No fuck. There was frost on the house behind us. I have a load of laundry to hang out. We had a bunch of rain at the end of last week, I’m going to have to put on shoes to hang this stuff because the ground will be cold and damp.
@lisaviolet Be aware frozen clothes can be broken if you try to bang the ice off them on a tree if is cold enough and they are frozen enough… it was about 35 or so below F not C (although at 40 below they are the same) and it was a pitiful sad story involving most of my clothes many years ago… Hair snaps off too when encased in icicles. Walking 1.5 miles home from the high school as a 3rd grader after Saturday swimming lessons I discovered that. My mother was not happy. LOL
@Kidsandliz Well, to be honest, it’s only that cold before the sun comes up (like right now it’s 30° down by the pool, but it’s before 7:00 and the sun is still on its way up).
If the stuff isn’t dry by the time the sun goes down, I do put it in the dryer.
@f00l Sure thing. These are my favorites. Super lightweight but well insulated. You can take the liners out and wear them as slippers. Made by Teva, so awesomely comfortable. They don’t make them anymore but if you can find leftovers, buy them!
@cinoclav Found a pair on eBay in my size - $150 + shipping! That’s too steep for me . Guess I’ll stick with my old boots…
/image vintage Raichle hiking boots
/image REI boot gaiters
@f00l If you can’t afford CA housing, check out places just across the state line in NV. Carson City, Silver City, maybe even Reno or South Lake Tahoe. Better $$ than CA (not cheap like TX, of course).
@cinoclav Besides my hiking boots (damn - I’ve had those for 35yrs!) I have a nice old (20yr?) pair of UGGs; since I only wear them 1-2wks a year they’re still holding up pretty well. My kids’ sizing hasn’t settled yet, but I’m not spending that on their footwear - I still have college to finance
Had 14F this morning.
Which is in violation of the state constitution provision that all parts of Texas not located in the panhandle shall not suffer annoying temperatures below 20F.
@RiotDemon Mine says 77. When we used to have Ohio cousins visiting at Christmas, we’d take them to the beach to take pictures (Look! That’s Linda on Christmas day, barefoot on the beach!). Then we’d traipse back for dinner. I figured out years later that it was a ploy to get everybody out of the way while the food was cooking.
@f00l the winter is usually the only time I can spend a lot of time in the sun because the uv index is low. When I have to start covering myself in sunscreen, I just try to avoid going outside during the day unless in walking to or from my car.
If I go to the beach, it’s usually at night, and I don’t go swimming.
I definitely got my skin complexion from the Norwegian half.
My grandfather on my Mom’s side was a really pale redhead who burned instantly. All her siblings were redheads or blond. When Mom was young, they used to get a rental house for a week near the beach in summer.
Mom says the other kids she knew always teased her because her family didn’t actually hit the beach till 5-6pm.
Even so, my grandfather had skin cancers removed when he was older.
One of my brothers - a fanatic tennis player for all his youth - recently got some weird treatment to reduce his chances of getting serious skin cancer someday.
@f00l Try soccer barefoot with a coconut for the ball… saw that in Cambodia. I can not imagine how much that hurt. I went to Seven Seven and bought some soccer balls and when I passed that shack again threw them over the fence on my way by in a tuk tuk. Kids came running out from under the house (grass house on stilts).
I’ve seen pix of similar in very very poor places. I think the kids in Brazil will use anything round. They practice incessantly.
Really cool that you bought the balls.
Only a coconut doesn’t need to be aired up as often.
I am presume you were in Cambodia either as part of an ngo or of your grad studies or a postdoc?
Takes some guts, however you got there.
The Florida thing was a much softer environment. Played football in Florida with this enormous lemon almost as big as a football - of course it weighed a lot because of the juice. And you got juice all over yourself pretty quickly. Once the thing was nothing more than pulp we picked another one and kept playing.
Also played croquet and did batting practice with fresh limes. Then found out that someone had thought about making lemonade or limeade.
Well, the limes and lemons were on trees in the yard of the house we were renting, and the owner had told us they were ours to use. And, no one had told us anything about making drinks with the fresh fruit.
@f00l I wear my sandals all year- when i dont already have socks on I wear them when I’m leaving the house since my feet smell ruins shoes without socks.
The worst part for me is that I’ve being wearing the same flops for probably around 4 years because I can’t find anything that I like as much. These are like gecko fingers and stick to my feet when I walk, so if my feet are wet, they’re not slippery as fuck. They actually make quite a bit of noise, but I don’t even care. They’ve changed them and the newer versions aren’t non slip. Boo.
These are super worn and I really wish I had bought two pairs.
@RiotDemon Last year I hit the Skechers outlet store and tried on about twelve styles. I bought two pairs of the winner, and now I can’t find any more. Worn daily, one pair lasts me about a year. This is serious stuff- if feet aren’t happy, nobody’s happy.
@compunaut looks cool. Of course the purple doesn’t have my size, and the one review I found said they run really small and narrow, so possibly go up two sizes. I think I’d have to try these on since I end up wearing men’s sizes, but my feet aren’t really wide.
I’m liking the orange and black.
Do you have these by chance?
@PlacidPenguin
I know. It’s not bad here compared to other places. But it is bad here compared to the mild fun winter we demand.
Consider that we already put up with serious summers, regular winter ice storms, hurricanes, tornados, and (since fracking and injection wells) we have earthquakes. And now we have to have bad winters too?
@PlacidPenguin The absence of snow doesn’t make a sandstorm any more fun. And the 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s are pretty darned cold when your wardrobe and hvac are structured around 100+ degree weather. I grew up in relatively cold country, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado. But I am fully acclimated to the desert now and anything below 75 requires layers, lol.
@f00l is to blame for
Seriously sucky bad
Winter cold and snow.
@f00l offers this apology to all persons in affected areas. And also to persons in the SE continental US because it’s probably coming for you very soon.
Persons in Florida are exempt from this apology for obvious reasons.
@LisaViolet might be included in this apology, but will need to provide evidence in the form of a snow-and-icicle photo from her backyard, or a zip-code-specific or county-wide current conditions report in order to receive more than a provisional apology.
@f00l Well, thick fuzzy slippers because tile floors. I can’t wear those outside because wet ground.
But the chocolate is hot, the music is on (Alan Parsons, Marianne Faithful, Bryan Adams, a music mix of my own making) and I have white chocolate chips to melt in the microwave, Spanish peanuts and Rice Krispies to add to the melted chocolate for the only kitchen treat coming out of my kitchen this merry, holiday season.
And the heater works.
The sun is out and the clouds are few. I’ll defrost. I always do.
Any overnight temperature that has a minus sign in front of it is enough to encourage me to plan a day indoors (and I’ve had a few of them). It’s currently at a high of fifteen, and not even lunch time yet.
Here’s a reminder for those of you with animals that live outside. Be sure they have water to drink, and they’ll need extra food to help combat the cold. Cattle may require as much as 50% more calories at subzero temps, and they ought to have sheltered spots to get out of the wind.
@Shrdlu If I woke up and the temp had a minus sign in front of it, I’d know that I’d be abducted by aliens or died and gone to hell. One of the two.
For a few years my husband had it in his mind that he wanted to move somewhere else. Somewhere with winters and snow and ice. And I said “then you’re moving by yourself”. Now that he’s older, he’s grown out of that thinking.
Too old for the cold, I guess is one way to put it.
When I lived rural, during the bad cold spells that tried to freeze the pipes and well pumps - mercifully brief - I used to love going out every two or three hours and breaking the ice on the surface of the watering tanks, until I finally purchased de-icers and had them installed.
And the livestock - goats - weren’t even mine. But they belonged to a lady in her 70’s who lived in town, and to her son, who was a long-haul trucker. So the job was mine. My hands don’t do well with that, I never figured out how not to be miserable.
I always gathered that farmers and ranchers further north had whole sets of mandatory practices for having their plumbing and livestock and fences/buildings come thru winter unscathed.
My dad had been in some seriously cold places during his time in the army. Some of the coldest hours he spent were in guard duty - and then later, sitting still in cockpits for long hours. He always believed it messed up the circulation in his hands.
When we were growing up, he always talked about wanting to spend a winter around Hudson Bay - just to see if he could get thru it.
Once we were all out of school, one of my brothers asked him when he would be doing a winter in northern Canada. He paused a bit and then answered, “I hear they have treatments now for these sorts of mental disorders”.
@lisaviolet When I’m retired, I’m gonna move to where I can be snow skiing - a lot. Maybe I’ll visit you Southerners if I need to thaw out, but with this thick Norwegian blood it’s not likely. You can send your husband up if he needs a chill in his whiskers
Go to NM on retirement perhaps? Lots of skiing. Beautiful. Excellent food and culture. Cheap to live in. Easy drive to warmth if you need some. And … you’re near Navajo country.
@f00l Was kinda thinking Leadville, CO; Copper Mtn is nearby and have family in Denver & Parker.
Love Taos & Santa Fe, but neither has been ‘cheap’ in the past (time to do some shopping again). Kinda isolated; aren’t any towns nearby the ski area that aren’t Taos itself
@compunaut
Yeah I think so. Red River … other little towns. It’s been a while since I really hung out in ski country there, but lots of small towns. Take a look at Chama. That’s a pretty place, and at least it used to be untouristy.
If you want to retire to geekville, there’s Los Alamos.
@compunaut Right there with you. Trips coming up to Stratton and Killington then off to Whistler in late February. I’d love to retire to a small cabin on a lake in Colorado. A friend from the ski club I used to belong to retired and bought a condo in Dillon, CO a few years ago. Bastard was at A Basin before we could even think about freezing temps. You should look into the area. I’d say it’s even closer to Copper, not to mention Breck, Keystone, A Basin, Loveland and Vail. We stayed near there a few years ago, hit all of the above except Loveland in a week. Funny, a year after that we were in Taos when a seriously old skier drifted up next to us. He dropped his pole and asked us if we would mind picking it up for him. Seeing our somewhat surprised faces he mentioned he was 83 and had been determined to ski until he was old enough to ski for free there (80). Said he could still get down the slopes okay but couldn’t bend over to pick up his pole. I can’t imagine how he even got his boots on or what would happen if he took a yard sale crash.
@compunaut Addendum - our trip to Taos was really cheap but with the new ownership I’m not sure where prices are going. Flew into Albuquerque, rented a house through VRBO (7 of us), bought discounted lift tix at REI and had two rental cars. Cost each of us about $800 for the entire week. We also skied Angel Fire which is only about 40 minutes from the town of Taos. Really fun mountain. Not a lot of diamonds but as I get older I’m not going to want that challenge as much. I loved the area (and especially the food) but I’m not sure I’d retire there. Colorado definitely has more to offer.
@compunaut Understandable. Winter Park sometimes has some good deals. I have a friend with a condo there whose neighbor was selling two years ago. Only a 1 bedroom but I was seriously considering buying it as a rental property. It was going for around $100k.
@cinoclav Winter Park is our go-to place. My folks started bringing me & younger brother on their annual ski trip in 1977. Growing up in Chicago area, we could make it out in 1 straight shot without stopping @ at a hotel; besides, it was very family friendly. I think the architectural office Dad worked for designed/remodeled some chalets out there.
My in-laws used to own a few shares in a condo in Winter Park. My wife likes to joke that it was the primary reason I asked her to get married. It was kinda a hassle to arrange a week during ski season, especially once our kids started school. Still, when they sold their shares about 5yr ago without asking us if we were interested - I was pissed off. Haven’t fully gotten over it even to this day.
Speaking of older skiers, my dad is still a ski instructor - he’s 77. Cataloochee Ski Area, NC (eastern Smoky Mtns). Perhaps he’s determined to die on the slopes. Besides wife & family, it’s about all he cares about.
I’m not bagging on people who get thru Maine winters. You deserve every break you get.
When I was in school in NYC I and a friend or two used to go to Baxter State Park every summer. You didn’t need reservations back then. I climbed Katahdin a few times.
So once during spring break we thought we’d go to Baxter. We drove to Maine. So far so good.
Then we turned inland. Ok there’s some snow. We hadn’t anticipated snow during the last week of March. Hmmm. Still chilly in Maine? Where’s the spring already?
So we drive further inland. Whoa. There’s a lot of snow. All piled up over the car on the sides of the road.
So we get to the gravel road that led to whatever entrance we were aiming at. Ok lots and lots of snow and this road is clearly only plowed for heavy snow. There is light fresh snow on the ground. And hmmm. No tire tracks? WTF? But hey. We didn’t come prepared this camp in the snow, but it will be really fun, won’t it?
So we drive down this road to the entrance. Where the huge gates are swung shit and padlocked.
And a big fat sign says “Park closed for the winter”. As in, it’s still winter, dumbo. The park was set to open either May 1st of June 1st, I forget which.
Now, I know the park is open year round and there are a lot of people who do serious backcountry stuff there in January. You have to reserve if you want a prime spot.
And even back then there may have been some areas that weren’t closed. But we were beaten - by our own naïveté. We drove back to the coast and stayed in motels and visited lighthouses and Acadia. Not so bad a spring break. But I did feel like the dumbest person ever not to realize winter in Maine lasts a while.
@daddy099999 And I’ll wear that badge proudly. And barefoot in December. Outside. On the grass. Hanging the laundry instead of using the dryer, screw the utility company.
@RedOak
My brother and sister-in-law went to Canada - I think last winter? Or year before? - and spent a few days in one of those ice hotels. They loved it.
The bar was very busy. They helped keep it that way.
@f00l we’re located close to Canada and in the only significant part of the US that is directly north of Canada. But it doesn’t stay cold enough here to support that kind of “building”. Too much temperature-moderating big water.
Well this is “cute”. Haven’t had to turn the heat on because I am on the 4th floor and even though it has been in the 40’s and 50’s outside, my apt is 78-80 so keep turning on the A/C. Well it is going to 21 tonight and my bedroom is 4 degrees colder already than usual so I figure I might actually need heat tonight for the first time.
Turned on the heater for the first time (it is one of those crap motel heater things - only in one room so the other is about 8 degrees different in temp). Set off the smoke detector because it is burning dust. At least I presume that is the issue - it seriously stinks too. Since it is after 11pm I can’t keep turning it on as people will get pissed. Guess I need to pull out the blankets.
Interesting to see that I have a literal river running off the window with the extent of the condensation. Now I know which direction is downhill LOL (lots of foundation problems in this apt building). Threw a towel where that water is running down the wall from the window sill. Could be an “interesting” winter in here. On the other hand it is better than where I spent last winter. : )
People always think I’m crazy for walking around in shorts during the winter. But over here in Seattle the winter really isn’t that bad. I’m pretty content to wear shorts until it’s getting to the negatives. Then, I’m still going to wear them because I don’t really own much else. As long as my top half is warm, I’m fine. That said, I’ve been waking up slightly sweating these last few mornings, so I think it’s getting warm enough that I don’t really need the four blankets I’ve got on the bed. Best of luck to everyone who gets things like snow and cold temperatures during the winter!
@RiotDemon
Still most distinctly uncalm. Lots of power outages. This isn’t a really so bad. No one is really cold, no one is worried about frozen pipes.
It is a little spectacular. Raining so hard that if you are at a stoplight with a car in the lane beside you, you can only tell that the car is “dark” or “light”. No way you’re gonna tell the color.
No tornado sirens yet. And we need the rain.
Oops. First emergency sirens. Just for flooded and closed roads, not for a tornado.
70 deg here. Thank You not global warming. Looks like the ice storm belt has shifted 100 mi north since Ive moved here 30 years ago. Usta be from Christmas to the 2nd week of Jan was ice storm time. Had to drive around with the windows open today. Looks like upper 60s all week too.
@RiotDemon@f00l It goes more like this:
“May your warm skies be clouded with flying cockroaches and your flip-flops infested with fire ants”. Almost poetic, eh?
@f00l I remember seeing them before… Or it was palmetto bugs? (Edit note: apparently Palmetto bugs are just a slang term for flying American roaches, which I’ve seen, but never flying) I saw them either in northern Florida or Georgia. Never in south Florida.
@PlacidPenguin
That’s my fav plan excepting when I’m extra stupid and also pretending I’m young. Then, my going outside and falling down and freezing my ass off is all party to the self-deception.
Or on vac in some winter paradise I sometimes purposefully enjoy the outdoors. (it’s been a while).
@PlacidPenguin Never mind a penguin that doesn’t like snow and needs winter gloves…
Who’s letting one drive?!
My dog has now started agitating for his own car #JusticeForAll
/image penguin driving
@PlacidPenguin We were on the edge of that blue/white color band on the weather map. Four inches of snow here; maybe eight inches fifteen miles south. And it took an hour to drive those miles.
There’s a brilliant full moon out tonight, and single-digit temps. Eleven to seventeen more inches of snow due on Sunday thru Monday.
@RiotDemon Or there’s McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as long as you stay inside. Though they do allow residents to crank the temps up in private quarters into the 80s, and there are saunas.
@RiotDemon
Parts of Hawaii that usually get breezes but not strong winds are usually pretty pleasant.
Back in the day - 1960’s or earlier - houses in Hawaii were often built with only 2 or 3 walls. No need for more walls. No need for a fully enclosed space. It was simply too pleasant too care.
Now of course someone will steal you blind if you have a house like that.
Also for Hawaii real estate, you need California coastal money, or more.
But there are other ways.
Go to the tropics. And then go up. You prob want at least 3000F and 5000 ft is better. Baguio in the Philippines (known as the summer capital) is an example of this.
In some seasons you might want a light sweater or jacket. In others you might want a fan. You can probably live quite comfortable with no a/c and almost never use heating.
You prob prefer a moderate to rainforest climate here, to moderate the temperatures even further. (Dryer areas have wider temperature swings.) That likely means a rainy season.
On the plus side everything grows in a climate like this, and the flowers and gardens are insane. On the down side, humidity.
The Philippines is gorgeous, they all speak English, and real estate is fairly cheap. But I wouldn’t move to the Philippines right now. As an American you would be safe and fairly off limits, but the current president appears rather emotionally unstable, lives to play strongman with threats and guns, and literally believes in “summary street justice” as a solution to social problems. They have been thousands of street killings in the past months and years, by paramilitary and police forces. Few of these are ever seriously investigated: the fact that a police or military person picked you (among the locals) to shoot at means you are presumed to have been guilty. (Again, Americans are almost certainly safe.).
There are other similar locations to consider. The Highlands of Kenya near the Rift Valkey was thought by the British aristocracy to be near-paradise 80-90 years ago. I’m sure the climate is still incredible, with enormous soaring landscapes and scenery, and breathtaking slants of light. But anyone who moves to Kenya or nearby will have to live with the notion of being clearly among the “upper class” amid astonishing and widespread poverty, and this can be accompanied at times by serious political instability. The quiality of life and climate varies sharply by location. The British preferred area was what they called “Happy Valley” near the Aberdare Range, around Wanjohi Valley. Here, some of them came to ranch and farm, some to start businesses, some on military assignment, some to hunt game, some for conservation and research, and many of the most notorious individuals came for the freedom to live, for a while, in pure and stylish decadent hedonism - until the moral, financial, and social costs of their choices brought the notorious lifestyle to an end. Some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren managed to learn to be productive, and are still there and doing extremely well.
Also much of Rhodesia - and the rest of Africa - is just astonishing and gorgeous.
The political situations in Africa, as always, give pause, although sufficient $ can buy a lot of safety, depending on where you are.
This area includes the natural settings of various well-known books:
Isak Denison’s Out Of Africa,
Elspeth Huxley’s The Flame Trees of Thika,
Joy Adamson’s Born Free.
I have no idea how expensive it is to live there in some kind of life comparable to a normal US life.
The other, perhaps best alternative for quality of life would be Central or Sourh America.
Near the equator of course. Being near the equator gives you the year round climate modulation. Living at altitude means fresh breezes, clean water, and far cooler weather than the jungle. below. There are areas of SA that have the reputation of being, again, near paradise, if you are willing to learn Soanish or Portuguese. I have heard amazing things about the highlands and mountains of Equador. Aim, if you would do this, for around 5000ft - approx like Denver - in altitude.
If you move to Central or South American and live on one of those incredible islands or very near the coasts, you might face monstrous storms, hurricanes, and possible mudslides. And almost all of these areas come with at least one possible downside: poverty, storms, horrible politics, galvanic activity or earthquakes, cost, nearby drug activity. Nothing’s perfect.
If I had to pick something off the top of my head I might aim for Equador. Land is cheap there by our standards.
Any if these places apart from Hawaii will be difficult to get work permits in.
@PantHeist
Belize is a place I’ve thought about a bit. In Central and South American there are many potential geographic and climate delights - much simply depends in the local politics and economy, and whether there is much of a local drug economy. I think Belize is pretty stable.
@PantHeist My friend and I were seriously looking at moving to the Caribbean, with Belize and Roatan as candidates. Belize is lovely but the poverty there is distressing. Roatan was one of our favorite vacation destinations, but it being under control of Honduras is a bit troubling. Both countries are eager to receive American retirees and have special government policies and staff to help with a smooth transition. When we vacationed in Costa Rica, I was distressed by the equatorial day, sun up at 6 and down at 6. I’m used to 15-16 hours of sunlight in the summer, it was disconcerting for it to be full dark before dinnertime in midsummer. One of our Costa Rica stays was up in the mountains and we were surprised to find it quite cool. We hadn’t brought any warm clothes so we stayed in the B&B where they had fireplaces running to stay warm. This was such a nice place, a British expat built this gigantic home, dairy farm and garden, and decided to take in guests. The common areas of the house were beautifully decorated, and the staff was always ready to serve. When we’d turn up in the living room or glass walled dining room with books to read they’d stoke up the fire and bring us a lap blanket and tea and cookies. Everything we ate was raised on the farm. There were funny dairy cattle just wandering about the place. It was highly awesome.
@f00l South Padre is nice, but doesn’t meet @RiotDemon’s temp rqmts (too hot in the summer) - unless it’s Gulf water temps. That was my point.
@moondrake@PantHeist Love Belize & Roatan; have spent a little more time in Belize. The economy is fairly stable; Belize $ is fixed to the US $ at a rate of 2:1 (US cash seems to be universally accepted). If I were to retire there I’d rather not live on the coast (hurricanes & rising sea levels. Call me an alarmist); maybe the capitol Belmopan.
@f00l I think there are plenty of places in Mexico that would fit @Riot Demon’s needs. Cordoba or Jalapa (state capitol): a bit west up the ‘mountains’ from Veracruz. Safe (reportedly), off the coast, great climate; inexpensive (cuz it’s not overrun with tourists or ex-pats. Yet) & fairly modern.
Another place to check out is Panama. I hear they’re very friendly to foreign retirees. Kinda warm, tho; even in the mountains (yes - there are towns in W Panama over 6000ft).
@compunaut
Mexico would have been my first rec 20 years ago. Now - in 5 years or, 10, who the hell knows what will be safe for Gringos, and what unsafe?
I think the huge tourist areas around Cabo and the Pyramids and the big places in the Yucatán, yes. The local economy depends on that being safe for tourists. The coastal resort cities like Vera Cruz and Acapulco, the really big resort areas, yes. The rest? I have little confdence the ganglords and narco strongmen won’t get a foothold if they see possible profit or protection $. The criminals have sent the culture to hell, even tho most Mexicans are lovely.
I’m not up to date. But everyone I know who is seems really skeptical.
@f00l I’m not up-to-date with any personal experience. But I’ve read quite a bit of (online) info recently (6mo or so; there were some concerns about job security that have since calmed a bit) geared toward potential ex-pats. Claims re safety were that violence is concentrated rather regionally (US border, Chiapas, etc) and most violent crimes are between the gangs/cartels themselves. Those places have simply become narc-driven & should be avoided. Other places hold little interest for criminals cuz there’s not enough potential for quick (large-ish scale) $$$. Nobody is interested in running a gang of burglars or pick-pockets.
Note that Veracruz isn’t tourist-dominated like those others listed; the port city has its share, but just 10-15mi away (and esp in capitol Jalapa) economy is driven far more by ag, oil, & mfg (sounds almost Texan).
A coworker’s parents have lived in an ex-pat community in Mex for years. Perfectly mundane retirement existence; no drama other than avoiding quack doctors preying on the oldsters & their various ailments.
@compunaut I can say that Juarez is calm now. Supernaturally calm. The last time I went I didn’t even recognize the place, the hustle and bustle and general enterprising spirit was completely absent, replaced with a kind of stillness I can only compare to some older European cities. I felt like someone had changed out our familiar sister city with some foreign place, not unfriendly, but not comfortable either. Somewhere in conquering the violence Juarez lost its uniquely Mexican sense of bienvenido.
Have some wind chill
No fuck. There was frost on the house behind us. I have a load of laundry to hang out. We had a bunch of rain at the end of last week, I’m going to have to put on shoes to hang this stuff because the ground will be cold and damp.
I have icicles hanging from my nose.
Me at my desk:
@lisaviolet
Poor thing.
Please upload a pix of your snow boots.
@lisaviolet Be aware frozen clothes can be broken if you try to bang the ice off them on a tree if is cold enough and they are frozen enough… it was about 35 or so below F not C (although at 40 below they are the same) and it was a pitiful sad story involving most of my clothes many years ago… Hair snaps off too when encased in icicles. Walking 1.5 miles home from the high school as a 3rd grader after Saturday swimming lessons I discovered that. My mother was not happy. LOL
@Kidsandliz Well, to be honest, it’s only that cold before the sun comes up (like right now it’s 30° down by the pool, but it’s before 7:00 and the sun is still on its way up).
If the stuff isn’t dry by the time the sun goes down, I do put it in the dryer.
@f00l Sure thing. These are my favorites. Super lightweight but well insulated. You can take the liners out and wear them as slippers. Made by Teva, so awesomely comfortable. They don’t make them anymore but if you can find leftovers, buy them!
@cinoclav Found a pair on eBay in my size - $150 + shipping! That’s too steep for me
. Guess I’ll stick with my old boots…
/image vintage Raichle hiking boots
/image REI boot gaiters
Those are the dumbest gaiters I’ve ever seen
@compunaut
Not if they work well. They might if you strap them on properly.
I like the classic LL Bean design. Get them off eBay so I can afford them.
@cinoclav
I have a thing for good snow boots. Own several pairs - dumping all the civilized ones. Just keeping the good ones.
The challenge to @lisaviolet for a pix of her snow boots was because she lives in San Diego. Poor cold toes at the beach, ya know?
I might like to live there if it weren’t for California housing prices.
@compunaut What size?
@f00l I guess I meant that it’s dumb to use gaiters with those running shoes
@f00l
Here ya go. Under the load of laundry I just hung up. It was 30° down by the pool this morning. Brrrrr…
@lisaviolet
Below freezing! In San Diego! Didn’t know that happened.
@cinoclav eBay shows 12 pair available, size 8 and up. $80 (incl shipping) was cheapest
@f00l If you can’t afford CA housing, check out places just across the state line in NV. Carson City, Silver City, maybe even Reno or South Lake Tahoe. Better $$ than CA (not cheap like TX, of course).
@compunaut Lots of demand for a great boot! Some other sites do have them too if you truly have any interest.
@cinoclav Besides my hiking boots (damn - I’ve had those for 35yrs!) I have a nice old (20yr?) pair of UGGs; since I only wear them 1-2wks a year they’re still holding up pretty well. My kids’ sizing hasn’t settled yet, but I’m not spending that on their footwear - I still have college to finance
It was -2° this morning, but has since warmed to a relatively balmy +5°. It is supposed to get a lot colder tonight.
@rockblossom
Had 14F this morning.
Which is in violation of the state constitution provision that all parts of Texas not located in the panhandle shall not suffer annoying temperatures below 20F.
PS where are you?
@f00l On the top of an Ozark, where it’s not really winter until it hits -5°.
@rockblossom Thanks for the earworm. It’s even drowning out Christmas music.
@OldCatLady Ha! The forecast now says the high for Christmas Day will be about 65°. I need to pull out my shorts and sandals.
@rockblossom my forecast says 81℉.
@RiotDemon
@OldCatLady
Ok we want more so we can feel even colder. And more pix.
@RiotDemon Mine says 77. When we used to have Ohio cousins visiting at Christmas, we’d take them to the beach to take pictures (Look! That’s Linda on Christmas day, barefoot on the beach!). Then we’d traipse back for dinner. I figured out years later that it was a ploy to get everybody out of the way while the food was cooking.
@f00l maybe I should go to the beach and take photos for you.
@RiotDemon
On the Atlantic side?
@f00l yep. Isn’t @oldcatlady on the gulf side?
@RiotDemon
I think she’s near Jacksonville.
@f00l She is, in fact, in Jacksonville.
@OldCatLady @f00l oh, oops. Any Floridians on the gulf side?
@RiotDemon
@OldCatLady
@rand3y, later in this thread, is tormenting me about Clearwater.
@f00l You probably wouldn’t want to come here for the next few days, we’re getting a cold front.
@rand3y
@OldCatLady
@RiotDemon
Go ahead. Torment me some more.
The problem is, I believe you. I Know.
Have played touch football with an enormous ripe lemon (picked from a tree in a yard where I stayed) serving as the football.
Know what it’s like to get a wicked sunburn while spending a January day on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva.
There are worst ways to spend a day in January.
@f00l the winter is usually the only time I can spend a lot of time in the sun because the uv index is low. When I have to start covering myself in sunscreen, I just try to avoid going outside during the day unless in walking to or from my car.
If I go to the beach, it’s usually at night, and I don’t go swimming.
I definitely got my skin complexion from the Norwegian half.
@RiotDemon
I have that Nordic thing going with my skin tone also. Nowadays I avoid the sun. When I was young I sometimes wasn’t that smart.
@f00l yeah, eventually I learned that being covered in disgusting sunscreen was better than the burn afterwards.
@RiotDemon
My grandfather on my Mom’s side was a really pale redhead who burned instantly. All her siblings were redheads or blond. When Mom was young, they used to get a rental house for a week near the beach in summer.
Mom says the other kids she knew always teased her because her family didn’t actually hit the beach till 5-6pm.
Even so, my grandfather had skin cancers removed when he was older.
One of my brothers - a fanatic tennis player for all his youth - recently got some weird treatment to reduce his chances of getting serious skin cancer someday.
@f00l we always joke that it’s easy to recognize the Canadians…
@f00l Try soccer barefoot with a coconut for the ball… saw that in Cambodia. I can not imagine how much that hurt. I went to Seven Seven and bought some soccer balls and when I passed that shack again threw them over the fence on my way by in a tuk tuk. Kids came running out from under the house (grass house on stilts).
@Kidsandliz
I’ve seen pix of similar in very very poor places. I think the kids in Brazil will use anything round. They practice incessantly.
Really cool that you bought the balls.
Only a coconut doesn’t need to be aired up as often.
I am presume you were in Cambodia either as part of an ngo or of your grad studies or a postdoc?
Takes some guts, however you got there.
The Florida thing was a much softer environment. Played football in Florida with this enormous lemon almost as big as a football - of course it weighed a lot because of the juice. And you got juice all over yourself pretty quickly. Once the thing was nothing more than pulp we picked another one and kept playing.
Also played croquet and did batting practice with fresh limes. Then found out that someone had thought about making lemonade or limeade.
Well, the limes and lemons were on trees in the yard of the house we were renting, and the owner had told us they were ours to use. And, no one had told us anything about making drinks with the fresh fruit.
Ah, Florida in January.
Floridians and others in exempt areas, please come forth and jeer. Tell us about how you might have to wear your “cold-weather flip-flops” today.
@f00l my winter flip flops look suspiciously like my summer flip flops. My grass is looking sad, so that’s proof that winter is here.
@f00l my legs were very cold at the grocery store walking by the refrigerated sections. Brr.
@RiotDemon
I feel your pain.
@RiotDemon Only other Floridians sympathize about the need for pedicures year round.
@f00l I wear my sandals all year- when i dont already have socks on I wear them when I’m leaving the house since my feet smell ruins shoes without socks.
@OldCatLady thank god I can paint my own nails.
The worst part for me is that I’ve being wearing the same flops for probably around 4 years because I can’t find anything that I like as much. These are like gecko fingers and stick to my feet when I walk, so if my feet are wet, they’re not slippery as fuck. They actually make quite a bit of noise, but I don’t even care. They’ve changed them and the newer versions aren’t non slip. Boo.
These are super worn and I really wish I had bought two pairs.
@RiotDemon Little piggies! With make-up
@compunaut lol, are my feet that funny?
@RiotDemon Just the idea of piggies w/ make-up
@Pantheist
I also wear sandals till below freezing. But not this much below.
@RiotDemon Last year I hit the Skechers outlet store and tried on about twelve styles. I bought two pairs of the winner, and now I can’t find any more. Worn daily, one pair lasts me about a year. This is serious stuff- if feet aren’t happy, nobody’s happy.
@OldCatLady Lmao arizonans feel the same way XD
@RiotDemon @OldCatLady
/woot Tredagain sandals
Tredagain Men’s Sandals - Pick Color for $34.99
http://sport.woot.com/offers/tredagain-mens-sandals-pick-color-1
Tredagain Women’s Sandals - Pick Color for $34.99
http://sport.woot.com/offers/tredagain-womens-sandals-pick-color-1
@compunaut looks cool. Of course the purple doesn’t have my size, and the one review I found said they run really small and narrow, so possibly go up two sizes. I think I’d have to try these on since I end up wearing men’s sizes, but my feet aren’t really wide.
I’m liking the orange and black.
Do you have these by chance?
@f00l
You poor thing. I don’t see you having to deal with a few inches of snow on the ground from yesterday.
@PlacidPenguin
I know. It’s not bad here compared to other places. But it is bad here compared to the mild fun winter we demand.
Consider that we already put up with serious summers, regular winter ice storms, hurricanes, tornados, and (since fracking and injection wells) we have earthquakes. And now we have to have bad winters too?
@PlacidPenguin The absence of snow doesn’t make a sandstorm any more fun. And the 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s are pretty darned cold when your wardrobe and hvac are structured around 100+ degree weather. I grew up in relatively cold country, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Colorado. But I am fully acclimated to the desert now and anything below 75 requires layers, lol.
I think we need someone to blame about this…
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
@PlacidPenguin
@ELUNO
@rockblossom
@weather-victims all far and near
@f00l is to blame for
Seriously sucky bad
Winter cold and snow.
@f00l offers this apology to all persons in affected areas. And also to persons in the SE continental US because it’s probably coming for you very soon.
Persons in Florida are exempt from this apology for obvious reasons.
@LisaViolet might be included in this apology, but will need to provide evidence in the form of a snow-and-icicle photo from her backyard, or a zip-code-specific or county-wide current conditions report in order to receive more than a provisional apology.
@f00l http://weather.lisaviolet.com/daily.htm
It was 36° this morning at 6:30. That’s freezing in my book.
@lisaviolet
Ok ok. Had no idea.
I grant that you are suffering and actually genuinely cold.
So are you wearing flip-flops anyway?
I extend a full apology to you, and an additional apology for the delayed apology.
@f00l Well, thick fuzzy slippers because tile floors. I can’t wear those outside because wet ground.
But the chocolate is hot, the music is on (Alan Parsons, Marianne Faithful, Bryan Adams, a music mix of my own making) and I have white chocolate chips to melt in the microwave, Spanish peanuts and Rice Krispies to add to the melted chocolate for the only kitchen treat coming out of my kitchen this merry, holiday season.
And the heater works.
The sun is out and the clouds are few. I’ll defrost. I always do.
@lisaviolet
Marianne Faithfull.
Ever seen her live? Caught her once in the late 1980’s.
In the 1960’s
@f00l No, I didn’t really do a lot of concerts. But I do have a fair amount of her albums. I like her.
@lisaviolet Well at least your wet clothes aren’t frozen then. : )
Any overnight temperature that has a minus sign in front of it is enough to encourage me to plan a day indoors (and I’ve had a few of them). It’s currently at a high of fifteen, and not even lunch time yet.
Here’s a reminder for those of you with animals that live outside. Be sure they have water to drink, and they’ll need extra food to help combat the cold. Cattle may require as much as 50% more calories at subzero temps, and they ought to have sheltered spots to get out of the wind.
@Shrdlu If I woke up and the temp had a minus sign in front of it, I’d know that I’d be abducted by aliens or died and gone to hell. One of the two.
For a few years my husband had it in his mind that he wanted to move somewhere else. Somewhere with winters and snow and ice. And I said “then you’re moving by yourself”. Now that he’s older, he’s grown out of that thinking.
Too old for the cold, I guess is one way to put it.
@Shrdlu
When I lived rural, during the bad cold spells that tried to freeze the pipes and well pumps - mercifully brief - I used to love going out every two or three hours and breaking the ice on the surface of the watering tanks, until I finally purchased de-icers and had them installed.
And the livestock - goats - weren’t even mine. But they belonged to a lady in her 70’s who lived in town, and to her son, who was a long-haul trucker. So the job was mine. My hands don’t do well with that, I never figured out how not to be miserable.
I always gathered that farmers and ranchers further north had whole sets of mandatory practices for having their plumbing and livestock and fences/buildings come thru winter unscathed.
@lisaviolet
My dad had been in some seriously cold places during his time in the army. Some of the coldest hours he spent were in guard duty - and then later, sitting still in cockpits for long hours. He always believed it messed up the circulation in his hands.
When we were growing up, he always talked about wanting to spend a winter around Hudson Bay - just to see if he could get thru it.
Once we were all out of school, one of my brothers asked him when he would be doing a winter in northern Canada. He paused a bit and then answered, “I hear they have treatments now for these sorts of mental disorders”.
@f00l Yeah, the cold isn’t for normal people. Or delicate flowers such as myself.
@lisaviolet
/giphy delicate flower
@lisaviolet When I’m retired, I’m gonna move to where I can be snow skiing - a lot. Maybe I’ll visit you Southerners if I need to thaw out, but with this thick Norwegian blood it’s not likely. You can send your husband up if he needs a chill in his whiskers
@compunaut
Go to NM on retirement perhaps? Lots of skiing. Beautiful. Excellent food and culture. Cheap to live in. Easy drive to warmth if you need some. And … you’re near Navajo country.
@f00l Was kinda thinking Leadville, CO; Copper Mtn is nearby and have family in Denver & Parker.
Love Taos & Santa Fe, but neither has been ‘cheap’ in the past (time to do some shopping again). Kinda isolated; aren’t any towns nearby the ski area that aren’t Taos itself
@compunaut
Yeah I think so. Red River … other little towns. It’s been a while since I really hung out in ski country there, but lots of small towns. Take a look at Chama. That’s a pretty place, and at least it used to be untouristy.
If you want to retire to geekville, there’s Los Alamos.
@compunaut Right there with you. Trips coming up to Stratton and Killington then off to Whistler in late February. I’d love to retire to a small cabin on a lake in Colorado. A friend from the ski club I used to belong to retired and bought a condo in Dillon, CO a few years ago. Bastard was at A Basin before we could even think about freezing temps. You should look into the area. I’d say it’s even closer to Copper, not to mention Breck, Keystone, A Basin, Loveland and Vail. We stayed near there a few years ago, hit all of the above except Loveland in a week. Funny, a year after that we were in Taos when a seriously old skier drifted up next to us. He dropped his pole and asked us if we would mind picking it up for him. Seeing our somewhat surprised faces he mentioned he was 83 and had been determined to ski until he was old enough to ski for free there (80). Said he could still get down the slopes okay but couldn’t bend over to pick up his pole. I can’t imagine how he even got his boots on or what would happen if he took a yard sale crash.
@compunaut Addendum - our trip to Taos was really cheap but with the new ownership I’m not sure where prices are going. Flew into Albuquerque, rented a house through VRBO (7 of us), bought discounted lift tix at REI and had two rental cars. Cost each of us about $800 for the entire week. We also skied Angel Fire which is only about 40 minutes from the town of Taos. Really fun mountain. Not a lot of diamonds but as I get older I’m not going to want that challenge as much. I loved the area (and especially the food) but I’m not sure I’d retire there. Colorado definitely has more to offer.
@cinoclav Seems like Dillon, Frisco, & Silverthorne have all been too expensive for my comfort level, especially if I have to ‘retire’ early.
@compunaut Understandable. Winter Park sometimes has some good deals. I have a friend with a condo there whose neighbor was selling two years ago. Only a 1 bedroom but I was seriously considering buying it as a rental property. It was going for around $100k.
@cinoclav Winter Park is our go-to place. My folks started bringing me & younger brother on their annual ski trip in 1977. Growing up in Chicago area, we could make it out in 1 straight shot without stopping @ at a hotel; besides, it was very family friendly. I think the architectural office Dad worked for designed/remodeled some chalets out there.
My in-laws used to own a few shares in a condo in Winter Park. My wife likes to joke that it was the primary reason I asked her to get married. It was kinda a hassle to arrange a week during ski season, especially once our kids started school. Still, when they sold their shares about 5yr ago without asking us if we were interested - I was pissed off. Haven’t fully gotten over it even to this day.
Speaking of older skiers, my dad is still a ski instructor - he’s 77. Cataloochee Ski Area, NC (eastern Smoky Mtns). Perhaps he’s determined to die on the slopes. Besides wife & family, it’s about all he cares about.
Favorite winter song.
@rand3y
I wish I could feel your pain.
@f00l Come on down to Clearwater, the high was 81 today. And if you can’t, I guess we know who to blame.
Or 85℉ in December.
But it means TSO with my honey…no kids! gotta love winter and groupons!!
@mikibell
That’s the spirit.
Only it’s not that cold in the NE close to the coast, is it?
@f00l it is. only upside so far is there hasn’t been a lot of snow- and that’s only an upside to my crushed-spirit-adult-side.
@f00l not that warm either…snow yesterday…
@mikibell
Well congrats. Way way warmer than north central Texas.
Nature is acting rather perverse.
Sigh.
As @f00l i assume
All responsibility
For perverse winter.
today was 48 and icy rain. Thursday was -27 with wind chill. I never thought I’d be happy about icy rain.
@Pantheist
I’m not bagging on people who get thru Maine winters. You deserve every break you get.
When I was in school in NYC I and a friend or two used to go to Baxter State Park every summer. You didn’t need reservations back then. I climbed Katahdin a few times.
So once during spring break we thought we’d go to Baxter. We drove to Maine. So far so good.
Then we turned inland. Ok there’s some snow. We hadn’t anticipated snow during the last week of March. Hmmm. Still chilly in Maine? Where’s the spring already?
So we drive further inland. Whoa. There’s a lot of snow. All piled up over the car on the sides of the road.
So we get to the gravel road that led to whatever entrance we were aiming at. Ok lots and lots of snow and this road is clearly only plowed for heavy snow. There is light fresh snow on the ground. And hmmm. No tire tracks? WTF? But hey. We didn’t come prepared this camp in the snow, but it will be really fun, won’t it?
So we drive down this road to the entrance. Where the huge gates are swung shit and padlocked.
And a big fat sign says “Park closed for the winter”. As in, it’s still winter, dumbo. The park was set to open either May 1st of June 1st, I forget which.
Now, I know the park is open year round and there are a lot of people who do serious backcountry stuff there in January. You have to reserve if you want a prime spot.
And even back then there may have been some areas that weren’t closed. But we were beaten - by our own naïveté. We drove back to the coast and stayed in motels and visited lighthouses and Acadia. Not so bad a spring break. But I did feel like the dumbest person ever not to realize winter in Maine lasts a while.
You big babies:
Antioch, IL 60002
Sunday 11:00 PM
Mostly Cloudy
-8 F
@daddy099999 And I’ll wear that badge proudly. And barefoot in December. Outside. On the grass. Hanging the laundry instead of using the dryer, screw the utility company.
I think our corner party store is making a joke:
@RedOak
My brother and sister-in-law went to Canada - I think last winter? Or year before? - and spent a few days in one of those ice hotels. They loved it.
The bar was very busy. They helped keep it that way.
These pix are from various ice hotels.
@f00l we’re located close to Canada and in the only significant part of the US that is directly north of Canada. But it doesn’t stay cold enough here to support that kind of “building”.
Too much temperature-moderating big water.
@RedOak
I think the ice hotel was in Quebec. Not sure exact location or how far north.
@f00l aha - two “countries” away. Their language isn’t even English.
Well this is “cute”. Haven’t had to turn the heat on because I am on the 4th floor and even though it has been in the 40’s and 50’s outside, my apt is 78-80 so keep turning on the A/C. Well it is going to 21 tonight and my bedroom is 4 degrees colder already than usual so I figure I might actually need heat tonight for the first time.
Turned on the heater for the first time (it is one of those crap motel heater things - only in one room so the other is about 8 degrees different in temp). Set off the smoke detector because it is burning dust. At least I presume that is the issue - it seriously stinks too. Since it is after 11pm I can’t keep turning it on as people will get pissed. Guess I need to pull out the blankets.
Interesting to see that I have a literal river running off the window with the extent of the condensation. Now I know which direction is downhill LOL (lots of foundation problems in this apt building). Threw a towel where that water is running down the wall from the window sill. Could be an “interesting” winter in here. On the other hand it is better than where I spent last winter. : )
My fingers are cracking apart. If I ever retire, we’ll try to be somewhere warmer (than Vermont) for a few months.
Think I saw this guy hitchhiking south today.
Current wind chill map Monday afternoon
Warmer by a bit. Still cold.
In Minnesota, it’s a balmy 35 right now. I say balmy as it is 50 degrees warmer than it was on Sunday morning.
Don’t shed a tear for us Floridians, as I know they will not freeze as they slide down your tanned faces.
google seems to agree with you…
Happy winter solstice!
People always think I’m crazy for walking around in shorts during the winter. But over here in Seattle the winter really isn’t that bad. I’m pretty content to wear shorts until it’s getting to the negatives. Then, I’m still going to wear them because I don’t really own much else. As long as my top half is warm, I’m fine. That said, I’ve been waking up slightly sweating these last few mornings, so I think it’s getting warm enough that I don’t really need the four blankets I’ve got on the bed. Best of luck to everyone who gets things like snow and cold temperatures during the winter!
65 deg here today.
@cranky1950 79° right now.
Steady rain (over an inch and a half) in the past two days, this morning we have heavy fog. More rain on the way tomorrow.
@lisaviolet
I thought SoCal never got any rain?
@f00l Any kind of rain in SoCal is considered “a weather event”. Because it’s so rare. lol
NOW WINTER’S NOT HERE.
I wore shoes and it’s way too hot for them. Think I have some emergency flip-flops under the car seat.
Yeah! I do!
@f00l
Ok sorry I know there’s still a lotta winter in a lotta places.
@f00l 83° tomorrow, supposedly 65° on Friday. Might wear regular shoes.
@RiotDemon
Naw. In Florida? Come on now. What for?
Not even the novelty of it justifies that extreme.
/giphy sandals
@f00l I get cold pretty easy.
@RiotDemon
Sure ya do. Fragile and all. Must hurt!
Any day below 85F right?
Gotta toughen up, hear?
Florida, I feel your pain.
/giphy beach in Florida
@f00l I definitely didn’t get any cold tolerance from my Norwegian half.
Low 70s, no sun, and windy = long sleeve t-shirt or light hoodie weather
Not here, going to stroll the greenway(brownway) this afternoon
Booooo
The cattle egrets are all over the place, dining on bugs and grubs in my yard. Apparently we’re not going to have cold weather here.
I know some of you have been below freezing and buried in snow for some time. But I just wanted to share our little winter espisode
The forecast says “light rain”.
What is happening at the moment is the exact opposite of a drought. If lived in a canyon, I’d be in a flash flood.
And we have a tornado watch. No hail yet tho. Nearest lightening .3 miles.
@f00l hopefully it calms down.
@RiotDemon
Still most distinctly uncalm. Lots of power outages. This isn’t a really so bad. No one is really cold, no one is worried about frozen pipes.
It is a little spectacular. Raining so hard that if you are at a stoplight with a car in the lane beside you, you can only tell that the car is “dark” or “light”. No way you’re gonna tell the color.
No tornado sirens yet. And we need the rain.
Oops. First emergency sirens. Just for flooded and closed roads, not for a tornado.
70 deg here. Thank You not global warming. Looks like the ice storm belt has shifted 100 mi north since Ive moved here 30 years ago. Usta be from Christmas to the 2nd week of Jan was ice storm time. Had to drive around with the windows open today. Looks like upper 60s all week too.
Going to be high 70s, low 80s all week. My a.c. and ceiling fans will continue to run.
I see that the Pacific NW is about to get a week’s worth of ice storms and freezing rain. Is this normal winter weather there?
You all have my sympathy and worry. Please no one have a bad fall or crash.
PS
Hey Florida. Bite Me.
@f00l Sunday the forecast says 85℉.
@RiotDemon
Kiss My Ass.
@f00l
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@RiotDemon
Fire Ants and Flying Cockroaches.
@f00l luckily, I don’t see flying roaches here. I just try to avoid the grass to avoid the ants.
@RiotDemon @f00l It goes more like this:
“May your warm skies be clouded with flying cockroaches and your flip-flops infested with fire ants”. Almost poetic, eh?
@compunaut
Some parts of Florida have flying cockroaches. I don’t know what repulsion field @RiotDemon is using to keep them at a distance.
@f00l I remember seeing them before… Or it was palmetto bugs? (Edit note: apparently Palmetto bugs are just a slang term for flying American roaches, which I’ve seen, but never flying) I saw them either in northern Florida or Georgia. Never in south Florida.
@RiotDemon Oh yeah, Miami has gazillions of them if you live in the burbs.
@f00l Maybe they don’t share @RiotDemon’s taste in music…
@compunaut
I’d think metal headbanger would be their fav.
@f00l Why? Maybe they have the soul of Amy Grant
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@compunaut
I’ve met these bugs. I’ve tried to kill these bugs. These bugs have tried to kill me.
They don’t have the soul of Amy Grant unless there’s a side to Ms Grant I’ve never seen.
@f00l Well, your so-called superbugs are not bothering @RiotDemon. What weapon/deterrent is she using besides Death-metal?
Perhaps you should ask Ms Grant’s ex-husband about her unseen side…
@compunaut
I guess everybody got an unseen side huh.
Radar this am.
Temp this am.
Sorry, folks in the NE and a few spots out west.
Upper Central US Flyover is looking chilly.
@f00l
Florida. Still warm.
Just checking in.
@f00l
(Where NE means Northeast (US) and not the other thing.)
I can handle the cold. I don’t like it, but I can handle it.
It’s the other thing which I can’t accept. Too afraid to look outside because;
@PlacidPenguin
That’s my fav plan excepting when I’m extra stupid and also pretending I’m young. Then, my going outside and falling down and freezing my ass off is all party to the self-deception.
Or on vac in some winter paradise I sometimes purposefully enjoy the outdoors. (it’s been a while).
@f00l Interesting that Denver is one of the warmest places on that map
@compunaut
Yeah wonder where that big spike of warm weather on the eastern edge of the Rockies came from.
@f00l Must be illegals from Mexico. Wouldn’t have happened if there was a Wall!
@f00l Florida. Currently 72 and sunny. Too hot to bake, but tomorrow it may cool down.
Sigh…
Now that the snow pretty much stopped falling here, I gotta start the cleanup (I.e shoveling and cleaning off my car).
At least the street was plowed first followed shortly after by private plower doing the driveway.
Was annoying when it’s the other way around, since it means that snow has to be removed from driveway entrance.
Too much snow for my comfort, although I suppose it could’ve been worse.
Gotta look for my car though.
@PlacidPenguin Never mind a penguin that doesn’t like snow and needs winter gloves…
Who’s letting one drive?!
My dog has now started agitating for his own car #JusticeForAll
/image penguin driving
@compunaut
Honestly, ifTHAT’S the question you have…
It’s back…
I’m getting of shovelling.
@sligett
How much did YOU get?
@sligett Hey, was I tired? I meant I’m getting tired of shoveling. :dopeslap:
@PlacidPenguin We were on the edge of that blue/white color band on the weather map. Four inches of snow here; maybe eight inches fifteen miles south. And it took an hour to drive those miles.
There’s a brilliant full moon out tonight, and single-digit temps. Eleven to seventeen more inches of snow due on Sunday thru Monday.
I’m getting tired of shoveling the snow.
Gotta remember to buy winter gloves for myself…
It’s 80 now, Thursday afternoon. Snow predicted on Sunday. Life in Texas. I’m taking advantage, relaxing outdoors in shorts and sandals.
@moondrake
Congratulations, you’re the 3rd person I’m glaring at today.
This was 3 hours ago. Now it’s dark, snowing harder, and the wall is completely gone.
clear skies here in MI, almost all of the snow is off the ground.
It’s 83℉ and its 5:30. Tomorrow might be 74℉.
Where can I move to that the temperature is always between 50℉ and 77℉?
@RiotDemon coastal Southern CA
@PantHeist Just make sure you are rich.
@RiotDemon Or there’s McMurdo Station, Antarctica, as long as you stay inside. Though they do allow residents to crank the temps up in private quarters into the 80s, and there are saunas.
@RiotDemon Does it have to be in the US?
@compunaut @RiotDemon @narfcake
So… California is still an option for continental US for now.
@RiotDemon
Parts of Hawaii that usually get breezes but not strong winds are usually pretty pleasant.
Back in the day - 1960’s or earlier - houses in Hawaii were often built with only 2 or 3 walls. No need for more walls. No need for a fully enclosed space. It was simply too pleasant too care.
Now of course someone will steal you blind if you have a house like that.
Also for Hawaii real estate, you need California coastal money, or more.
But there are other ways.
Go to the tropics. And then go up. You prob want at least 3000F and 5000 ft is better. Baguio in the Philippines (known as the summer capital) is an example of this.
In some seasons you might want a light sweater or jacket. In others you might want a fan. You can probably live quite comfortable with no a/c and almost never use heating.
You prob prefer a moderate to rainforest climate here, to moderate the temperatures even further. (Dryer areas have wider temperature swings.) That likely means a rainy season.
On the plus side everything grows in a climate like this, and the flowers and gardens are insane. On the down side, humidity.
The Philippines is gorgeous, they all speak English, and real estate is fairly cheap. But I wouldn’t move to the Philippines right now. As an American you would be safe and fairly off limits, but the current president appears rather emotionally unstable, lives to play strongman with threats and guns, and literally believes in “summary street justice” as a solution to social problems. They have been thousands of street killings in the past months and years, by paramilitary and police forces. Few of these are ever seriously investigated: the fact that a police or military person picked you (among the locals) to shoot at means you are presumed to have been guilty. (Again, Americans are almost certainly safe.).
There are other similar locations to consider. The Highlands of Kenya near the Rift Valkey was thought by the British aristocracy to be near-paradise 80-90 years ago. I’m sure the climate is still incredible, with enormous soaring landscapes and scenery, and breathtaking slants of light. But anyone who moves to Kenya or nearby will have to live with the notion of being clearly among the “upper class” amid astonishing and widespread poverty, and this can be accompanied at times by serious political instability. The quiality of life and climate varies sharply by location. The British preferred area was what they called “Happy Valley” near the Aberdare Range, around Wanjohi Valley. Here, some of them came to ranch and farm, some to start businesses, some on military assignment, some to hunt game, some for conservation and research, and many of the most notorious individuals came for the freedom to live, for a while, in pure and stylish decadent hedonism - until the moral, financial, and social costs of their choices brought the notorious lifestyle to an end. Some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren managed to learn to be productive, and are still there and doing extremely well.
Also much of Rhodesia - and the rest of Africa - is just astonishing and gorgeous.
The political situations in Africa, as always, give pause, although sufficient $ can buy a lot of safety, depending on where you are.
This area includes the natural settings of various well-known books:
Isak Denison’s Out Of Africa,
Elspeth Huxley’s The Flame Trees of Thika,
Joy Adamson’s Born Free.
I have no idea how expensive it is to live there in some kind of life comparable to a normal US life.
(Cont)
@RiotDemon
The other, perhaps best alternative for quality of life would be Central or Sourh America.
Near the equator of course. Being near the equator gives you the year round climate modulation. Living at altitude means fresh breezes, clean water, and far cooler weather than the jungle. below. There are areas of SA that have the reputation of being, again, near paradise, if you are willing to learn Soanish or Portuguese. I have heard amazing things about the highlands and mountains of Equador. Aim, if you would do this, for around 5000ft - approx like Denver - in altitude.
If you move to Central or South American and live on one of those incredible islands or very near the coasts, you might face monstrous storms, hurricanes, and possible mudslides. And almost all of these areas come with at least one possible downside: poverty, storms, horrible politics, galvanic activity or earthquakes, cost, nearby drug activity. Nothing’s perfect.
If I had to pick something off the top of my head I might aim for Equador. Land is cheap there by our standards.
Any if these places apart from Hawaii will be difficult to get work permits in.
@f00l All of that and no Belize? Used to be my dream to move there and run some sort of operation for rich tourists.
@PantHeist
Belize is a place I’ve thought about a bit. In Central and South American there are many potential geographic and climate delights - much simply depends in the local politics and economy, and whether there is much of a local drug economy. I think Belize is pretty stable.
@PantHeist What’s the temperature underwater?
@RiotDemon I think the Gulf water temp at South Padre is perfect for you
@compunaut
South Padre rocks. Just be very cautious about Mexico. Like don’t go unless a local you trust tells you it’s ok.
A relative keeps a sailing vessel there.
@compunaut Here right now? 42. In Belize, 81.
@PantHeist My friend and I were seriously looking at moving to the Caribbean, with Belize and Roatan as candidates. Belize is lovely but the poverty there is distressing. Roatan was one of our favorite vacation destinations, but it being under control of Honduras is a bit troubling. Both countries are eager to receive American retirees and have special government policies and staff to help with a smooth transition. When we vacationed in Costa Rica, I was distressed by the equatorial day, sun up at 6 and down at 6. I’m used to 15-16 hours of sunlight in the summer, it was disconcerting for it to be full dark before dinnertime in midsummer. One of our Costa Rica stays was up in the mountains and we were surprised to find it quite cool. We hadn’t brought any warm clothes so we stayed in the B&B where they had fireplaces running to stay warm. This was such a nice place, a British expat built this gigantic home, dairy farm and garden, and decided to take in guests. The common areas of the house were beautifully decorated, and the staff was always ready to serve. When we’d turn up in the living room or glass walled dining room with books to read they’d stoke up the fire and bring us a lap blanket and tea and cookies. Everything we ate was raised on the farm. There were funny dairy cattle just wandering about the place. It was highly awesome.
@PantHeist I meant the water temp in Cali
@compunaut looks pretty warm to me. https://www.currentresults.com/Oceans/Temperature/pacific-ocean-temperature-california-summer.php
edit: that’s summer. Even now it’s warm enough to swim for a little.
https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/cpac_tmap.html
@f00l South Padre is nice, but doesn’t meet @RiotDemon’s temp rqmts (too hot in the summer) - unless it’s Gulf water temps. That was my point.
@moondrake @PantHeist Love Belize & Roatan; have spent a little more time in Belize. The economy is fairly stable; Belize $ is fixed to the US $ at a rate of 2:1 (US cash seems to be universally accepted). If I were to retire there I’d rather not live on the coast (hurricanes & rising sea levels. Call me an alarmist); maybe the capitol Belmopan.
@f00l I think there are plenty of places in Mexico that would fit @Riot Demon’s needs. Cordoba or Jalapa (state capitol): a bit west up the ‘mountains’ from Veracruz. Safe (reportedly), off the coast, great climate; inexpensive (cuz it’s not overrun with tourists or ex-pats. Yet) & fairly modern.
Another place to check out is Panama. I hear they’re very friendly to foreign retirees. Kinda warm, tho; even in the mountains (yes - there are towns in W Panama over 6000ft).
Found it, Poas Volcano Lodge, near Poas Volcano, elevation 8,885ft. Beautiful place. Got it as part of a very nicely priced package deal.
@compunaut
Mexico would have been my first rec 20 years ago. Now - in 5 years or, 10, who the hell knows what will be safe for Gringos, and what unsafe?
I think the huge tourist areas around Cabo and the Pyramids and the big places in the Yucatán, yes. The local economy depends on that being safe for tourists. The coastal resort cities like Vera Cruz and Acapulco, the really big resort areas, yes. The rest? I have little confdence the ganglords and narco strongmen won’t get a foothold if they see possible profit or protection $. The criminals have sent the culture to hell, even tho most Mexicans are lovely.
I’m not up to date. But everyone I know who is seems really skeptical.
@f00l I’m not up-to-date with any personal experience. But I’ve read quite a bit of (online) info recently (6mo or so; there were some concerns about job security that have since calmed a bit) geared toward potential ex-pats. Claims re safety were that violence is concentrated rather regionally (US border, Chiapas, etc) and most violent crimes are between the gangs/cartels themselves. Those places have simply become narc-driven & should be avoided. Other places hold little interest for criminals cuz there’s not enough potential for quick (large-ish scale) $$$. Nobody is interested in running a gang of burglars or pick-pockets.
Note that Veracruz isn’t tourist-dominated like those others listed; the port city has its share, but just 10-15mi away (and esp in capitol Jalapa) economy is driven far more by ag, oil, & mfg (sounds almost Texan).
A coworker’s parents have lived in an ex-pat community in Mex for years. Perfectly mundane retirement existence; no drama other than avoiding quack doctors preying on the oldsters & their various ailments.
@compunaut I can say that Juarez is calm now. Supernaturally calm. The last time I went I didn’t even recognize the place, the hustle and bustle and general enterprising spirit was completely absent, replaced with a kind of stillness I can only compare to some older European cities. I felt like someone had changed out our familiar sister city with some foreign place, not unfriendly, but not comfortable either. Somewhere in conquering the violence Juarez lost its uniquely Mexican sense of bienvenido.
Some areas around me got two feet of snow today. Haven’t ventured out yet to find my car. I’m pretty sure it was plowed in.
@heartny
I got over a foot I believe. Streets aren’t fully easy driving. As of a little while ago they weren’t salted.
Dunno if I’ll go out tomorrow. Depends on the streets I guess.
@PlacidPenguin That is one nice thing about here- very good plows:roads ratio.
@PantHeist
Oh, don’t get me wrong. The streets were technically plowed. They’re just not fully clean of snow.