I woke this morning to frigid cold, -2 degrees F. I didn't have time to deal with candles or cooking to warm up the house. I threw on a winter jacket, a scarf and a hat until the heat, on automatic, kicked in. I couldn't pack yesterday because of the cold. Computers, cell phones, and cameras and their ilk should not be left out in freezing temperatures. Neither should some kinds of food. This meant last minute packing.
I put clothes in the plastic dressers (both cold and warm weather expected so everything from shorts to long underwear), put the camping gear in, laid out the mattress and sleeping bags. No problem. But before the electronic gear could go in, I had to start the car. In ten minutes, the car was warm, everything in, and it was time to leave home at 10:30. Rascal pouted but he's used to it.
One stop at the library to pick up a book. One stop at the ATM to get some cash. Then the stop at the Shell station to get some cappuccino. I was pleased I bought gas yesterday for $3.16 a gallon because this morning it was $3.26. Then I was surprised by the manager who heard I had written a book. She insisted on buying one for $8.00.
I was off. I watched the car's exterior thermometer the whole drive. It was six degrees F. as I left Seymour.
At Beaver Dam, the temperature was ten degrees. At Rockford, Illinois, it was 17. The bank clock in Byron said 23 degrees.
And along with rising temperatures, there was sun all the way. I put on my sunglasses and prepared myself for a southern trip.
Tonight I am staying with Gary at the farmhouse in Dixon, Illinois. Lily and Mama Pajama, the two cats that spent thirteen years of their lives in a chicken coop, are now happy in the house. As I type, Mama is purring loudly. She is de-clawed, so we know that she started life out as a house cat. She adapted to Gary and his indoor life immediately. Lily, who was a kitten when she was locked in the coop, is still learning, but with a few more sardines, she should be fine.
I'll be here until Monday, then it's on to Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The days will be longer the temperatures warmer. Today it was 68 degrees in Pass Christian.
I put clothes in the plastic dressers (both cold and warm weather expected so everything from shorts to long underwear), put the camping gear in, laid out the mattress and sleeping bags. No problem. But before the electronic gear could go in, I had to start the car. In ten minutes, the car was warm, everything in, and it was time to leave home at 10:30. Rascal pouted but he's used to it.
One stop at the library to pick up a book. One stop at the ATM to get some cash. Then the stop at the Shell station to get some cappuccino. I was pleased I bought gas yesterday for $3.16 a gallon because this morning it was $3.26. Then I was surprised by the manager who heard I had written a book. She insisted on buying one for $8.00.
I was off. I watched the car's exterior thermometer the whole drive. It was six degrees F. as I left Seymour.
At Beaver Dam, the temperature was ten degrees. At Rockford, Illinois, it was 17. The bank clock in Byron said 23 degrees.
And along with rising temperatures, there was sun all the way. I put on my sunglasses and prepared myself for a southern trip.
Tonight I am staying with Gary at the farmhouse in Dixon, Illinois. Lily and Mama Pajama, the two cats that spent thirteen years of their lives in a chicken coop, are now happy in the house. As I type, Mama is purring loudly. She is de-clawed, so we know that she started life out as a house cat. She adapted to Gary and his indoor life immediately. Lily, who was a kitten when she was locked in the coop, is still learning, but with a few more sardines, she should be fine.
I'll be here until Monday, then it's on to Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The days will be longer the temperatures warmer. Today it was 68 degrees in Pass Christian.
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