Overcast skies are back here on the coast at least for another few hours. That does not help with the thoughts of an impending birthday.
On the weather front, we have seen everything from a very rare few inches of snow to almost normal weather which allows us to get outside and go hiking. To the west, parts of North Carolina and the mountains of Virginia are seeing some pretty cold temperatures.
Boone is sitting at a very cold eighteen degree Fahrenheit, and Roanoke has dropped under 30 degrees. Roanoke should also see strong winds this afternoon. I am just glad that I will get to "enjoy" those winds from the coast where they will not be nearly as gusty. However, that does not mean we are getting by with no impact.
I just saw that the Ocracoke ferries are going to change their schedules because of the increasing winds. Of course the worst impact of the NE storm is that our warm temperatures and pleasant days have disappeared once again.
With the potential of yet another winter storm next week in the Roanoke area, I am expecting the worst. Whenever I am in the area or just before I get there, it seems to snow. I guess there is no way around it in this "Winter to Remember."
My wife has set in motion the elements for a hearty winter dinner for us tonight. This morning the kitchen was full of a smell from my childhood, pinto beans cooking. Around five PM would be a good time to drop in and catch the aroma of some homemade cornbread. The pintos and cornbread will be joined by a pot of cooked cabbage. I am looking forward to it.
I am also looking forward to warmer weather and some opportunities to go for a beach walk when I do not have to bundle up. We were over on the beach Tuesday evening.
It was a beautiful scene, but the cool temperatures were the reason so few people were out walking. Spending time at coast and no dog to walk each day has certainly made me a wimp when it comes to cold weather.
These days I would rather dream about a warm beach than walk a cold one. The reality is that even New England's weather will start improving by late March which even now is on the distant horizon. Our weather should be to the point by the of March that we can be thinking nice beach walks and planting our tomatoes.
Getting tomatoes in the ground early is important if I am to have a chance on being a champion three times in a row in our annual tomato growing contest.
In a good year, the ocean water can be warm enough to stick your toes in it by April. With as cold as it has been this year, my guess is that we will have to wait until May, but I would love to be proved wrong on that point.
If the sun were shining and the wind not blowing, I just might be able to let my mind drift back to one of those warm June and July days when we had so much fun playing in Bogue Inlet. The warmth cannot get here fast enough this year. With the economy in the dumps, good weather is one of the few things that can bring smile to almost anyone.