8 APR 07: APRIL SHIVERS BRING....
Saturday night at sunset is usually "running time" for me. But when I checked the official Phenix City "Redneckin" temperature gauge at 8:04 p.m., it was only 46 degrees F. That's too chilly for me to jog outside - although a temperature of 56 might have meant an empty Riverwalk for running, as people huddled around fireplaces.
The official high temperature in Columbus Saturday was a mere 51 degrees F. That's about 20 degrees below average for early April - but on the other hand, clearance sales of sweaters were about 20 percent above average.
Which Columbus TV meteorologist dared to say of Saturday's cold wave across much of the country: "How's this for global warming?" That person just blew any chance of ever getting hired at the Weather Channel....
My home heater has clicked on during April before, so it wasn't that unusual to hear it running when I woke up Saturday morning. But in the other cases, our Serious Spring Cleaning was still underway. I don't have any vacuum cleaning or oven sponging left to do, to warm me up.
(Those big sighs of relief you may have heard Saturday came from Atmos Energy executives - because hardly anyone had needed to run their heaters for most of March.)
I heeded the warnings on TV, and brought in a potted plant from the porch for the weekend. It found a spot in my bathtub - except when it was time for me to take a shower. I haven't shared that kind of private moment since I played racquetball at a YMCA, more than 20 years ago.
While it was cold, at least Saturday was sunny. One man talked at church about looking out his window, and seeing an outstretched squirrel "getting some sun" for several minutes. Come to think of it, those creatures don't seem to go to Panama City Beach for spring break....
I heard a few others at church openly laugh at the idea of people getting up early for Easter sunrise services. Even our Pastor during his sermon called it an "unsanctified" day. But our denomination begins an annual Holy Day this evening - so if you want to organize a sunset service, you might have some company.
We could break a low-temperature record in Columbus today. But Derek Kinkade said on WXTX "News at Ten" it would NOT be "a one-number kind of thing." That's good news - because the folks up north can keep those readings below 10 degrees.
When I lived in metro Atlanta, the start of the Passover season meant it was safe to turn off the heater for the spring and summer. But not this year -- as Atlanta had its coldest April 7 in 100 years. I suppose it was colder than the Hawks' shooting during a losing streak.
In fact, the first full weekend of April is SO COLD that....
+ A motorcyclist came up behind me on 13th Street, wearing a skeleton-face ski mask. I asked no questions and let him pass me -- and only later concluded it was really a ski mask.
+ Atlanta had snow flurries before dawn - but amazingly, parents didn't drop off their children at the snow plow garage the way they did at Six Flags on Thursday.
+ The University of Georgia had its annual "G-Day" football game - and Athens actually had perfect football weather.
+ The first-place score at The Masters golf tournament in Augusta is a record high two-OVER-par, by Stuart Appleby. It's a strange thing when the best scores go up, as the wind chill goes down.
(BLOG-BLAH-BLAH: Would you like to finish the little rhyme we started in our title? E-mail us with your idea, and we may post it here!)
Now that we've talked about the weather, let's see what else is left to discuss....
+ An armored car was robbed at gunpoint outside Peachtree Mall. Police say the criminal wore a black business suit. Some of us can remember when the Enron executives were a bit more subtle and sly than this.
+ A billboard in downtown Phenix City announced a free seminar on being "fear-less" at the amphitheater April 27-29. So Phenix City has found a way to fill its Riverfest weekend opening, while the RiverCenter and Civic Center hold big events of their own. And who is that big-name speaker the Historic Columbus Foundation is bringing again?!
+ The Faith Worship Center staged a 100-car parade, to officially move from its old home in Ladonia to its new worship center on Victory Drive. Several people living near the old church building probably plan a "victory party" of their own - happy to have a quiet neighborhood again.
+ The "Real Time" telecast on NBC-38 showed a notable change, as Cascade Hills Church Pastor Bill Purvis now has a web site and ministry named after him. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised by this - as the music played by the church band is almost too hip, even for him.
+ A Canadian agency succeeded in getting a TV commercial with Frank Thomas pulled off the air. It showed the Columbus native and Toronto Blue Jay in a pillow fight, slugging a child to the floor. [True/Ledger-Enquirer] This is why you never hear Canadian Football League teams challenge the Super Bowl champion to a showdown....
+ The Atlanta Thrashers tipped Tampa Bay 4-1, to clinch the team's first division title. The Thrashers are going to the National Hockey League playoffs for the first time - so perhaps some Columbus businesses finally will adjust their "Go Snakes Go" signs.
+ Instant Message to the Days Inn on Victory Drive: Has anyone told you your Georgia state flag is about four years out of date? Or is this as far as you're willing to go, to host a Port Columbus conference?
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