#cold temps

We have lived here in DE since Sept. 2020. The first thing we noticed that it almost never snows and the temps are very mild in the winter. Coming from PA, this was a huge difference.

When we moved into this house, we learned that the heat was propane. We also learned that to have the 124 gallon propane tank filled would cost us $500 which includes the delivery fee but not the $92/hr service fee. We never had the money, so we have not had propane heat at all. Two electric heaters were lent to us, and that is our heat. Mind you, the electric bill has gone through the roof because of them, and I have no clue how the frick I am going to be able to pay it.

This past 2 weeks, the temps have been upper 20s to low 30s at night. Cold. It even snowed a bit 2 days ago.

I noticed the temp just now, and it is 17 out. WTF!?!? It's cold in the house with both heaters going full blast. I hope to God the pipes don't freeze. Of all the times for the temps to get that cold it's when we have no propane, no money, and only 2 small electric heaters.

We are about to be homeless again, and these are the temps we may be facing. I am freaking out over here.

@helly-watermelonsmellinfellon

DO YOU SEE THIS NONSENSE SCOTT?!??? -2 degrees????? i think not!!!!!!

- @azara-stark-strange

Holy crap!!

If it’s gonna be that cold, it should at least snow!

What happened to my warm temps from yesterday? Enjoying a skinny cinnamon dolce EXTRA HOT latte (6 points)

the iguanas are fallin’ —the iguanas are fallin’ !

It’s pretty straightforward at this point, this way of figuring things out that’s both simple... and every day normal.

For example this morning, in an effort to figure out whether I should drive Kimmer to work again... first thing I did was catch the live stream of KOMO TV then KIRO TV. KOMO seemed pretty done with the weather coverage so that’s why the switch.

On top of the weather and traffic reports, I tapped into the WSDOT cameras to lay eyes on I-5 north and SR104 west. There aren’t any webcams lining the heart of Edmonds but I could see through cameras mounted a few blocks west near the ferry terminal.

Ultimately, we figured everything was okay for Kimmer to drive up on her own.

Simple.

And every day normal.

Which once again leaves me to wonder how on earth my parents managed any of this back in the day.

Take school closures and delays, for example.

Once upon a time... there were no websites for that. You turned on the radio or TV and stayed tuned in until they announced the one thing you needed to know. You’d wait patiently through the list until they called out the name of your school.

Or not.

Weather reports were probably much the same as today... ish. Of course nowadays we’re all weather reporters. So there was no way to quickly roundtrip through social media as people all around our neighborhood, our city, our region... chimed in with their own hey, here’s how it is at our house.

Traffic reporting was also pretty basic. Whatever WSDOT happened to know without mounted cameras. Whatever a police or fire department spokesperson would tell us after an accident. Whatever the public utilities might say after a power outage.

But no vehicles mounted with their own cameras providing live coverage wherever they went. No mounted cameras, period. And no handy maps tracking the flow of traffic. And, again, no one with the ability to post anything about the traffic where they are.

So yeah.

My parents navigated their days with so many more question marks about, well, everything. There was just stuff they didn’t know and couldn’t know.

And that’s just how it was. No big deal... if you can believe that.

They made the call with whatever information they did have... and simply moved on with their days.

Yeah.

It’s times like these that remind me how different the every dayness of our lives used to be...

Once Upon A Time.