January Ramblings

After the holidays ended and my smashing birthday celebration faded into the rear view, January...

Well it's the coldest it's been in five years here. I was driving to Costco along Covered Bridge Road and noticed just how cold it really is.





If you look carefully, you may notice that these waterfalls are frozen solid. It's a fairly substantial creek and I was actually awe struck. I had to park about a hundred yards away and was dressed warmly including hat and gloves, but by the time I got back to my truck I was beginning to think I'd better not touch my ears lest they break off. They say the temperature is around five Fahrenheit with a windchill factor a little south of zero.

One of the odd things here is it doesn't like to snow. We've had some very mild flurries but no real snow despite the cold temperatures. They have a thing here called "winter mix" which is frozen rain. Not snow or hail... frozen raindrops. Little ice crystals that scatter themselves all over until it gets warm enough for them to melt. I'm told we'll get an occasional covering of snow, sometimes up to six inches, but not often.

VISITING THE SISTERS IN BEATTYVILLE
About a week ago, Elder McClelland, our Financial Genius at the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission (he's a Senior missionary here with his wife from Bear Lake, Idaho area). handed me a copy of a natural gas utility bill from our apartment (trailer really) out in Beattyville, Kentucky. The bill was for just shy of $400 and he thought that was a tad steep.

I called Beattyville and it turned out to be two Sister Missionaries. They live in a rented trailer and it's not very well insulated they said. I discussed strategies and wondered if they might find a better place to live, etc. They said there wasn't much to choose from.

I thought it might be fun to drive out there and take a look so last Friday (a week ago), Sister Partridge and I hit the road.

Well shortening a long story, the Sisters love their little trailer. they have it fixed up real cute and it's close to the little chapel there in Beattyville. Plus, there really doesn't seem to be any better possibilities. So they're trying and we're going to leave them be. They are Sisters Oliphant (left) from eastern Washington state and Sister Peacock from middle of nowhere, Nevada.



We were somewhat amused to find that beattyville has it's own claim to fame... "The Home of the Wolly Worm Festival" that we unfortunately missed out on.

Back home, driving toward the setting sun, two days ago, on River Road approaching downtown Louisville, I thought these made good photos. The water in the foreground is the Ohio River.