Driving through the Storm~

 These last few days & winter storm Fern made, for some challenging driving for Butch!

1-24-2026 - 10:55 p.m. Love's, New Florence, MO

After making a delivery & picking up a load in Kansas City on the 23rd, the storm caught up to him as he was leaving MO Saturday morning.  He was heading east to make a delivery in Louisville, KY.

1-25-2026 - 1:36 p.m. 

The storm increased in strength as he traveled east.  It had taken miles for the lines of semis to sort themselves out when he'd left New Florence.  He was at the head of the line, behind a snowplow, until a flatbed entered from an onramp.  (Miles later, he passed the flatbed, stuck on the shoulder of the road.)

1-25-2026 - 2:50 p.m. 

The driving was non-stop.  Trucks were everywhere.  Every on & off ramp had lines of semis sitting.  If there was any incline at all, the tires spun & they were going nowhere.  If they pulled onto the shoulder, that's where they stayed, without enough traction to get rolling again.  

After making an attempt to find parking or take a break at a Road Ranger at the state line, he continued on to the Love's in Haubstadt, IN.  The Warner driver (in the above photo) pulling a Walmart trailer hadn't checked his hitch pin.  The trailer had disconnected from the truck, blocking the way out.

1-25-2025 - 5:30 p.m. Parked at Love's

This Love's at Haubstadt, IN was proactive & had a plow working to keep the lot clear of snow.  

1-26-2026 - 6:00 a.m.

Monday morning, the best of plans, changed.  Butch said the entire place could hear when the driver of the truck above started the engine.  The semi was making a loud banging noise.  The driver got out, lifted the hood, then shut the truck down, right where it was.  Another driver asked him to move it - the answer was no.  The angle made it impossible for other trucks to get out.

1-26-2026 7:25 a.m. 

Butch told me it was sheer luck that allowed him to leave.  He had to back up all the way to the fuel islands, make a U-turn, then go the wrong direction through the island to reach the entrance.  He said if even one of the trucks at the fuel island had been pulled forward, he wouldn't have gotten out at all.  By the time he was on the access road, he looked back to see a total tangle of semis.  Ahead of him was open road!

1-26-2026 By 11 a.m. he'd arrived at his delivery!  

He was the only truck that had made it in for a delivery.  Of course, that didn't mean they were in any hurry to unload him.  He was called to back to the dock by 1:29 p.m. & unloaded at 2:05 p.m.  He almost always gets his next dispatch once he's unloaded.  That didn't happen today.  He decided to go to the nearest Love's in Shepherdsville, KY.  When he arrived there, at 3:03 p.m.  it was full to overflowing.  He decided to go on to a rest area, but the next two were closed.  

1-26-2026 - 4:00 p.m. Pilot Pendelton, KY

Finally, by late afternoon he found a spot at the Pilot.  His dispatches came in too & he'd actually picked the correct direction to drive.

1-27-2026 - 3:40 a.m.

The Pilot, a busy place 24-hours a day.

1-27-2026 - 6:00 a.m. Clear Road! 

Always happy to be clear of a truck stop, I was happy to see he had a clear road this morning!  

1-27-2026 Arrival - 9:05 a.m. 

At his pickup, in Rushville, IN he was backed to the dock by 9:35 a.m.  By 10:30 a.m. he was loaded & leaving - heading west!  Next stop would have been York, NE but he was diverted to Omaha to drop his trailer so another driver could get home.  Hopefully he'll get a reprieve from the snow!

Brilliant Cold!

 The day after my last bike ride, the temperature dropped 30 degrees.  Mid-month we were still in somewhat of a cycle - consisting of a cold day followed by a warmer one.  At least that was the case until January decided to plunge us into bitter cold.  Thursday, we dropped during the day from a high of 15 down to 7.  Include blasting winds & by yesterday morning we were at zero with wind chills to -25.

The woods~

This morning, we had an inch of snowdust.  Just enough to almost turn the ground white.  At 9 a.m. when I went out, the sun was breaking through the clouds & the temperature was still zero.  Thankfully there was just a light breeze.

Armillary~

I blew the back deck & back walkway for Finn.  He waits for his coat!  Then, I went out front & blew the porch & sidewalk there - all the way to the Cabin.

What zero looks like~

It was simply beautiful out.  I'll do whatever necessary to get my outdoor time & blowing is easier than shoveling!  It was quiet except for the tweets of the birds that were coming & going from the feeder.

Cardinal on the ground to the left of the post~

In the photo above, the little square black box to the right is the sonic Cat Repeller.  I lost two birds to cats over the summer months.  The neighbor who owns one of the many that run free, bought it rather than contain his cat.  It does seem to help, at least I haven't found any more feathers.  (I saw a post yesterday from a local group working to control the feral cat population in town, by trapping & neutering.) 

Ceramic ball by the Cabin~

I'd never noticed before how prominent the star at the top of the ball is with snow.  The air was so fresh!  Brisk is the kindest word I can use to describe the cold.  By the time I was done - I was sure even with his heated pad - Finn would be ready to come in.  He wasn't the only one!

Echinacea~

I was surprised at how many seeds are still on the Echinacea.  Last year they were stripped by the end of winter, even with the bird feeder kept full.

When I came in~

Butch has been south, making a delivery in Kansas City.  With too much time in his schedule, he's taking a 34-hour reset in New Florence, MO.  He wasn't bragging but mentioned temperatures in the 40's this week.  It seems today the cold has finally caught up to him.  He woke to 4 degrees & about the same amount of snow we had. He'll leave tomorrow for Louisville.  

Butch's view~

We have single digits today, teens tomorrow.  The long-range forecast is for temperatures warming slowly into the 20's with a day or two breaking 30 degrees, into the first week of February. 

Finn is already bored with being inside.  Yesterday I found him in the craft room, sharing the sunshine coming in the south window with my plants.  We're working on a couple new commands to keep him occupied & have play time twice a day.  He's worse than having a toddler!  :-)

A Ride & A Run-a-way ~

 Our winter weather has been one for the books.  Cold to warmer, back to cold.  The weekends usually get the blast of cold, then during the week we get a day or two that's too warm for the time of year.

Heading east~

I keep watch for those warmer days & today was supposed to be the last for at least this week.  It was crazy warm - the day topped out at 64 degrees.  I took my vest & coat but would have only needed a windbreaker over my vest.  

Stern Oil, Tank Farm #3

The park was busier than last week, which surprised me.  The Lake Manawa rides will probably get a little stale by the end of the season.  I won't complain though.  Having hard surface trail - mostly without traffic - anywhere close to home is a good thing!

Underpass~

The strong shadows give this underpass a futuristic look.  The upcoming corner is where I spooked the deer a couple weeks ago.  No deer again today, so they must have been passing through.

Break spot~

There was meltwater showing all over the surface of the lake.  It was the next day I saw a news story where a dog had to be rescued from the water this same evening by emergency personnel.  The ice looked to be so thin, I was surprised the dog made it as far out from shore as he did.  This happened shortly after I'd left.  I'd been sitting watching the Eagles flying over the lake, too.  What a beautiful sight on such an incredible afternoon.

Shadow at the lake shore~

The ice formations had melted down since last week.  The photo above shows all the open water.  This is the first time I've ever seen the lake in January without a full cover of ice.  Usually, people are out on the ice, fishing.

Sun moving low in the sky~

I'm taking advantage of these days.  The air is so fresh & sky so blue.  This January will go down as one of my favorites so far - if this trend continues.  The temperature always drops through the section above.  If we've had snow, this is where it takes the longest to melt.

Just a short way further though, you come out into the sunshine & the area I call a savanna.  It's home to wildflowers in the spring.  

The mini savanna~

I'd left Finn home & made it back to the Bronco about my usual time.  Finn met me at the door, yawning.  We'd had a terrible experience this morning as I'd parked at the church for our Wed. mat making.  I'd taken Finn out of the Bronco, put him on the ground & was getting my bag when he jerked the leash out of my hand & took off after a loose dog.  The stray had been sniffing around in the flower bed in front of the building.  

The large black dog took off running away from Finn - toward the busiest street in town with Finn hot on his heels.  I dropped everything & took off after them both - my heart in my throat.  Cars were coming from both directions - but both stopped when they saw the scene unfold.  I yelled at Finn to STOP but was totally ignored.  They actually made it across the street!  The black dog cut over between houses.  The marble in Finn's brain finally fell back in place.  He stopped, turned & started back toward me.  I grabbed his leash, thanked the people who'd stopped traffic with their cars & returned to my bags.  

A friend walking down the hill, saw the entire event.  She & I both were shaken.  Everyone heard the story & Finn knew he was in BIG trouble when he was completely ignored all morning.  When another friend stopped to see him, she said he was trembling.  He understood at the least - how upset I was.  Upset - but ever so thankful he hadn't been hit.  The leash loop will be completely around my wrist from now on!  I have no idea why he is so aggressive toward other dogs...

1-8-2026 Rain!

Just to prove my point, the above photo is of the rain Thursday.  By evening we'd received an inch of badly needed moisture & our high temperature was over 25 degrees below Wednesday's.  The forecast evening snow didn't happen, but rain in January isn't our normal.