OK, OK, I'LL TURN THE WATER ON!

THAWING OUT A WATER LINE

FROZEN FOUNTAIN IN FOUNTAIN GARDEN PARK

MEANWHILE, IN  A NORTH CAROLINA NEIGHBORHOOD...

Friday, 9:00 AM.  5 degrees F, wind NE, very light with a few stronger gusts.  It is overcast and the snow has stopped after depositing several more inches of the white stuff.  The humidity is down to 81% and the barometer is up, to 29.93".
   I reported two days ago on a water main break on Sixth Street, and that the City has asked residents to turn on a faucet to let a trickle of water run to help prevent water  lines from freezing. I was a bit skeptical of this, since our water bills are unconscionably high, but yesterday I spotted the City rig above, on Ninth Street, and stopped to talk to the worker.  The conversation went something like this:
   "Whatcha doin'?"  "Thawin' out a water service, got lots of 'em to do."  "How do you do it?" "Hook a welding machine to the line and let the current run through it."  "But the water lines must be eight feed deep?""Yup."  "And they're still freezing up?"  "Yup.""I'll go turn on my water.""That'd be smart."
   Meanwhile, Almanac reader Douglas P.  from North Carolina sends a photo from his front yard.  He says he's "staying home." Until spring, Doug?