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It's a New Year and it's cold outside. Temperatures starting the new year were around 10 below zero with a wind chill of around a -30! So is that the way the new year should start? The ground would be warmer if we had more snow. I know that sounds strange, but the snow cover helps insulate from the ground to your feet! Did you know that 10 inches of fresh snow, which is basically five to seven percent water, is the equivalent of a 6 inch layer of fiberglass insulation? That makes for an R-value of 18. So you people who yell about snow falling - it has it's good points. Also, heating bills go down when we have a good layer of snow around the outside of the house and farmers are happier when that nitrogen filled white stuff covers their fields!
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I had several people ask me if it was a UPS truck driver who didn't stop for me in the crosswalk a week or so ago. It wasn't! The UPS drivers are probably the most courteous around. I should've figured people would've thought UPS as they are everywhere, especially around Christmas time. It's possible that the truck that didn't stop came from IOWA too!
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The UW Badgers men's basketball team came away with a big win against UMass last week, but the bigger story was the UW Badgers football team with a convincing win in the Orange Bowl over Miami! The first quarter I thought "What did we get ourselves into?" when we were down 14-3. Then came the second quarter and a 24-14 lead at halftime. Sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook played his best overall game of his career at the UW and was named the game's MVP. He deserved it, but Andrew Van Ginkel and Danny Davis III were right there with him with a huge interception and a sack (Van Ginkel) and three TD pass catches (Davis). The Badgers defense was pretty amazing most of the game too!
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Then there is the Packers season! I was disappointed in the 7-9 record, but then there wasn't any Aaron Rodgers for the majority of the season. I felt that Hundley could've (should've) played better. He just doesn't get rid of the ball as fast as he should and doesn't throw it away enough. That, to me, is coaching as much as the player! Then the defense (or lack of) that really didn't show up for most of the season. I realize there were a lot of (too many) injuries, but there still should be capable players on the roster. That is coaching and general manager!
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Hey, it's almost baseball season!
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The Community Christmas Meal that is served annually at Culver's in Dodgeville went over really well again. Over 300 people took advantage of it whether through delivery, carry-outs or eat in. Two of the mainstays in the event are shown above - Donna Peterson and Jim Short. The workers don't receive enough credit!
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I didn't have a car for two days as it was sitting in the parking lot at the Chronicle from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon. AAA was pretty busy, so I didn't bother them until Sunday. Haase Service & Towing from Montfort (Jason) came to my rescue and I was able to drive home that night and haven't had any problem since. I did walk home Saturday night and down to the office Sunday morning then to church and back on Sunday. Yes, it was pretty cold!