The Russians Hacked Our Weather

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Update 10:54am EST: It looks like we got about 4-5 inches (13 cm), nothing serious. There’s no significant wind, and no ice. So, all in all, it seems to be an ideal snowstorm — pretty to look at, not too deep, and not dangerous. It’s going to get very cold tonight, though.

The devious schemers in the Kremlin have figured out a way to hack into the climate on the East Coast and send Siberian-style weather our way. Is there no limit to the perfidy of those evil Tatars?

I think it’s time to open a congressional investigation into the “fake weather” generated by Vladimir Putin and his Moscow minions.

Seriously, though…

The snowfall here has been light so far. If it continues this way, we shouldn’t have a problem. However, if this low-pressure system decides to dump a big load on us, or if some of that nasty freezing rain moves in, things could get ugly here at Schloss Bodissey.

So — if Saturday afternoon rolls around, and we still haven’t approved any comments, you’ll know why. Just picture us huddled in front of the propane heater, waiting for the electrician (or someone like him)…

17 thoughts on “The Russians Hacked Our Weather”

  1. Nice pic Baron..or is that Dymphna’s creation? Anyhoo you guys keep warm and keep ’em comin’..Rah Rah Rasputin..’member that one? lol
    You’ve both probably already seen these but just in case check out the old SCTV Russian skits for fun..Here’s one for starters..Take care you two and thanks always..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViZTfmhij_g

  2. Baron, I must say that I am surprised that you don’t have a wood fire with all that lovely wood just hangin’ around. We on the mountain in Oz, have a cast iron firebox with stovetop that I get to feed for around three months each year with my timber getting labor, but our temps over that time never get below freezing point, no matter what yardstick one uses to measure it.

    So, you only have a gas heater? And how does that measure up for effectiveness?

    • We used to have wood stoves, but Dymphna’s asthma was such that we had to get rid of them. The propane heater plus the propane cooking stove are enough to do the job; we just have to practice routine caution against the accumulation of carbon monoxide (or is it carbon dioxide?). I keep a window or two cracked, and fortunately this is a leaky old house with a lot of outside air breathing in through the gaps.

      • Prior to installing a wood burner (yours truly) we used a gas heater (not flued) and were forced to leave a window slightly open. I believe the problem is when the tank gets almost empty and the smell that is inserted into the gas becomes more noticeable. I could always tell the gas bottle was almost empty by the smell.

        My wife has a mild form of asthma but no ill effects from our wood fire box which is really a sealed unit. I just realized we covered this ground before some years ago. LOL! Will have to chalk it up somewhere so I don’t bother you again with it.

      • Our house qualifies more as a cottage than a real house. A quaint cottage. A quaint cottage with rooms added here and there. *Small* cozy rooms that take the measure of any carpenter’s zen.

        Ain’t never met a woodstove that was “cozy”-like. They’re real space gobblers.

        I’d love one of those outdoor woodstoves; a friend has one that was configured into the building of their new home, though they didn’t actually install one until they could find a good used bargain…her husband cuts timber for a living, so for them it was a smart choice.

        But they’re not cheaper for the average person, especially considering set-up costs. AND they require electricity to get the heat into the house. Probably a better investment in the frozen north.

        I sure remember the years of our woodstoves. A lot of work for us both and asthma for me.

        For some of us, fire is just a necessity for the soul. If you’re one of those folk, you could always put this on the coffee table and stare into the flames for a while:

        http://amzn.to/2joAfeK

        I’d rather have this:

        http://amzn.to/2i1oLxS

        Or perhaps alternate them, depending on my mood. Reality is optional now.

        • My brother lives in sunny warm Queensland and has one of those fancy electric fires you have indicated that starts instantaneously, has no mess to clean up or smells to concern one-self with.

          It looks good and works well, especially in his large room that he has installed it in……but it’s a fake! It’s a fraud on all those who love to sit and watch a real flame dancing to and fro while devouring one’s labor spent in many hours of chain sawing and block splitting.

          But enjoy it I do, especially with a nice pint of good stout to whet the whistle and lighten the mood while the cold dark night closes in.

          We don’t watch TV. Who needs it when a good fire is burning?

          And BTW, my fire is convection only, so it needs to go ‘on’ a few hours before the cold starts and it does not take up that much room as it just 2’x 2′ by 12″ in depth.

    • In generally cold weather (This coming week we will not get above -14C at any time, and will dip below -30C frequently.) – depending on the construction and location of your fireplace – the chimney is a source of severe heat loss. Burning wood or any open flame below a chimney may actually suck heat out of the building. We call this “cold hearth syndrome”.

      http://www.gulland.ca/fhs/coldhearth.htm

  3. Same here, although Belgian anti-hacking systems are, luckily, more sophisticated then American ones. Nasty Vlad managed to drop only half an inch or so.

    Belgium is considering F-16 strikes in the Crimea as retaliation.

    • Bang,

      Yes…..! I held off commenting before but you have spurred me to action. Those rooskies are omnipotent…

      What about the reduced sunspot activity?…. It’s Putin wot did it..

      Putin I tells yer and his evil machinations.

    • Mr. Tirebiter! Good to hear from you. I notice you’ve added a “t” to your name… 😉

  6. Snow is so pretty. I live in New England, New South Wales and most years we get flurries but snow rarely settles. Back in the eighties we had a serious dump of snow for three days. Magic. The landscape was transformed and trees boughs were bent low as in your photo. I also recall – having five young children at the time – trying to dry socks as they’d run out to play in the snow and come in with wet socks.

    • Snow is not pretty when you’re shovelling it onto the pile that has been growing since October; and won’t be gone until April, because the temperature hardly ever goes above melting for months on end. My wife just went out to clear the yard in -20C. It was not really “snow” . . . just the layer from the bit of moisture that been wrung out of the air by the cold. The air is desert-dry.

      At least cold snow is light and fluffy; unlike the heavy, gloppy stuff that dumps on high humidity areas . . . and fills emergency rooms with heart attacks.

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