Well, another day in the deep freeze and then perhaps we'll get some relief. This has been a blustery, miserably cold day with a little more snow and a lot more wind. The thermometer hasn't been above zero once all day, although at one point it was just zero. It is now minus seven and headed downward.
     I was out at 9 a.m. to measure new snow depth and I always shovel off the deck as long as I'm out there. It was bracing, to put the best spin on the experience. The wind was swirling snow off the roof and there were mini drifts along the outer area of the deck. The snow was piled against the door about 18 inches up. It was hard to get a measurement that was anywhere near accurate because of the drifting, but I settled for eight inches. I suspect we actually got more and much of it was swept away by the time I got out there. The snow was a good deal heavier than it has been, due to the wind packing it, I expect. We probably gained another couple of inches during today. It has snowed lightly all day - or perhaps it was just coming off trees and roofs - hard to tell, but it was gloomy enough so there had to be new snow falling as well.
     We had planned to have a meeting at the Danville Historical Society this morning, but we all agreed it was silly to go out on the highways if we really didn't need to. I have been working on the West Danville book, honing more chapters for our editor to look at.
     In between, I've made a couple of dashes outside, but didn't stay long. Fred took the snowblower out to try to trim up the sides of our driveways a little, and to test his new windshield. It's a vinyl three-sided, covered "cab" made mostly of clear vinyl that does keep the snow off and protects from the wind pretty well, but Fred says he can't see worth a darn. Visibility is cut down way too much and it's difficult to tell where you're going with the thing. That is not a good thing, especially around the deep ditches we have. Fortunately, he really doesn't need to use it because Jamie is keeping us plowed out just fine. I think he really just wanted to test drive it with the new shield on. He was well chilled by the time he got back inside. No weather for man or beast out there these days.
     I hope everyone has plenty of fuel, both for heating their home and in their vehicle. Not a good time to run short for either one. I think everyone is tired of the cold and about ready for a January thaw. So then we'll probably break some records for high temperatures! I say, Bring it on!