Storm moving in

This is the kind of weather that thankfully doesn't come through Arizona all too often in the winter: a cold, wet day that chills to the bones.  This was a front moving in from California, which had parallised the northern coastal regions and closed off Interstate 5 north Weed/Mount Shasta since Friday.  My friend Lynda was driving back from a visit to southern California and had to put chains on her VW van to enter Oregon.  She made it home safely to Portland Monday evening.  

High winds pounding the RV woke me up at 12:44am. Something was hitting the east side of the RV but I didn't find out until I got up before sunrise that it was a solar panel hanging by a stretched-out bungee cord right over the door.  A second panel was also hanging over the ledge, but was not pounding against the side wall.

The mountains were shrouded in fog at sunrise. Rain was forecasted all day.  I opted to stay home, as the temperatures were going to drop. I walked Wolfie and Gretchen and then Gretel and Sweetie around the neighborhood before the light mist turned into a constant drizzle, which increased to a steady rain late in the morning.

I stayed home.  I didn't want any of the dogs exposed to the cold rain. It was a miserable day for outdoor activity and the dogs didn't seem to mind staying inside with me, laying on the bed and snoozing.

I relocated the dangling solar panels to the top of the van. I picked up some wind-strewn items, including my mature basil plant that was thrown off my large cooler and broke all its branches.  I was hoping it would survive the winter to grow more basil leaves for me next spring.  I like basil as a garden herb to ward off insects. There's one small branch still standing, but will that branch grow more branches in the spring?

My one venture into town was for dinner and a quick stop at Home Depot.  I took Gretel and Sweetie with me who surely enjoyed the warmth of the truck.

It was an unproductive day.  I spent some time staying warm and watching the movie "Joe" starring Nicolas Cage, a rather dark movie to watch during the holiday season, but today's depressing weather got that started.  

Winds began picking up by 8pm.