Murphy's Weather

Currently 54 with a calm wind leaving it to feel like 54. Dew Point 54, Humidity 100%, Barometer 29.81 & rising, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:49 am, Sunset 7:09 pm. Plenty of sunshine today, high 79. W winds 5 – 10 mph.

Clear to partly cloudy skies tonight, low 50. N wind 5 – 10 mph.

Fire and wind. Fire so often our friend, many times saving our lives, warm, inviting…so many good memories sitting around a campfire. Wind drying clothes on the line, moving the ice out of the water when the weather warms, bringing the scent of flowers and freshness our way, moving air to cool us when we’re warm.  However, that fire, when combined with that wind, can also be a villain, a misery, a killer. The wildfires that periodically flare up around our nation, right now in California, driven by the wind which only Nature can control, are terrifying. Wild is the word. They go where they want, they demolish and destroy what they can.  Temper tantrums from an out of control, disobedient child that grow into something fearful and ferocious straight out of a Stephen King novel. Frightening and fraught with danger.

Brave, brave people are always at the forefront, fighting with all their strength and ability to try and control the wildness when these flames flare up, doing their best to help prevent the pain these fires can cause. My thoughts and prayers go out to those fighting and those simply trying to survive.

Currently 57 degrees with a S wind of 6 mph dropping that down to 56. Dew Point 56, Humidity 98%, Barometer 29.79 & rising, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:48 am, Sunset 7:10 pm. Sunny skies today with a high of 77. SSW winds 5 – 10 mph.

Clear overnight skies, low 50. Light and variable winds.

I love a sunny day, but in all honesty, I do prefer having some clouds up there to watch. My eyes are always rising to the skies to check out what’s going on up there to liven up the view, creating pictures or moods or whatever clouds do. Sometimes they speed by as if they’re on the clock – they only have so much time to be up there and don’t want to fail. The big fluffy guys like giant wads of pure white cotton candy, those are amazing. Little ripples, big angry swatches, curling, swirling…the variety is endless. I have hundreds of pictures on file, and I’m betting clouds take up a good many of those. Like snowflakes, they are always different. And I love watching them perform.

Currently 65 with a SSE wind of 11 mph making little difference, so it feels like 65. Dew Point 63, Humidity 93%, Barometer 29.70 & falling, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:47 am, Sunset 7:12 pm. Cloudy with a high near 80. SSW winds of 15 – 25 mph.

There is a 100% chance of overnight rain. Some thunder possible. Low 56. SW winds 15 – 25 mph.

Today won’t be a bad day. A day to watch the squirrels as they begin to bury everything in places they will likely never find again. It’s amazing to see them being so busy and I always wonder if they ever again see those bits of sustenance they are tucking away for winter. I’ve heard they have some sort of organizational ability – 3 ft west of that tree, 6 ft out from this fence post – but I don’t buy it. When that stuff gets buried under the snow, I never see these furry critters diving down and digging anything out. Who knows? But nature is urging them on this time of year and they seem to be doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing.

Makes me think about stocking my pantry and my book shelves, too.  Come to think of it, I guess I’d better begin to get at it.

Currently 49 with a calm wind. Feels like 49. Dew Point 47, Humidity 98%, Barometer 30.19 & rising, Visibility 9 mi, Sunrise 7:44 am, Sunset 7:16 pm. Sunshine today with a few passing clouds. High 71. W winds 10 – 15 mph.

Partly cloudy early will becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52. NNW 5 – 10 mph.

Downright nippy this morning and it’s rather foggy outside my window. The fog will rise and so will the temperature, so this day should end up fine and dandy. In the meantime, I’ll shiver a bit – being too stubborn to close up this wide open window – and enjoy the foggy beginning to what might be a fabulous day. I always think, and hope, that each day will turn out to be fabulous. Why not?

I love fog. Even driving in it. Not the dense, thick as trying to find your way out of a fuzzy gray blanket variety, but the usual, run of the mill fog. The sort that makes the edges of everything soften and look like a watercolor painting. This I love. There is a hush to a foggy morning, like an expectancy of something perhaps magical growing out of it. Now that I have yet to see, but the anticipation of such is there, lurking around the perimeter. But for me there is nothing ordinary about a foggy morning. It’s always slightly special.

Currently 69 with a WSW wind of 12 mph steering clear, so it feels like the 69 it is. Dew Point 67, Humidity 94%, Barometer 30.21 & rising, Visibility 4 mi, Sunrise 7:43 am, Sunset 7:17 pm. Cloudy skies early with the chance of a stray shower, then partly cloudy later on.

Clear overnight skies, low 44. W winds 5 – 10 mph.

So…we were scheduled for rain, but so far only a trace has fallen. A trace. September was exceptionally dry and we sure do not need October to follow suit. Thursday through Saturday are holding out promises of rain, but there’s no trusting Mother Nature. She’s a deceptive old broad and so I’m not laying any money down on any of that being a sure thing. All we can do is hope for the best. Which we’re pretty good at by now, but so far our hopes have been dashed. We shall see. Be nice to see rain…

Currently 73 with a S wind of 12 mph making no difference, so it feels like 73. Dew Point 58, Humidity 59%, Barometer 30.26, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:42 am, Sunset 7:19 pm. Mostly cloudy with a high of 80. SSW winds 10 – 20 mph.

Cloudy with an 80% chance of thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 66. SW winds 10 – 15 mph.

So anxious to get some rain and tonight, and at this point, Friday and Saturday appear to be giving us a good chance for some, too. Sure are in need of it.

Put away the Hummingbird feeders, hung a thistle sock out and it wasn’t more than a couple of hours before a Finch found it there. How do they do that? I’ve never hung a thistle sock out there before, but that feathered detective discovered it almost immediately. I find that amazing. Didn’t make the aggressive bees that had been haunting the hummer feeder happy to see it taken down and put away. Still getting a stray buzzing about trying to figure out why it was, exactly, that word had gotten out this was the place to find food. Not much around a thistle sock appealing to a bee, I’m seeing that.

The Finches are well into their color change, going from their brilliant summer yellow to the softer, quieter shades that probably protect them in the winter from being seen by predators. So, farewell to the tiny hummingbirds and hello to the Finch families. Seasonal changes in the world of feathers.

Currently 59 degrees with a SSE wind of 8 mph dragging that down to 57. Dew Point 47, Humidity 66%, Barometer 30.22 & rising, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:41 am, Sunset 7:21 pm. Mostly cloudy morning skies will become partly cloudy by afternoon. High around 80. S wind 10 – 15 mph.

Cloudy early on will become clear overnight skies. Low 58. SSE winds 5 – 10 mph.

Well, we have a couple of days here to enjoy temperatures back up to 80. I’m loving that. And then it seems the bottom will fall out – along with that, hopefully, a chance for some much needed rain. And I do mean much needed. September brought us such scant amounts of precipitation as to make it all seem as if we got none at all. Fingers are crossed that the days ahead will bring us relief from this dryness. We shall see, but the signs are good so far.

The hummingbirds are gone for the season, but the Seagulls seems to be clumping together in the store parking lots. Never seen so many all in a bunch as I’m seeing lately. Almost like a weird take on Alfred Hitchcock – Seagull version of The Birds.

Currently 59 degrees with a SSE wind of 9 mph making it feel like 58. Dew Point 39, Humidity 43%, Barometer 30.30 & falling, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:40 am, Sunset 7:23 pm. Sunny to cloudy today, high 71. SE wind of 10 – 15 mph.

Some passing overnight clouds, low 47. SE winds 5 – 10 mph.

Waking up the last couple of mornings I’ve been tempted to turn on the heat, then thought better of it. It’s simply too soon, as cold as it’s been in here. I’ll put on a good comforter and quickly turn on the little ceramic heater in the bathroom to take the chill off the room ahead of getting dressed in the mornings before starting my gas bill on it’s annual rise. I know that once that furnace is turned on, it’s giving up…admitting that nothing but ever colder weather is heading our way, and I just can’t do that. I’ll be adding a sweater to my daily attire for awhile before I’ll give in, cave in, and flip the switch to bring on the heat. Shoot….seems like summer was here and wasn’t it gone in a blink!

Watching the fish at the local Gardens, I know that soon those fish will be removed to someplace warmer and that water will be ice. Oh man…I hate to think that, even knowing the truth of it. Face it, we’re heading into my least favorite couple of seasons. Bummer!

Double Bummer!