Brrrrrrr !

We are in our 10th day of below freezing temperatures here in Kansas City. The header photo shows you what KC, MO looks like right now. While not unheard of, this many days of deep cold is the most extreme winter weather we have experienced in recent years. We bottomed out last night at 5 degrees according to the local reporting station. We didn't quite reach the record of -8 which is what some of the TV weatherpersons were calling for.

Homes and vehicles around here aren't ready for this sort of extended cold. Our furnace has run nearly full time since we got home on Dec 28. We have one waterline in the house that was frozen. We've rigged a hair dryer to warm up a space in the outside wall and that cleared things up.

My poor old truck is having problems holding a charge on the battery. The battery was dead when I got home from Minnesota on Thursday night. Fortunately the airport parking has a service truck that can come and give you a jump. I've had the battery on the trickle charger for 24 hours, so tonight I'm parking it outside to see what happens. I think there is some sort of electric fault that drains the battery than only happens when it is extremely cold. I've been to the auto parts store, and the five year old battery was giving up the ghost. Nothing like cold weather to uncover things like that. We'll see how the new battery works!

We are venturing out tonight to see the McPherson women's and men's basketball teams play. St. Mary's is a member of the KCAC, so Mac plays in Leavanworth, KS once a year. Fortunately, it's on the weekend so we can get to the games. I will be shooting the games so there should be some sports photos tomorrow.

Stay Warm !