Well, after last night’s winter storm (we got about three inches of snow, plus hail from the thunderstorm before with temperatures plunging seventy degrees from day to night), we’ll be going back to summer next week.

Right now it’s 33°F (it’s warmer in Cheyenne at 6,000 feet than it is here at 3,600 feet), but by Monday we’ll be back in the nineties.

So the furnace will go off early next week and the air conditioner will be back on.

Winter is the expensive part of the year because natural gas to heat our house comes from a private firm; electricity comes from the state public power district.

Meanwhile, we’re sucking on the Covid front in the Panhandle. Our positivity rate in testing has climbed to 10%.

pphd.org

Cumulative cases are curving the wrong way.
Total cases: 726
Active cases: 88, in hospital: 8, deaths: 6 (no change)
Eleven counties of ninety-three have reported no cases (only one in PPHD, Grant County); all Panhandle counties are at “moderate risk” (Grant is at “low”)

All towns in the Panhandle and Grant County have now had cases except Hyannis (seat of Grant County, population 182), Lisco (Garden County, population 64), and Broadwater (Morrill County, population 124).
Women are 2/3 of cases.
Most by age: 20-29, 40-49, then 10-19
Racial makeup: 1/3 is Hispanic or Latino of any race (Hispanic/Latino makes up 15% of the populace)