Artic Vortex

When I woke up this morning the temperature outside was 0 and the wind chill was approximately 20 below zero.  We were experiencing what one local weather person called an artic vortex.  Most of the time our local weather forecasters overhype winter storm advisories and warnings.  This time they did not overhype the cold.  By the end of the workday the wind chill was nearly 25 below zero.  When I went to bed last night I did all the recommended things like opening the cabinet doors under my sink so my kitchen pipes wouldn’t freeze.  I left the faucet running at a trickle as well.  I must admit that I was a little nervous about leaving it on all day while I was at work.  When I went to bed last night, with my electric blanket turned on, I could not help but think of the homeless people in my city and all the squirrels, rabbits, birds, and outdoor cats that live in my neighborhood.  I said a prayer for all of them.  This morning, although I was dressed warmly, the five minutes or less that I stood outside my car pumping gas was brutal.  The walk from my parking garage to my office  seemed like a journey of a thousand miles.  I thought of the scientists and other passengers trapped on the research ship in Antarctica as the biting wind stung my face.  I enjoy the change of seasons, and I normally enjoy winter too but today’s cold is off the charts.  I stayed in my warm office building all day until it was time to go home.  After I picked up my wife at her office we headed straight home.  We have one more day of this cold before returning to more normal weather.  It is hard to believe that yesterday I was outside in my yard wearing shorts and taking down Christmas decorations and by the coming weekend it will once again be 50 degrees.