OTTUMWA —
Did someone spin the Earth too hard and we all slid south?
I’m struggling to recall a December so mild and snow so absent. Did our climate change and no one told me?
OK, Ottumwa received an inch or so of snow a few weeks back. That’s nothing compared to last winter when I worked an eight-hour shift to clear my driveway and sidewalks of deep and drifting white stuff.
There wasn’t any snow for our 2011 Christmas. I’ll bet Santa Claus had a headache after he finished his deliveries. Driving a loaded sleigh across dry ground, concrete or metal (metal roofs, that is) causes squeaks and squawks that torture every ear drum within 100 yards.
Just ask the eight tiny reindeer. They’re already talking to the North Pole Reindeers Union about Santa’s driving.
And there wasn’t any snow for New Year’s Day. I do recall more than one incredible snowfall for that holiday but can’t tell you what year. I’m blaming the wine for that episode.
Have you noticed the hours of daylight have been increasing minute by minute since Dec. 22? In general, I like the idea of more light. But some people always have to go too far.
I thought the state of Iowa had a law about headlights and turn signal lights. Maybe it changed.
I still see a lot of vehicles with headlights that blind me when they’re on low beam. I know this because I’ve flicked my lights at them. That’s a valid thing to do, according to my training.
However, most times the other driver puts on high beams to prove to me he/she was already using low beams.
Some vehicles have so many lights on them that I feel like the character Richard Dreyfuss portrayed in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Dreyfuss was at a railroad crossing and a vehicle came up behind him and used numerous amazing lights.
Dreyfuss was going to do something about the driver behind him, but the “vehicle” went straight up into the air, as most UFOs can do, according to Hollywood.
So, I try hard to look past the blinding lights and I pray for the best results.
There’s one more light to discuss. Recently I’ve seen more flickering flames than I want to see and I hope people will think more than twice before they strike a match outside. I’ve seen too many grass fires already this year and today is only Jan. 9.
Columns
January 9, 2012
Climate questions and blinding light
Browsing Around
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Richland Community Club, the little group that can ...
It seems that nearly everyone in this Keokuk County community understands he or she has a stake in the town’s future and that in some way they all contribute to that flow of positive energy needed to keep the town moving forward.
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Keep moving, keep reading
“Keep moving” is one of my power phrases and I’m adding “keep reading” to the list.
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Time is the best gift to give on Mother's Day
Editor’s Note: Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away. Due to the request of our readers, we are pleased to reprint this column from 2008.
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Donna's dilema
Ever had someone say, “I thought you died” to you?
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A welcomed return for Rob the barber
It’s hard enough to start a business, but when you’re only open roughly seven months and then laid up for the next six months, getting back on your feet can be a challenge.
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