At least it's a dry cold

When I got home Monday (the night of the WCC signboard below) I discovered the furnace switch was broken, and I had no heat. Luckily, I do have a poufy comforter and sleeping bag so I was able to sleep comfortably with the two. Then the next morning I had to sit around at home waiting for the furnace repairman, who did show up promptly and replace the switch quickly, so I have no complaints.

What the signboard doesn't show is the wind chill factor, which was probably enough to bring temperatures down to zero Farenheit. It's not uncommon to have windstorms with gusts in the 30-50mph range here, but they don't usually last more than one day or night. Last week the wind hardly let up for six days. Saturday morning when I went out for a coffee break the Nooksack River was dotted with patches of ice drifting down stream, and the Christmas tree at Riverside Park, though it seemed to be firmly anchored, was in danger of blowing to pieces before it was even lit up for the first time.

Wednesday I bicycled to school and back, lost another glove someplace, and had to ride home with just a glove liner on my right hand and a wind-shell glove with no liner on the left. Since then I've been holed up at home, studious and warm, with only daily excursions to the coffee shop for exercise and social life.

I've never seen ice on the Nooksack River in the eighteen years I've lived in the county. Today, Sunday, is warmer and calm. Some rain is predicted for later next week, which reminds me that rain and temperatures in the low forties is really not more comfortable than dry, freezing weather. The long-range forecast is for snow over New Year's weekend.