day tossing out pounds of teaching notes, lesson plans, overhead projector slides, text books, tapes. discs,  EMT props, CPR props and the like. It's time for other younger folk to take over. We'll donate our 6 CPR mannequins and A E D trainer units to the firehouse. I'll actually have some extra storage room in my garage! It's been a great ride, but I've had my turn.

[Diane Amberg]

It's back. 10 inches officially for Wilmington/Newark and 9 3/4 on my back picnic table. It was 5 when I got up this morning with a nasty wind blowing that dry fluffy snow all around. Schools closed early yesterday and are all closed today. The Gov. declared a limited state of emergency here, which means stay off the road unless you have to go out. I know you folks commonly get those cold numbers, but we get more snow I think.  If we get one more 6+ snow before the end of Feb. it will be an all time record for here. We often get one or two boomers, but then lots of little 2-4 inchers piled on top.  Al went out early with the men who were home to get everyone cleaned out.The sun is beautiful now and has helped some what but its still very cold and will be for some time. A code purple has been announced so the street people can be scooped up and taken to shelters overnight, like it or not.
I see the female resident sour puss is spewing again. She must have a very sad, contracted life to have so many complaints and be so intolerant. No sense of humor and rather jealous, I suspect. Very sad. Perhaps she should put most of us ignore so her "sensibilities" won't be challenged . .

[sixdogsmom]

Brr--- very cold here in Oklahoma today but very dry too. Fire ban all over the place here. Wheat is needing moisture and the canola looks really bad. Keep warm all.

[Diane Amberg]

Whacha doin' in OK? Stay warm yourself. Have fun. Can't wait for a warm up. Sorry you are so dry there.
One of our big time hunter friends ( Ramar of the Jungle...not) is having a game dinner tonight. Venison, goose, probably smoked trout and whatever else he has in his freezer. I'm taking a cocoa pudding cake thing that is very good. It eats out of a bowl, warm, with whipped cream, if anyone wants it. Not too sweet.