Tuesday, January 18, 2005

running waters

The weather here in Northwest Tennessee has gotten colder again. The temperatures are only reaching about 30. The sun is shining, but it's very misleading because the weather is not warming up much at all. I'm definitely putting the ear muffs I got for Christmas to work. The wind is blowing slightly, which means that the wind chill puts the temperature about six degrees or so lower than what is being reported.

At my house, you have to take extra precautions when the temperatures drop. The water in the sink has to run at a trickle so that the pipes don't freeze. Also, since the laundry room is located on the north end of the house, I have to wash clothes more frequently to keep the water running there. The pipes freeze with no warning, stranding you with a big pile of laundry and hours spent at the laundromat washing clothes. When the pipes freeze in the laundry room, it takes a long time for them to thaw, even when you run a heater near the pipes to warm things up.

I'm also dressing in layers to try and stay warm when I do have to venture outside. I have several wool sweaters that I wear with various shirts and turtlenecks on underneath. Since work and other places I have to go are usually about a thirty minute drive, I try to make sure I'm bundled up "just in case" my vehicle has a break down and I have to wait on help.

The cold weather is good for us though, because it kills off the insects that would otherwise run rampant during the summer. They manage to show up, but not nearly as big a population if we didn't have the colder weather.

Another thing that happens during this weather is the presence of rodent life-forms, usually unseen. I keep an ample supply of rat & mice poison in the laundry room and other areas where I've noticed a little activity. I have "the best party in town". I'm legendary in the rodent community. When they come to one of my "parties", some don't make it back home alive. I have to use poison because they laugh at traps and other devices I've tried over the years. It's "survival of the fittest" and so far I've been the most fit.

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