Frozen Beach

The thermometer read -12º F when I checked it at 7:45 am. It might have gotten colder, but that's the coldest I saw. Any temperature below zero is cold. While it is not uncommon for us to get near zero and sub-zero temperatures at our house, the sub-zero temperatures are causing problems in Albuquerque and other parts of New Mexico that don't often get this cold. Schools, universities, national labs and some of the state and local governments are closing until Monday to cut down on their use of natural gas and power.  The temperatures are looking better for tonight — it was 10º F at 8:00 pm. Therefore, it may only drop to zero tonight.

I walked out to the bosque and photographed the Sandias from the river bank and also got photos of the ice along the river's edge. The bosque and mountains are beautiful with all the snow, but it was still darn cold out. As I was walking out to the gate, I noticed a trail in the snow that ran from the old house, between a cottonwood and the red VW. I followed it on the other side of the cottonwood, and it went under one of the camp trailers, around the back of the chicken house, to the irrigation ditch, and into the culvert that runs under the fence that separates the back of the property from the main irrigation ditch. This trail is being used by the raccoons to go between the old house, where they live in the roof, and the ditch where they must be scavenging for food. I thought they hibernated in the winter, but by the evidence of how well their trail is used, they seem to be quite active right now.

I still have a slight sore throat and I am still feeling fatigued, but I had a better appetite today, so that is a good sign. As the temperatures warm up, maybe I will get more energy and get to normal again.

Black Ice

Sandias with ice on the Rio Grande

Raccoon Trail