January: Fin

Today being the last day of the first month, here's some reflection:  

The highlight of the month was undoubtedly Geoana and her debate partner winning the state championship, the first ever for their high school.  A huge "thank you" to everyone who sent congratulatory messages via social media.  

We survived the polar vortex.  Geoana also didn't mind spending yesterday home from school (the district cancelled all school that day due to the safety issue of children waiting for the bus in rural areas with wind chills well below zero).  Still not as difficult as our Minnesota/Mayo Clinic trip a few Januarys ago when the wind chills hit about 30 below. 

 

Had lunch with a colleague today.  When we walked outside afterward, he remarked: "30 sure beats zero."  I expressed agreement.  

Who would have known this erstwhile Arizona desert rat would be satisfied with a daily high of 30 degrees?  

Life continues to be an adventure...

Payment now due

In the last installment of our November Texas trip I noted a winter storm was headed for our part of Kansas, which contributed to my decision to make the journey home on Black Friday.  

The forecast was accurate.  On Sunday, November 25, our town, along with much of Kansas and the Midwest in general, got hit with a whole lot of white stuff.  The holiday weekend was extended a little further as schools and many businesses were closed the following day.  

But the storm passed and life returned to normal.  Temps began to warm and the thaw was on.  

That led into a mild December.  

We didn't have a white Christmas which was OK by me.  Still, I kept thinking that eventually the pleasant temperatures would go bye-bye and we'd return to the sometimes-brutal Kansas winter.  

Sure enough.  January 10 was a sunny day and nearly a shirt-sleeve climate.  Then Friday the 11th the clouds moved in and stayed.  And stayed.  

They didn't decide to do anything until the following Friday (January 18).  Rain started in the late morning and morphed into snow by quitting time.  My commute home was a bit longer than usual.  The next day Geoana and I were out with the shovels, clearing our driveway and front walk.  

About half the snow was gone by Monday evening thanks to bright sunlight and temperatures above freezing.  The forecast for yesterday indicated rain in the early to middle of the day followed by snow later.  

Well, it was mostly true.  What we didn't count on was the rain arriving earlier than expected and the temperatures plummeting which turned the standing water into ice.  Even though I prepared for the conditions yesterday morning when parking my vehicle (which means I lifted my wipers up from the windshield) I still was dismayed to see a nice sheet of ice on the whole front of my vehicle necessitating warming up the engine and cranking the defroster.  Soon after I (and the rest of the people in the building) learned the sidewalks, parking lot, and streets were now a big ol' ice-skating rink.  

My drive home yesterday was even worse than last Friday.  Then to top it off, more snow to go on top of the ice.  

So yes, now winter has a great grip on all of us in this locale.  And we're not even into February yet, which last winter saw the schools close on account of it being too cold.  

Ever the optimist, ain't I?

Maybe, just maybe...

Noticed this item in the news:

https://www.statesman.com/news/20190119/ut-aampm-presidents-want-to-renew-football-rivalry

Happy January and a couple of additional thoughts from the Texas trip

January is almost half-over and I still feel the desire to pat myself on the back while silently saying "Well done,  Geoguy.  You made it through another holiday season."  

Let me state right now that I'm not Scrooge, nor am I the Grinch.  I appreciate Christmas as much as anyone and certainly don't have any animosity toward the season.  However....

It starts way too early.  The commercial emphasis wears on me.  The stress of trying to find a great gift for Geogal (although I avoided it this year as I had a creative gift idea early enough).  The disruptions of schedule and daily routine.  And on and on.  (I won't even get into a tirade about what I believe are horrid holiday songs one hears throughout the day--that could take a whole blog entry itself.)  

To be sure, there's still plenty of things I do like.  Christmas Eve candlelight service (not to be confused with midnight mass).  Genuine appreciation of gifts given.  Hot apple cider.  Cooking prime rib for the Christmas Day meal.  Spiked eggnog.  Non-spiked eggnog.  (And some really good holiday songs.)  

Yet the positives and negatives of the Christmas season go quickly once the calendar turns to December 26.  New Year's Day reinforces the need to take down the tree and decorations.  

For me returning to the regular week routine is therapeutic.  Wow, that's quite a perspective switch from when I was a youngster and dreaded returning to school!  I again feel useful and the house, while often peaceful, can get a bit old after a few days of leisure.  

Just a couple more things to add to the preceding entries on our Texas journey:

1)  Is Oklahoma trying to compete with Nevada in how many casinos the casual traveler can visit along an Interstate?  

Think I'm joking?  Just drive I-35 between the Red River and Oklahoma City.  You'll see what I mean.  

2)  I didn't think I'd get another chance, but I did.  

When visiting Seguin in March 2016, following a mission-trip house-build in Ciudad Acuna, I noticed something "not quite right" with highway signs at a particular intersection.  At the time I didn't stop to get a picture, probably thinking I would do it later.  Then I forgot.  

Given Texas Department of Transportation has a long history of consistent, accurate signage on its highways I figured the district office would catch the error and correct it.  

But two and a half years later, the "boo-boo" is still there.  

This is the intersection of Court and King streets in southeast Seguin:  

For those of you who are not map/highway sign nerds such as me, the top marker should be a U.S. Highway shield, not a Texas state highway design.  A graphic of how the Alt 90 shield should appear is on Wikipedia's page.

Saving a trip to the map for the curious, the actual Texas state highway 90 runs between Navasota and Madisonville, much to the northeast of this location.  

That's all for now.  See you much more in 2019!