Weather Girl

The weather is taking a turn up here; it's taking the usual turn. This is not the "usual" turn that Bill and I have been used to for the last five years. In Arizona we went from 85 degrees in the spring to 120 degrees in the summer, then 80 degrees in the fall, and ending the "four" seasons with 60's in the winter. I exaggerate a bit, as Tucson was colder than Lake Havasu and what I just described was only indicative of Havasu, but you get the idea.

I moved up here with one pair of shoes that had a toe in them--the rest were open-toed or flip flops, if you don't count the numerous cowboy boots. Now, since I walk the White Husky at 5am every morning, my wardrobe is having to adapt quickly. I spend more time in my insulated work overalls than I do in pajamas, and despite the luxurious heated garage at home, there is no such animal at work. I am preparing for the blizzard that is winter--too bad, really, about that global warming that's going to have me buried under four feet of snow in less than two months!

Not only am I stocking up on long underwear, gloves, hats, balaclavas, boots, and you-name-it for the family (I'm sure the dogs will get a few things), I went out and bought a new friend yesterday. Meet Wanda, the Weathergirl:

"Wanda" is actually a wonderful digital thermometer that has this girl icon on it and she takes off or puts on clothing as the weather denotes. (The first time I catch Bill baking something in the oven and cranking the heater to see just how much Wanda will take off, she's getting rehomed!).

I opened up the package and Mr. H set out to nail the outdoor sensor to one of Gunnar's tie-out posts in the backyard. However, since Wanda's sensor had been inside and I was baking lasagna, we got to see what happened at a few of the different temperatures.

Here is Wanda in our kitchen:

Clearly it is a bit warm in our kitchen. Come on, you can't completely blame us: we've been in Arizona! The house is set for 74 degrees. As long as Farmer Ron keeps donating firewood to the "Keep Bill and Kimi in Wisconsin" campaign, I'm game.

Here is Wanda's next outfit--a jaunty little shirt dress with shorts underneath:

The sensor is outside and is quickly dropping, as the temperature is definitely not a balmy 77 outside.  It's not even a balmy 66: this is just a stop on the way to "Holy cow, it's cold!"

On this particular day, Wanda only told me to put on a scarf:

I have to admit, this is probably one of the more useful things I've bought since arriving in Cheeseland. There isn't really a need to check the weather in Arizona: it will be sunny and either "warm" or "too damn hot." Those are your only choices.  In Wisconsin, I've quickly realized the absence or presence of wind or humidity makes the difference between one long layer, and what I now call "Wanda Wear."