We got only 2.77 inches of rain in January, about 40% of average. Half of that fell on the New Years Day storm, so overall the month has been very dry. Folks tell me that January averages two clear days and five partly cloudy days, with the remaining 24 days overcast. This month we had 13 partly to mostly sunny days, including some perfectly clear such as yesterday. An additional five days were foggy with clouds in the valley and sunshine in the mountains. Some parts of the coast range saw 70 degrees (!), but here in the valley the inversions kept us cooler, and the clear nights often dropped into the 20s. The month’s high was 56.6 degrees, the low was 22.7 (though it got close to that on about five nights), and the average was 38.9, 0.5 degrees below the long-term average for January.
My blog postings have fallen off recently – sorry to all who have been checking. I have been busier this term with four classes and some work in the lab. I think I will try to avoid spending much time in the lab for the rest of this term, since fitting it in seems to require late nights and long hours.
On my first weekend here I drove down to Eugene for a sing-along circle with Lily and some interesting folks and stayed for a contra dance and a night at Lost Valley. I also brewed a batch of beer that should be ready in early March. The next weekend – MLK day – Ali and I drove to the coast for an amazing clear 60-degree day on the beach, with the requisite stop at Rogue brewery in Newport. The past two weekends I have been working around the yard, first attacking our overgrowing blackberries last weekend, then expanding the chicken run this weekend. I bought a utility trailer in Sweet Home last weekend, and today I used it to haul a load of oak firewood that should keep us warm for the rest of the winter.
