Home arrest ends

We've been under Home Arrest by the Weather.  It's been really darn cold here in Rimrock.  Our lows for the past four days including today have been 6-2-4-4.  Normally, it warms up during the day.  This time?  Not so much.  In fact, some of the afternoons seemed bitter cold.

Yes, I know our Idaho friends will make fun us of but, hey, cold is cold.  Once you are here in Arizona for any length of time, you get acclimated to the prevailing temperatures.  When something comes along that's the coldest spell in at least FIFTY YEARS, well it smacks you real hard.

As many of you know, we use an outside cattle tanks for much of our water supply.  Well, we haven't even been able to get through the two-inch-think ice on the water there unless we use a sledge hammer to break through it.  And then it refreezes just about as fast as we break it up.  We've been wearing four to five layers and still been cold.

The cold spell lasted much than any previous cold spell any of us so-called Old Timers can remember.  January 1963 is the last time a spell like this might have come along.  Well, hallelujah, the cold spell finally snapped during the late morning.  The barometer jumped way up and by early afternoon, we were stripping off layers and singing "Happy Days Are Here Again."  Out own thermometer says it's in the mid-50's and it sure feels like it.   Oh, how nice it is to have our typical Arizona. Winter Afternoons back again.

Call me a wimp, call me what ever you want but this particular episode really taxed our patience and positive perspectives.  This one was a bear!  We're so glad it's over.