Monday, February 12, 2007, 04:43
Heat Wave
I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked at the thermometer first thing Sunday morning.
The temperature was. . .7 degrees. . .ABOVE zero.
ABOVE ZERO!
The difference was unbelievable.
The air felt warm.
Balmy.
Comfortable.
At 7 degrees ABOVE zero.
In the afternoon, the air felt warmer yet.
20 degrees.
ABOVE ZERO!
It was as if everyone in the world -- people and animals and birds -- heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Yes, there was a light northwesterly wind Sunday. But not enough to make the air so cold you felt like the skin was being sliced from your face.
Even with the 20 degree temperature on Sunday, the average temperature for the week was 4 degrees below zero.
The last time the average weekly temperature was 4 degrees below zero was in January 1999.
Last week the average temperature was 2.34 degrees below zero.
Even in 1999, it was not two weeks straight of average temperatures below zero.
With the windchill factored in last week, the average daily temperature was 15.57 degrees below zero.
But Sunday, the temperature was ABOVE zero.
So Randy and I decided to celebrate by taking the dogs for a nice walk through the woods. We were gone for a little over an hour. It was glorious. Neither people nor dogs have felt much like being outside for any length of time over the past two weeks.
Charlie and Pixie enjoyed themselves immensely. There's not much snow on the ground, only a couple of inches, so the dogs could go wherever their noses told them to go.
We enjoyed it, too. We usually take that walk a couple of times during the winter, but other years, there's been much more snow to wade through.
The temperature is supposed to turn cold now again for the rest of the week. But I am hoping it won't get down to 25 degrees below zero again. Then by next weekend, the temperature is supposed to moderate again.
Winifred -- My silver tabby kitty is still not eating much, but I did see her drink some water today. It seems like maybe her mouth is not as painful as it was. A couple of times she has gone to the food dishes, like she really wants to eat, but she hasn't eaten much yet, if anything. I am hoping that by tomorrow, she will feel good enough to eat. Cats don't use their canine teeth to eat dry food or canned food, but the simple motion of moving her mouth irritates the sore spot by her right canine tooth. Poor kitty.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Saturday, February 10, 2007, 19:56
Still More Cold Weather -- Winifred -- Sand Mine
It's still cold. The temperature this morning was 14 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
At least the wind is not quite as bad today as it has been the last few days. And the sun is shining. But Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the wind, the temperature during the day felt more like 25 to 30 degrees below zero. Well, actually, with the windchill, it felt like 30 below zero on Monday, too. The only "warm" day this past week was Tuesday, with a windchill of only 10 degrees below zero.
Kajun and Isabelle seem to be faring all right in the cold weather. They are eating through more hay, though. When it's cold, I give them extra hay so they've got the calories available to keep their bodies warm.
The barn kitties seem to be faring all right, too. I make sure I leave out plenty of kitty food for them. So far, the raccoons have not been bothering the kitty food in the barn. I would imagine it's rather cold for the raccoons to be out and about. I put out warm water in a big insulated coffee cup for the barn kitties. Their pattern is that they won't drink much for a couple of times, but then the third time I put out warm water, they will drink half the cup.
Trip to the Vet -- I ended up taking Winifred to the vet clinic Thursday afternoon following the incident on Wednesday when she hurt her mouth and had bloody paws from swiping at her mouth. By Thursday she wasn't eating or drinking, and I could tell she was in pain. The vet determined that she had cut her gumline right by the canine tooth on the right side. Her mouth was all swollen and red in that area. He gave her a shot of pain killer, and I went home with a bottle of Amoxicillan to make sure she did not develop an infection. The pain killer is only a one-shot deal because it can be hard on a cat's liver. It's supposed to last three days, though, and the hope is that with the antibiotics, enough healing will have taken place by the time it wears off that she will still be eating and drinking.
An hour after we got back home Thursday, Winifred was drinking water and eating a little canned food. She still is not eating very much, but she's making the attempt, and she's drinking water. I hope her mouth feels better soon because she can't afford to lose any more weight. She was not a very heavy cat to begin with because of the thyroid condition. I could go the route of putting a slurry mixture of canned kitty food and kitten formula in a syringe and shooting it in her mouth, but I would rather not do that. I might have to, though. I can't give her any Nutracal, either, because I'm afraid that in the ensuing struggle, I might hurt her mouth. It doesn't take much to hurt her mouth. Even if she only moves her mouth to meow, sometimes it hurts her.
Public Radio -- I'm going to be a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio Tuesday afternoon, talking, of all things, about a proposed 400-acre sand mine in this area. The talk show host called me Friday afternoon. She can find plenty of people who are opposed to the sand mine, but no one to speak for it, or who is neutral. Because I've been covering the issue for the newspaper, I am the neutral person who can provide some information about the proposal. The proposal is hotly contested by township residents for a number of reasons, one of which is a state recreation area called Hoffman Hills less than a mile from the proposed mine. The company proposes to take 20 train car loads of sand per day out of the site, and in 25 to 30 years, when they are finished, the hills will be gone. The sand will be used in the oil industry to force more oil out of the oil wells.
Wish me luck.
LeAnn R. Ralph