What a difference the temperature makes!

Winter Diamonds
The week begun with the same frigid temperatures we have been having since Christmas. The whole community is sick and tired of it. And looking for the bright side has gotten harder even for those of us with cameras that can be lured out of our homes to record ice crystals on last summers dried grasses. Sun or no sun there is something depressing about dressing in multiple layers to the point you look like the characters on South Park. Or waiting until the day heats up to at least 10 F above before walking the dogs or starting your aging car so it does not wear out the starter or battery. But when we didn't get to that mark until noon I just wanted to go back to bed like a hibernating bear.

But the Arctic cold finally broke on Wednesday and my valley got above freezing for the first time in weeks. And I think it was Thursday the night did not fall below zero. It was the day I finally bought an installed a replacement heater in my living room. The heater I had not needed for three years. But when you are colder than some places in the Arctic and for an extended period you give in. I was beginning to think fondly of The Cremation of Sam McGee by Service.

Then like New Mexico can do so wonderfully the overdue January thaw arrived. Never thought I would look forward to mud.

Mud and thawing ice

Earth

Winter is not over by a long shot nor would we wish it. The forest still needs more snow to lessen the fire season this summer. The high country snows feed the rivers and lakes and reservoirs and aquifers. But spring snows have more moisture in them. It has been so very cold that the snow was powdery and did not even make ice well. And a friend reports that Elephant Butte Reservoir has closed all its boat docks because of how low the lake is. Eagle Nest Lake was too low for the New Years Day Arctic plunge. A stock tank had to be used.

Magique jumping for joy

Most of us who live here love the snow. We engage in a lot of fun winter sports even if it is just watching the dogs leap about in it. But when it is too cold to entertain the thought of going out the snow seems wasted. Magique, Mardi and I have been making up for lost time now that the days are in the 40's for a while. I want to do more snowshoeing with the next snow and more seasonal temps. But for now I am really liking the January thaw. And it can go on for the rest of January since it was so late this year, and so insanely cold before it arrived.



Comments

  1. ShaynacwingsJanuary 21, 2013 at 4:46 PM

    I think you write extremely well and enjoy reading your posts, the more I read the better the feeling of getting to know you.

    Winter has always been the season I like the least. No snow where I live but the winds coming from Antartic sure cut to the bone. The lower part of the North Island and all of the South Island get the snow. I live further North in Auckland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JBinford-BellJanuary 21, 2013 at 4:57 PM

      Thanks for the compliment.

      It is the heat I dislike. Saps my energy. And while we have snow we have very moderate weather in the summer. So I put up with three months of snow. This year the extreme cold has been very uncharacteristic of here. Climate change.

      Delete
  2. ShaynacwingsJanuary 21, 2013 at 9:47 PM

    Climate change for sure. This is the first nearly real summer we have had in two years. It is still cold but sunny. Unfortunately the wind still insists on coming from the South Pole.
    I like warm but not hot. Like you, it saps my energy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Blog of BeeJanuary 24, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    I do not like the cold at all but then again I can live without the intense heat that sometime hits here. Over 95 degrees is uncomfortable unless you`re on the beach which is never in my case. I have forgotten what real cold is like as it`s over 20 years since I lived in such a climate. Actually I haven't because one never forgets bitter freezing weather when as you say, one just wants to hibernate. Splendid write Jacqui.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I write for me but I care what my readers think. Please be polite and no scamming.

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming

Image
For much of my college career my fitness workout was swimming on the B squad of the swim team. I remember it as the days before heated pools and women coaches. I also remember being so exhausted and cold I could only lean against the shower wall and throw up. Not exactly warm fuzzy images but I was in awesome shape. Needless to say it did not leave me with a overpowering desire to swim laps. Point of fact for years my swimming became really informal: Swimming to shore after the canoe tipped over, challenging my sister once a summer to across the lake and back, seeing how long I could back float without moving a muscle, and a scuba course. I also played around with other ways of staying fit: aerobics, bicycling, jogging, skiing and dance classes. All of which seem to be bad for the knees, back or feet. After my ski accident my physical therapist steered me back to the pool. Damn if I was going to swim laps! However, aqua fit was just getting rather seriously taken so I took it. It r
Read more

The Pruning the Crown of Thorns

Image
Crown of Thorns Before I am a lover of Euphorbias . They are from the deserts of Southern Africa and Madagascar. They have evolved physical characteristics and forms similar to cacti of North and South America and are often incorrectly referred to as cacti. My big Crown of Thorns was one of my first of a growing collection of these succulents from the spurge family of Euphorbiaceae. I picked it up as a 6 inch plant in a New Iberia nursery when my sister and I were touring the northern gulf coast. I believe that was 15 years ago. I made an attempt at limiting its height a few years back to allow it to devote more energy to the new branches and make it a denser plant. That failed. And the height of the plant continued to challenge the window space and soon the long branches were leaning over and leaning against the window. I googled and found the proper way to prune this treasured plant. Still it was very difficult to cut off the four longer branches. Even with a plan. The f
Read more

Eagle Nest Dam

Image
Tour of Eagle Nest Dam Eagle Nest Dam is the largest privately built dam in the United States. It was begun by the Springer family in 1917 and completed in 1920. It and the reservoir beyond it one was privately owned by the CS Ranch which recently sold it to the state of New Mexico. Eagle Nest Lake is now a state park, but the dam and the waters in the lake are another matter all together. Water is well regulated in New Mexico especially during a drought. The lake is now at 25% of its normal capacity, and the water in the lake are water right lease holds of Raton, Cimarron, and historic ranches in the area like the UU Bar and the CS Ranch. Game and Fish department also get involved because the Cimarron River is an active fishery of the state. Our guide was a state engineer and the Gateway Museum secured permission of the land owners below the dam for us to gain access to the area. Some 100 locals and tourists attended this rare event. I have lived here almost twenty years and th
Read more