Moon-lit walk in the Forest Park Nature Center, Christmas Day. (Olympus XA, handheld, with Kodak 800)

I give up. My entire wardrobe is on standby; will it be the uncomfortable sandwich of three heavy coats or merely a long-sleeved shirt today? When the high screams from 15 degrees one day to 65 degrees three days later, it’s time to lock yourself in the basement and prepare for the end. Bombs away!

To top it off, we had a few tornados in the area last night. TORNADOS IN JANUARY. Maybe you’re not the sort of person who climbs into their rusted Chevy and gallops toward the nearest funnel cloud. This is Christmas in July, folks, Ron Paul winning the Iowa caucuses*. And if you’re not a lucky resident of tornado alley, take a quick gander at this: the Federal Signal Thunderbolt 1000T. Ladies and gentleman, this “caution-yellow” cold-war relic is what I grew up with in Wichita, Kan. It’s the tornado-chaser’s Bettie Page; industrial, sturdy and ready to serve.

Stop, before you hurt yourself!… you’ve probably started wandering the vast YouTube-wasteland of tornado siren recordings. That’s not a way to spend New Hampshire primary day!

*It is neither July nor has Ron Paul made a significant stand in recent political polls. Apologies.

View overlooking the McCluggage Bridge last night.