Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yeah, this winter came on waaay too early and got really cold waay too early. More deep freeze next week waaaaaaaahhhhh.
Double waaaaaaahhhhhhhhh At least we get lots of sun - far more sunny days than gray days and that helps ~ but ~ tired of boots, coats, shoveling. I feel so bad for these mail carriers - they couldn't pay me enough to do that job.
A place with a good climate for me - I'm someone who likes the four seasons but with shorter mild winters - would probably be Virginia Beach, VA. They average only 6-7 inches of snow a year, but July and August are hot. Still, that city is too far south for most of storms that hit the Northeast, but too far north for most of the bad hurricanes.
A place with a good climate for me - I'm someone who likes the four seasons but with shorter mild winters - would probably be Virginia Beach, VA. They average only 6-7 inches of snow a year, but July and August are hot. Still, that city is too far south for most of storms that hit the Northeast, but too far north for most of the bad hurricanes.
It might not be too bad there. I visit my sister who lives there and in the winter it's fine. It's cool or even cold but they hardly ever get any snow. When it's cold there, it's not really COLD. Rhododendrons bloom in April.
I was there in the summer once and I thought I would die it was so hot and humid so I don't know if I could take those summers. But I'm not liking our winters lately either.
It was 20 years ago today and I'll never forget it.
The Northridge Earthquake, that is. I was lucky - no significant damage at the apartment I was living in at the time. Power was out for 7 or 8 hours there, but we never lost water pressure. But to say the shaking was frightening is an understatement. A building makes a lot of noise when it's shaking fairly violently. Thirty seconds (about what it was) seems like an eternity.
Sixty people died, which is actually not a large number considering the millions who resided in the affected area. One thing that saved lives was the timing - predawn darkness when most people were still in bed. Another thing was the strict building codes in most California locations. Every time there is a major earthquake they seem to learn something more and pass more laws about building safety. That started with the Long Beach Earthquake in 1933. In the years following the Northridge quake quite a bit of retrofitting of freeway bridges and transition ramps was done. Fire departments have put a lot of thought and planning into how to respond most effectively. Still, we all know that we may well be on our own for a number of hours following a major quake, as the emergency services will be overwhelmed.
I underwent training as a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member (volunteer) three or four years ago with my local fire department. It was interesting and well worth while. We actually practiced putting out small fires with extinguishers to learn the proper techniques for their use. About six months ago I put that training to use by putting out a dryer fire in a laundromat; I had it out before the fire department arrived. I felt totally confident using the extinguisher.
And why is it that folks in Maryland don't consider retiring in sunny California? Oh, right.
BTW, checked online for a peek at my most recent gas & electric bill online: $383.12. Considering the recent whacky cold spell and my drafty home, I'm not complaining.
We get an evaluation by the gas company. Our usage is way lower than the neighbors, but Wait! Could that be because we were in sunny Fl fot two weeks?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.