1/11/2009

Thoughts On A Sunday

Two events have reinforced that we are indeed in the depths of a traditional New England winter.

First, Ice In has been declared on Lake Winnipesaukee, meaning the entire lake is frozen over. And as if to thumb its nose at the idea of global warming, Ice In was declared on the lake earlier than usual.

Second, we're continuing the cycle of snow every three or four days, with snowfall with each storm totaling between 3 and 7 inches. Much of it has also been very dry, fluffy snow, making it easy to move with shovel or snowblower. We had about 5 inches of new snow fall overnight, with a little more coming late Tuesday. We're also heading into the deep freeze, with nighttime temps expected to be below zero by early Friday morning with highs in the single digits.

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Via Maggie's Farm: Are we heading into another Ice Age? If so, we must remember the average Ice Age lasts about 100,000 years, far longer than the warm periods between them (approximately 12,000 years). So maybe global warming is not such a bad thing after all. But don't tell that to Al Gore.

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As mentioned over at Moonbattery: Does the present series of financial 'crises' remind you of something?

Here's a hint: Ayn Rand.

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Some folks never seem to grasp the concepts of coefficient of friction and inertia, particularly when it comes to driving in winter conditions. Failing to understand these linked concepts can cause major problems on roads and highways. Some folks found out the hard way earlier this morning here in New Hampshire, leading to chain reaction pileup on Interstate 93 involving 59 cars, three buses, and two tractor-trailers.

Fortunately no one was seriously injured.

You have to figure some numbnuts heading north from Massachusetts was in a hurry to get the ski slopes, was going way too fast for the road conditions (10” of snow had fallen overnight and the highways were still being cleared and treated), wasn't paying attention, lost control, and triggered the chain reaction behind them.

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We accompanied the WP Parents for a night out to one of our favorite restaurants, , to celebrate both the WP Mom's and Deb's birthdays (Mom's was today and Deb's is on Thursday).

Being a Sunday evening, the restaurant wasn't crowded. In fact, it was quiet. Not that it was unexpected because the ski crowd had already headed home, leaving our favorite place to eat to us locals. We had the attention of the waitstaff since there were only six or seven sets of customers in a place that can usually handle 50 or more. (Yes, we gave our waitress a generous tip.)

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And that's the news from (frozen) Lake Winnipesaukee, where ice fishing bob houses have started appearing, foolhardy fisherman have lost their trucks through the still too-thin ice, and scuba divers and tow truck operators are being kept busy.

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