12/30/25  As the days lengthen, the cold strengthens.

21 degrees, cloudy, calm.  21 is the high for today, 10 this afternoon, 4 tonight.  West wind today, a stiff WSW breeze tonight.  Partly cloudy tomorrow, a brisk SW breeze, high 21, low 9.  Snow showers tomorrow night and Thursday morning.  A stiff NW breeze Thursday, high 23, low-2. Partly cloudy Friday, a west breeze, high 17, low 3.  Partly cloudy Saturday, a brisk WNW breeze, high 17, low-8.   Sunshine Sunday, a WNW breeze, high 10, low -7.  Partly cloudy Monday, a light NW breeze, high15, low 7.  Snow showers Monday night.  A north breeze next Tuesday, cloudy, high 21, low 7.  Partly cloudy next Wednesday and Thursday, NNW breezes, highs in the low twenties, lows 10 and 14. Snow showers Thursday night.  3-5 inches of snow Friday the 9th, a NW breeze, high 30, low 18.  Snow shower Friday night. A west breeze Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th, highs about 33, lows 18 and 14.  1-3 inches of snow showers Saturday night and Sunday morning  Partly cloudy the 12th and 13th, WNW breezes, highs 28, lows 11. 

      Yesterday was an unpleasant day weatherwise.  My weather station said 1.17 inches of rain.  Likely there was snow/ice buildup before the rain started.  The sump pump has come on a few times.  The snowpack is now an ice pack.  I'll make an ash path as I go out to care for the hens.  I have buckets of sand by the back door and front door.

    Yesterday I printed several pages of instructions from my using milk class.  How to make our own cultures, cheeses and other things we might want to refer too.  Today we are going to start the cultures.  We've been using Stonyfield plain yogurt as a culture to make yogurt.   I need to decide which class I want to take next.

    Andrew and Gayle live off grid.  The temperature has dropped to 16 but the sun is shining, charging their solar batteries.  When the sun shines their Christmas lights stay bright well into the night.  They have a backup propane generator but even in the winter their solar generator produces most of their power.

    May your day be blessed, Sally