Bingo!

It warmed up a little yesterday...so, of course, it snowed... and it kind of rained a freezing drizzle mist like stuff that immediately froze on the roads. Cathy and I had to drive up to Janesville to grab a few Christmas gifts since we are headed down to Rock Island on Christmas Day.

In the 15 mile stretch of Interstate 90 from Beloit to Janesville I counted 14 vehicles that had spun off the road into the ditch or in the median.

So this gave me an idea for a new kind of travel bingo game for Wisconsin winter tourism. Use a card with a variety of vehicle makes and models that you cross off whenever you spot one. Of course, it can only be counted if it is off the road and in need of tow truck recovery. Bonus points would be awarded for any vehicle upside down.

We were successful in our endeavor to stay between the ditches and arrived back home safely.

BBBBaby, It's CCCCCold Outside

Well, it just doesn't seem to get any better. This morning it was 11 degrees below zero. It warmed up to about 4 below by evening. It was very windy, so all the recent snow was drifting significantly. Check out the size of the snowdrift on the right side of the road in this photo. I took this shot today after dropping Cathy off at work. Yes, Friday was Cathy's final day at George Williams College. She was finally satisfied with having completed enough to actually leave by 8 p.m. tonight (Sunday). Those of you who know Cathy, know what I mean.

What's My Option?

Last night, we had another snowstorm of about 10"... more snow tonight, then it will get cold. Tomorrow's high will be about 0. Yes... zero (I didn't forget to put another number in front).

So, I notice that the guys standing around on the sidewalk "chewing the fat" have now taken to wearing at least a sweatshirt. Although, occasionally you will see guys pumping gas in a tee shirt - after all, it's not yet "bitter cold" here, I guess.

A couple of days ago, it was about 5 below and I had been moving some things over into our storage, it was about noon and I was hungry so I thought, "I'm in the mood to go into the diner, sit at the counter and eat a bowl of chili". Once again, the topic of discussion was not one I would expect to hear in Phoenix. Three different people were explaining to one another how to operate their remote car starters. These things have become such a common feature up here that one guy had the option on his car and didn't even know it. So, they figured it out for him - and sure enough, he got his car started while sitting in the coffee shop. It's only a matter of time before we can do away with keys, which is good with me since I locked my keys in my truck this week and had to call the police to come and open it up for me.

Fill 'Er Up

Tonight, after going out for dinner, we passed a gas station on the way home where I noticed a couple of snowmobiles at the gas station filling up.

I commented to Cathy that we wouldn't be seeing that in Arizona.

Something else I saw today that I don't anticipate seeing in Phoenix is the thermometer reading 2 degrees.

As I think about it, I realize I've never been on a snowmobile. How many people that have lived in Wisconsin their whole life can say that?

The Secret of Selling

I may have accidentally stumbled upon the real secret of selling.
In the complex, verbose and sometimes deceptive arena of selling used vehicles - tonight I saw success. Yes, tonight I sold our old pickup. It has served us very well for many years and many miles (253,000 miles to be exact). I sincerely hope the new owner gets many more from it.
So, it took somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 - 6 minutes to make the sale. As the buyers got out of their car, they handed me the money (my full asking price, by the way). Then they asked to hear it run. We started it up, I handed them the title and they drove away.
Did I mention the temperature outside was about 9 degrees?
This tends to discourage protracted discussions and intensive examination of every square inch of the vehicle.
My best suggestion for all of you latent used car saleman out there is to bring the vehicle up to Wisconsin around December or January, Make sure you park it outside - out in the open where it's windy, if possible. Then, wait for a cold snap; single digits or sub-zero is even better. Next, bring on the buyers.
If you can't manage this scenario, then I would at least try to wait till it's pouring rain to show the car. The bonus is that it will look really shiny when it's wet.
Oh man, what am I saying? What have I become? Somebody stop me before I make a regrettable career move.

A Nose of a Different Color

I've been thinking a lot about Rudolph the last couple of days.

What about the complexities of his relationships to all the other reindeer?

At the beginning of the story, he is treated cruelly as they laugh at him and even call him names. They also intentionally exclude him from their fun social activities. So, how do we get from this to the statement, "...then all the reindeer loved him"? What exactly transpired to cause this dramatic transformation of attitude and behavior?

The boss (Santa), as we all know, asks Rudolph to lead the way since it is a foggy night. That is the only thing that happens to completely change those 8 ill-mannered ungracious personalities into loving, accepting companions. Once mocked, unpopular and isolated - how can he now be regarded by them as a hero? Maybe they're just selfish and concerned about the impending danger of flying into a building or cell tower.

My theory is that once they observed the boss showing Rudolph some appreciation they all became the first legitimate and literal "brown nosers".

Winter Wonder (what I'm doing here) Land

This morning I was reminded that I am once again in the land of snow, ice, slippery roads, ice scrapers, gloves and stocking caps.

I took this picture today just outside of Cathy's office after I had dropped her off for work.

Oh well, at least I got the chance to use the 4 wheel drive on my truck... for real.