Living in the Country and Technology

Since we live in a snow belt but formerly worked in Erie PA, where they get less snow than we do, I've always been proud to say that we ignore weather reports. Where we live, the weather is what you see out the window when you get up. When we were working and had to drive into Erie daily, a weather report was pretty meaningless. If you got up and there were two feet of snow, you started digging. The cars had extra cold weather clothes, towels or blankets, and flashlights. Weather reports here are frequently wrong, no matter how high tech the equipment so being prepared is a way of life.

Saying all that, yesterday our little digital outdoor thermometer went on the fritz. Since there is an outside sender and an inside receiver, both requiring batteries, we will have to replace both sets. Meanwhile, it burped out a temperature of 32 degrees last night so we hustled in the plants on the walk. Somehow, I just don't think it really was that cold. For one thing, when I stepped out at 11pm, I was comfortable. That would definitely not happen if it were freezing. We even check it to decide long pants or short, crew socks or cropped, jacket or short sleeves. I guess battery changing is in the plans for tonight.

Choppy Gray Day on Findley Lake

While the weather has been reasonably nice, it has also been unseasonably cool. This was brought home when the natural gas and electric bills arrived. Both were unusually low (what a welcomed surprise to our checkbook!). May saw temperatures at night in the 50's with an occasional night in the 40's. Days were in the 50's and 60's. As long as there is no wind, our house holds it temperature fairly well. With lights and computers running, we generate a fair of amount of heat so with moderate temperatures outside we stay comfortable. On cool days in May, we ran the pellet stove for a few hours. Neither the furnace, using natural gas, nor the pellet stove (which requires electricity to run) were used much and our utility bills reflected that.

Now it's the middle of June and we are still getting by with only screens in the windows. Sleeping temperatures have been refreshingly cool. Normally we install the A/C units in May but so far, we haven't even needed a window fan. It's so nice to not hear the ching ching ching of utility bills ratcheting up.

Today is a good example of this strange weather. Late in the evening and it is 60 degrees out and 73 degrees in our family room with just the TV, computers and light on. Today was gray, rainy, windy and Findley Lake had a chop on it. The big blue weed harvester could not operate because of the wind and chop. There was one teenager fishing on the end of a dock. Everyone else had the sense to just watch from indoors.