Screenshot of my computer at 10:07 this morning. The little weather "gadget" under the clock in the upper right-hand corner says 25 degrees! What?! It's not supposed to get this cold!
So…couple of weeks ago the temps got down into the 40’s. The battery in my car was getting weak. The engine was slower to crank and was taking longer to start. I knew I’d have to replace the battery soon, but had been putting it off and putting it off in the way that some (all) guys do… “I’ll get to it, alright?”
Then after coming home one night, like an idiot I left a dome light on. There are four of them (Jeep Grand Cherokee), and for some reason they do not come on automatically when you open a door, don’t ask me why. Next morning I was supposed to meet some friends for an early breakfast, and when I went out to start the car it would barely turn over. You know, that depressing, Rrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrr-rrrr-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick... that says, "Hey stupid! You should've already bought a new battery!" Damn.
I used the motorcycle to jump it off (and thank God for the huge Harley battery). The Jeep battery charged up okay on the drive downtown as I figured it would, and I considered not doing anything about it. But that little voice inside my head got louder and I decided to listen to it for once.
So I stopped by O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on the way home and picked up a new battery. Had my tools with me and changed it right there in the parking lot. Fifteen minutes after walking out of the store, I walked back in to give them my old battery and get my “core deposit” refund. The kid behind the counter said, “Man, that was quick!” Heh- he doesn’t know me; I could overhaul my engine in their parking lot if I had to.
And now for the past week or so we’ve been waking up to temperatures in the low to mid-20’s every morning. Sometimes it doesn’t get much above freezing at all during the day. And when I go out to the car, I have full confidence that it’s going to start. I can only imagine how badly I would have been stranded if I’d walked out on one of these 19 degree mornings (like this morning) and had the car not start…and Harley not even be strong enough to jump it off.
Winters down here have been mild. Last winter was unusually so. We had few days below freezing, and not all that many days below 50. This winter has been harsh…well, “harsh” for us Floridians who did not move here for consistent days of 30 degree temperatures. Then again, Pensacola is hardly in a tropical zone, and it is January, and it does get cold. (Thank the Lord, it does not snow here.)
Now, I'm not complaining about the cold. I know there are plenty of other areas of the country that are colder than here, and will continue to be for longer than us. Being raised in New York City, the cold does not really bother me. I’m not saying I like it, but I can deal with it. Funny though - people here have been bitching about it like it’s the end of the world. "Hey, where's that global warming we were promised?!" They’re actually angry about the cold! As if being angry will do any good. Eh- it’ll warm up , and then we’ll be complaining about the heat again soon enough.
At least, I sure hope so. Like everyone else, I’m tired of the cold too. At least I don't have to worry about the car not starting.
2 comments:
Tell me about -- single digits and snow here in Nashville, thought the snow has not amounted to too much. But cold as all get-out. I'm wrapped up in a blanket as I write this. I know it's definitely something to which you are not accustomed in the FL panhandle.
Heh, I wish the coldest we saw was 19 degrees! Here in Denver it has been dropping into the negatives most nights the last week. We're finally above freezing during the day (high of 35 or so today), and it felt niiiice, I had my window rolled down on the way to work :D
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