It is late January 2026, and the wind is currently trying to rip the siding off my house here in the Northeast. It is the kind of cold that makes your bones ache and your coffee turn lukewarm in three minutes flat. I looked out my window this morning, expecting to see a barren, frozen … Read more
I sat in my living room last night and felt a breeze. My windows were closed. My doors were locked. Yet, there it was—a tiny, icy finger of North American winter air poking me right in the neck. I looked at the thermostat and saw the furnace kicking on for the third time in an … Read more
I walked past my neighbor’s place this morning and saw a garden hose still attached to the side of his house. It’s mid-January 2026, the temperature is dropping faster than a lead balloon, and he’s basically invited a flood into his basement. I wanted to shake him, but I’m too old for neighborhood brawls. Instead, … Read more
I was standing on my back porch yesterday, coffee in hand, watching a neighbor struggle with a frozen outdoor spigot that had finally given up the ghost. It’s January 2026, and after that last cold snap, you’d think people would learn. But no, every year we act shocked when water freezes, wood rots, and gutters … Read more