Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,

 

Did I mention last week that it was "hot" here in north Texas? Well it was 105 degrees a couple of days ago and now we are having a couple of "summer cool days" - it cooled down to 90 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night - time to bring out the winter clothes again. LOL

 

I saw about 15-20 geese on the lake the other day, but it didn't appear that they were here to stay - still don't know what is going on with them - any ideas? The wrens haven't been back to the bird houses, so I guess they have found a better place to live.

 

The weather out west has been horrible with all the fires, and now I just heard that 19 forest fire fighters have lost their lives - please say a prayer for them and their families.The weather all over the United States this year has really been strange with the floods, fires, heat and tornadoes. Just when I think the weather couldn't get any worse, it does. When talking about the weather, people use to say where the perfect place to live was. Well I'm not so sure if there is a "perfect" place to live, as each section of the United States seems to have its own problems. 

 

I hope you have been able to get out and do some traveling and enjoy your time with other family members. I know it is time to get out the tent, check it over and make sure it doesn't leak, check out your travel trailer or motor home to make sure they are road worthy before you take off on your camping trip.

 

Until next time,

 

Paul 

Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,   The weather here in Granbury hasn't changed much this week, except the "hot" summer days of north Texas is just about upon us. You know the weather is getting hotter as it was 80 degrees at 10pm and you get up the next morning and it is already 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.   My daughter Georgia, her husband Brian and their children, Lily, Darcy, Reagan and Joshua came over last Saturday and went swimming in the apartment swimming pool. This is a real treat for the grandchildren to come over and go swimming in grandpa's pool. Grandpa makes a lot of "points with them and they really have a great time.   The people who mow the grass here at the apartment complex come every Thursday, rain or shine. The apartment management, keeps the lawn sprinkler system running every night, so the grass really looks green and grows fast. They draft water out of Lake Granbury, so I expect they don't have to pay very much for it since it doesn't come through the city's water system. The problem with getting water out of the lake is that, the lake is about 8 feet below the normal level. so I would guess that the regular watering may have to stop in the near future.   I guess the ducks and geese have left Lake Granbury for a better home base, as I haven't seen very many around here this year. Mary and I have hung up a couple of lighthouse style birdhouses out on the patio. A couple of wrens have come, worked on building a nest in both of them and then left. They come back every so often, check them out and leave again - don't know what is going on .   I hope the weather has been good at your house, and you have been able to get out, get some exercise, or do whatever makes you happy.   Until next time.   Paul

Weather Wednesday

Here's an update from Darlene Boyden on the weather in her neck of the woods:

Rainy day in Pennsylvania...so it's a day to do inside jobs...first year for garden and the deer and rabbits needless to say have enjoyed it more then we have...infact all of it but the onions....lol..but at least we were able to get up this morning and put our feet on the floor and stand up and take a deep breath and say it's a wonderful day...

Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,   Well the weather in my part of the world has been just about as expected - hot and dry. I'm not going to complain very loudly, as what we have had, has been the "pits".   The water level here in Lake Granbury is very low. I can see islands out in the middle of the lake that I have never seen before. The city of Granbury hasn't started water rationing yet, but other cities around Dallas and Fort Worth already have put the restriction in place.   As I've told you before, there has been 50-75 ducks and geese living here at Lake Granbury, but this year they aren't here - I don't know where they are.   I hope and pray that the weather is good in your area, and you are able to get out and enjoy yourself. How many of you have a garden - I don't, I go to the produce markets and get my vegetables.   Don't forget to give your vehicles a good once over before summer gets here, and you want to take a trip. Breaking down out in the middle of "no where" is not the time to find out something should have been changed before you left home.    Mary and I are looking forward to seeing you and yours at the reunion. Please mark your calendar and reserve the dates, so you won't miss it.   Until next time.   Paul

Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,

Well to say this past month's weather has been something else, would be putting it mildly.

In the past month, Mary and I have been to Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana and back home to Texas.

On our trip up to Iowa, we drove through Moore, Oklahoma (before the tornado) and later we spent the night in Wichita, Kansas. That night we had a black sky, high winds, hard rain and hail. To say we were nervous was an understatement. We couldn't wait to get started the next day. We we arrived in Altoona, Iowa, we were greeted with more bad weather. We began to wonder if we should have stayed home. 

As you all probably remember, about 2 days after we left Texas, Granbury, Texas was hit with a tornado - 50-60 homes destroyed and 6 people killed and numerous people injured.

After our visit to Iowa, we left and drove to Independence, Missouri and visited the Truman, Library, and then on to Carthage, Missouri to visit Precious Moments, and then through Joplin, Missouri (almost 2 years to the day from when they were hit by the tornado that nearly destroyed the town). 

We then continued on to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to spend the night. We planned to go downtown the next morning and see the memorial park where the explosion occurred several years ago. That night the local weather man made us to understand that the weather over in the Wichita Falls, Texas area (where we planned to go next) wasn't the best and was going to get worse - we decided to forget about visiting Oklahoma City and "tuck tail" and get on I-35 south and go just as fast as we could back to Granbury. As we traveled back home we went right through Moore, Oklahoma again - 2 days later, the tornado went right through where we had traveled.

As I write this article, Mary and I are watching the Weather Channel and seeing where storms and tornados have again hit Oklahoma and some of your areas. We hope and pray that you and yours came through these storms and tornados without injury and/or damage to your property.

Linda Carter several days ago sent me an email in which she said to me:

Paul, I would go in front of you, or ride with you, but I'm not going behind you, as destruction seems to follow you around. 

All I can say is Mary and I are very blessed.

We would like to hear reports about all of this weather that has occurred in your area. There are fires, floods, and tornadoes all over the United States and it isn't all just happening in the Midwest.

Until next time.

Paul

Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,

The older I get, the faster the week days seem to go by. It seemed like I just put together a Weather Wednesday report and it is time to do another. The weather here in Texas this week has been crazier than ever. 

Oh before I forget it, I saw my first Cardinal recently, but still looking for my first Robin. Maybe the Robins just up and left town and didn't say good bye. We have a couple of Wrens building a nest out on the patio, in a hanging lighthouse birdhouse. Waiting on the 50-75 ducks and geese to return. They stay here at the lake, and then "poop" everywhere!!! You can walk up to them and hand feed them, if you want to - I'll just throw the bread to them!!!

I just talked to a friend of mine who lives in Altoona, Iowa. Mary and I are going to visit him and his wife the first part of May. I asked him about the weather and he told me that he has two sets of clothes out right now winter/summer, and he told me just bring a few of each and we won't be wrong.

I expect you fishermen are getting your rods and reels out and getting them oiled and cleaned up. I never graduated from a cane pole and bobber, so I get my fish at the grocery store, that way I always catch what I want to eat. I'll be glad when the farmer's markets open up, so I can get some fresh vegetable - no I don't do or ever did a garden.

I hope you have a great week.

Paul

Weather Wednesday

Click on the link below for an interesting twist on our usual Weather Wednesday.

Rain Made By People

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday

Hello Wingers,

Here it is Wednesday and I'm trying to figure out this North Texas weather. It reminds me a lot like the weather we had there at Clinton-Sherman. I can recall going to the base from Sentinel, facing a head wind and going home in the evening facing a head wind. The winds would come from the north and even with a parka and parka pants couldn't keep warm in the winter. Do you remember the sky's changing color - red/brown, caused by Kansas and Texas changing hands overhead.

Well it isn't quite that bad here in Granbury. However one day it is 80 degrees, and the next day it is 40 degrees. Little wind one day and the next it is strong enough to "blow" your hat off. The weather man tells you to watch out for the strong storms coming out of Colorado and nothing happens, then the next day all "hell" breaks loose.

I'm still looking for that first Robin, but the trees are all buded out and ready for summer, what happened to spring? I'm wearing out my clothes, shorts one day, long pants the next day. Light weight jacket today and heavy coat and stocking cap the next, boy what a year so far.

Hope you have a good week.

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday

It was 90 degrees here yesterday, sun shining brightly and not a cloud in the sky - what a day!!! 

Now today, the weather man says it is going to be a very different story:  temperature to drop to around 30 degrees, rain storms coming through during the night, which here in North Texas, could include hail and tornadoes - hope it misses us all together. 

People are getting their lawnmowers and edgers out and trying to get them started. I, on the other hand, am waiting on the days I'm sitting by the swimming pool - don't miss my lawn mowing days!!!! 

I hope you are having good weather in your area. I still haven't seen my first robin - I guess Spring isn't offically here yet.

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday

WEATHER LORE

. Red sky at night; sailor's delight.

  Red sky in morning; sailor's warning.

. Rain before 7; clear before 11.

  Rain after 7; rain all day.

. If crickets and tree toads sing loudly in the

  evening, it will be fair and hot.

. When robins call loudly and steadily,

  it will rain soon.

. Rain on the first Sunday of the month means

  every Sunday but one will be wet.

. When ants close up their hills, a day or

  two of rain will follow.

. If spiderwebs look like tents, it will rain.

. A dewy morning brings a good haying day.

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday

This is a picture from someone who works on an oil rig.  He was going to take a picture of the lightning and was unaware of the tornado until the lightning luminated it!

Taken south of Fort Stockton, Texas. 

Submitted by Bob Markiewicz

Weather Wednesday

Hello All You Wingers,

The weather here in Granbury has really been nice. It starts out about 50 degrees in the morning and go up to about 70-80 degrees in the afternoon. Today we don't have a cloud in the sky and a lot of sunshine. It won't be long until I will be getting out my shorts, sandals, swimming trunks, straw hat and a bottle of sun tan lotion. If your area has any extra rain available, our area could use a couple of inches of rain. The lake is down about 6-8 feet and the boaters are having trouble getting their boats in and out of the water. If you can send the rain we will send you some heat - sounds like a fair trade!!! I recently had a picture of the trees located outside my patio put on the blog. These tress looked like they were covered with snow, but it was only white blooms. Now these same trees are all budded out with green leaves. I'm still looking for the first Robin of the year, signaling that spring has arrived. Let me know what is going on in your neck of the woods.

Paul

Weather Wednesday-Weather Why

I saw this in the local newspaper and thought it was interesting enough to share.  I hope you enjoy.

Q:  You often hear of "the Dust Bowl."  Exactly what was it?

A:  It was the worst and most severe combination of drought and wind erosion that has ever occurred in the U.S., says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University.  

The Dust Bowl started in the early 1930's and lasted almost the entire decade and hit the Great Plains states the hardest.  "The Dust Bowl stretched 400 miles to the north and about 300 miles to the east and west," says McRoberts, "and covered large parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas."  

The cost of the drought in 1934 alone amounted to one-half of the U.S. costs in World War I, and by 1936, farm losses had reached $25 million per day, and more than 3 million farmers were drawing relief checks.  The worse probably hit on April 17, 1935 when a 200-mile storm produced a black dust cloud that reached more than 1,000 feet in the air blowing at 60 miles per hour.  The dust was so bad that some towns in Kansas were in total darkness for three hours.  

Hood County News; March 16, 2013

Weather Wednesday

The weather here in Granbury is just great!  Today we had a low of 45 degrees and had a high of 70 degrees with a whole lot of Texas sunshine.  The weatherman is reporting  that we will have a possible high later in the week of 80 degrees with no rain in the forecast.

We are beginning to see the trees to bud out and boaters returning to the lake.  It seems like spring is here, but I haven't seen any robins yet, which when I was a kid was a sign spring had arrived.  I hope the weather in your area is great and you are able to go out and enjoy it.  According to the calendar, spring is just days away...March 20 to be exact!  Is spring coming your way?

Please share your weather report where you are!

Also...don't forget to wear your green on St. Patty's Day which is this Sunday!  Send us a picture of you and yours in your green and we'll post it here!

Weather Wednesday

Here in Granbury, Texas, Monday it was almost 90 degrees and Tuesday, it was about 50 degrees. This picture is a tree right outside my patio. No that isn't snow on the tree, it is already budding out - spring will be here soon.

Don't forget to reset your clocks this Saturday night - Daylight Savings Time.  We're springin' forward one hour!

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday!

It's WeatherWednesday!

How's the weather where you are?

Today in Granbury, it feels great in the sun.  We're still experiencing breezy conditions, but nothing like the other night when we were getting tropical storm force winds.  We're looking for a high of 55 today with a low in the 30's.  No rain headed our way.

What about you?  How's the weather where you are?

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom

Weather Wednesday

It's Weather Wednesday!  Tell us how the weather is in your neck of the woods!

Today, in Granbury, Texas, just southwest of Fort Worth, it is cold and breezy!  We had a high of 52 and our low was in the 30's.

Where are you and how's the weather?

Check out the fun weather application on the right there.  That's the current weather conditions in Clinton,Oklahoma.  Aren't you glad you don't work for Uncle Sam anymore?

Submitted by Paul Hickenbottom