WELL, THIS IS INTERESTING

It happened.

It happened last night. 

It happened when I wasn't expecting it to happen. Though I should have.

After all, it is early November. And the temperature was below freezing (O°C or 32F) overnight.

Yup, it snowed. 

 At the front

By noon, I could see that the more adventurous were out and about, despite icy streets. Or, more correctly, turning the streets to ice. (The smart ones, as you can see, are walking. Carefully.)

In the back

I don't know whether the snow will stay more than a day or so, even though the temperatures will be below freezing. The ground was comparatively warm and wet when the show fell. So, for those of you in Texas, or San Diego, I'm sorry; we don't have enough snow to send you some. At least not yet.

But of course, good friends and readers, you know what this means. Yes! IT'S HIBERNATION TIME! Meaning that I'll be gone until next spring. Unless, of course
• there is a really nice day, when it's sunny and warm, and I just have to get out and stretch, or
• I get bounced, either by Tigger, or by our grandchildren (when they come for a visit — which is at least once every week). 

Do I expect to be out from hibernation at some point? Absolutely. I'm sure that Finnegan and/or Keira will "bounce" me, sometime, if nothing else. Grandchildren are so lovely, and so much fun, and so predictable. At least ours are. (And probably yours, too!) They WILL find me. "Granddad, are you awake?" they will inquire (even though I look like I'm sound asleep). I can already hear that inside my head. Life is nothing if not "interesting," when you're a Bear. Especially a Brown Bear in Canada.

Blessings and Bear hugs, everyone!

Today's Weather Report

Overcast, and -5°C (or 23F). Cloudy overnight, down to -11C (that's 12F). Tomorrow, cloudy, again (still?), high of -8C (about 18F). No sign of snow for the rest of next week, though there is a slight possibility of snow on Tuesday, (but that's so slight, it won't likely happen). 

GREY SKIES FROWNING AT ME, WHILE I TRY TO SMILE

We have had quite a bit of rain recently. Even a bit of snow, (but that doesn't count, because it didn't stay for at least 12 hours). 

What that means is we have had a lot of grey, cloudy days. November kinds of days. 

"GRRRrrr" is the appropriate response to all that.   

It's close to hibernating weather, but not quite. Not cold enough. So I'm dragging myself around; not quite hibernating, not quite awake.

I was over at Fishduckys blog earlier today. She was quoting Mark Twain, and a number of Twain's thoughts seemed appropriate for the day after a mid-term election.

"Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress . But I repeat myself."

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

And:

"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled."  

That last one is particularly true. If you have enough money to saturate an area with television advertising, you can get people to believe that lies are the truth, and that the truth is a pack of lies. You can convince people to vote against their best interests, and support the very different interests of others. (It's called "The Big Lie" process.) Reporter Andy Borowitz, in The New York Times, says, that since the Citizens United case has been upheld by the US Supreme Court, it costs about four billion dollars to buy a member of congress. Yup; four billion. All, I assume, for election expenses. (It's hard to recall that Borowitz is actually writing satire; he seems so realistic and truthful.)

We, in Canada, are going to have a Federal (national) Election in a bit less than a year. The Conservatives are in power. To understand Canadian Conservatives you need to realize that they are just a bit more conservative than the Kock brothers "Tea Party."  (Meaning they are more like Fascists.) They take most of their strategy from the US Republican play book. They are far more conservative than most Canadians (except for Christian fundamentalists, some of whom form the party's base of support). A court has found that the Conservatives clearly engaged in electoral fraud, in order to win the last Federal Election. Many people expect the Conservatives will do the same again in this upcoming election. For the record, the Conservatives normal response is to thumb their noses at the courts. Sigh!

Oh. Wait! It looks like there is some sun breaking through the clouds. This could be a nice day, after all. 

Now, if I could just find Miss Sadie!

Blessings and Bear hugs, folks!


Today's Weather Report

Mainly sunny, with a temperature of 4C (or a balmy 40°F). Overnight, it will feel like about -9C (a fresh 16F). Remember to wear your socks and mittens to bed, and have something to cover your head.