Today's sky report

I've been giving some thought to what the best Christmas sky would be.  It's easy to say you want a white Christmas with snow on the ground, but when you get up at the crack of dawn to open your presents, what do you want to see when you look outside?  I'm thinking about a perfectly clear sky, where the sun rises like the star it is, showing purple at first, followed by orange and then turning a brilliant blue.

Forecast for Christmas in NH: Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. High 43F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. 

Today's sky report

The dark sky comes early on the shortest day of the year.  Welcome to the winter, where the nights get colder and the days get longer.  That seems kind of weird, but it's true.  Long straight lines of gray gauze-infused clouds pulled my attention towards the orange spot where the sun sunk below the horizon.  Behind me, it grows darker and darker.

Today's sky report

OK young lady in the black Volvo 960 sedan, I see that you don't have an EZ Pass transmitter on your windshield.  And, yes, I DO wonder why you're in the EZ Pass lane, without one.  But, DO YOU HAVE TO STOP?  Were you just trying to make sure the camera got a good shot of your license plate?

And you guys with your tokens, don't forget, time is almost up.

On NHPR's "The Exchange" this morning was the author of "In Praise of Slowness".  I DO have to learn how to chill.

Today's sky report

It's practically balmy today, as the temperature on the house thermometer had warmed up to minus 5 from yesterday's minus 6. The cold helps me appreciate that I get to overnight my car in a garage. When I pulled out yesterday, the car thermometer started off reading 21 degrees. As I drove along, it was like watching an inverse pinball machine as the digit counter fell: 20, 18, 17, 14, 13, and so on until it hit a low of minus 4.

The cold weather made me feel sorry for the guy that delivered the propane to my house yesterday morning. He's in and out of the truck, trudging across the back yard dragging the heavy hose. I had snowblown a path for him, so his trudge was a little easier, but working outside on a day like yesterday must be brutal. Maybe I can give him a break by pitching cash into the furnace instead of the propane. With the cost of fuel this winter, it might be cheaper.

Today's sky report

The drive to work today started before sun was above the seacoast horizon, but along the way, the big orange orb popped up and made its inevitable appearance. Remarkably, the sky was completely void of clouds. When there are no sky dwelling shapes to attract your attention, you are left to consider the colors. The sky showed exceedingly orange edges bleeding into a gray-blue ceiling. As the morning marched on, the gray became more blue squeezing the orange down past the horizon. Shortly before arrival at work, a small cotton ball cloud took up residence just over the horizon.

Today's sky report

Today, we're going to report a smoke-free sky in honor of the clear air at the Red Hook Brewery during last night's Blog 'n Brew. And speaking of clearing the air, I was one of those few people who read Kreblog's post on a 5:30 p.m. start who's eyes saw 6:30. I really didn't focus on the start time because I was off getting a battery for my watch so I could manage the end time better.

Anyway, we had a small but effective showing, with Granite Rants, Contagious, Lnotes, Seacoast Perspective and, of course, Kreblog. The conversation darted from topic to topic, covering all kinds of current and non-current events. The tall IPA's quenched our thirsts and fortified our opinions. There was some talk of theme B'nB's in the future, although the fez idea may be difficult to pull off (just where DO you buy a fez?). For a group of people who practice the solitary skill of blogging, their conversational skills are outstanding. Can't wait for the next one.