Tegeler Wrecker and Crane is the Heavy Rescue Team in Eastern Iowa

We saw the KCRG news item about Tegeler Wrecker & Crane getting almost 10,000 calls for help after the big snowstorms last week. They’re a big towing and wrecker service which reminded me of the Weather Channel shows Highway Thru Hell and Heavy Rescue 401. Tegeler pretty much does everything they do, including heavy duty towing and recovery, air cushion recovery, roadside assistance, and more. You can see their operation on Facebook. They go pretty much everywhere, including Iowa City.

We don’t have anything like the Coquihalla here, but I-80 was all but impassable around Iowa City last week. One similarity is that many drivers didn’t pull off the road to someplace safe to ride it out. I guess that’s how similar Americans are to Canadians.

We’re not out of the arctic blast just yet. We’re supposed to get a January thaw early next week.

Kurten, A. (2024, January 16). Towing company receives almost 10,000 calls for help after winter storm. KCRG.com. Channel 9 ABC. https://www.kcrg.com/2024/01/17/towing-company-receives-almost-10000-calls-help-after-winter-storm/

Heed Warnings About Risk for Frostbite

I just saw an article in the Daily Iowan about the importance of knowing how to avoid frostbite during wind chill advisory and warning periods. As a consulting psychiatrist in the general hospital, I saw what can happen to people who suffered frostbite injuries. They were treated on the Burn Unit.

The risk for frostbite will continue to be high for the next few days with wind chills as low as minus 30 below zero, according to the National Weather Service.

The University of Iowa Hospital has a frostbite education web page worthing reviewing. There is also a compelling story posted in 2022 about how two patients were treated for severe frostbite injuries.

Martin Luther King Upcoming Schedule of Events

Upcoming Events for Martin Luther King Celebration of Human Rights includes:

  • “Service Day – Kit Building for Those in Need | Jan. 20, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
    Location: Activity Center (260 IMU)
    Come together to make a positive impact by assembling kits for individuals facing various challenges. Your participation will contribute to creating a better community.”
     
  • “MLK Distinguished Lecture by Michele Norris | Jan. 23, 2024 at Noon
    Location: Prem Sahai Auditorium, 1110 Medical Education and Research Facility, MERF
    Title: Our Hidden Conversations
    Join us for a distinguished lecture by Michele Norris, NPR Journalist, on the theme “Our Hidden Conversations.”

Woodpeckers Coming Out of the Woodwork After the Snowstorms!

We have not seen any birds in our backyard since the arctic blast began this past week or so—until a couple of days ago.

We saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Downy woodpecker, and a White-Breasted Nuthatch. Hardly a flock, but interesting anyway.

We had a little trouble deciding whether we saw a White-Breasted Nuthatch or a Black-Capped Chickadee. But there were a few clues. The bird was climbing down the side of a tree. Chickadees don’t do that. It didn’t have a black throat patch, either. And it had a chestnut undertail.

The downy Woodpecker had a stubby little bill and it was smaller than a Hairy Woodpecker.

That reminded Sena of the time about twelve years ago when she went to a lot of trouble looking for our camera. She caught a shot of a Pileated Woodpecker in our backyard while I was at work. She thought I wouldn’t believe her unless she had a snapshot to prove it. I’m glad I didn’t bet on it.

Balaclava Beats the Blizzard Blast

The arctic blast continues with temperatures well below zero and cautions about going outside—if you dare.

I have a balaclava, which is a combination scarf, hat, and extraterrestrial two-way radio. I wore it on the first day of the snowstorm last week, when the snow was great for juggling snowballs. I somehow got it twisted and my left eye got covered up. I didn’t know I could be a one-eyed juggler.

I’m not sure if I finally figured out how to don the balaclava correctly or not. But I did it my way. There are models without antennae, which might cut down on extraterrestrial abductions.

Actually, you probably should stay indoors for the next few days while the big wind chill grips the area.

Iowa Update for Martin Luther King Events!

The frigid weather has led to updates in the events for the MLK Celebration. Among them is the postponement of the Unity March and Community-wide Celebration. This is planned for February.

Sugar Pea Pod Prep

This is a follow up to the pea pod disaster I wrote about the other day. Recall they were inedible because they were tough and stringy.

We found a YouTube on the web showing how to remove the stems that sounded promising. After removing them, we tried eating them raw. We couldn’t do it. In fact, that little mound of what looks like chewed pea pod on the counter in the YouTube we made is exactly that.

We tried steaming them after removing the stems (or maybe it was boiling). I don’t think it matters. We still thought they were inedible. Maybe we’ll try the frozen variety.

Any advice?

Martin Luther King Day About Peace and Unity

I noticed that Iowa City and Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas have a couple of things in common regarding the celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday this week—one is inclement weather. The other thing is hope for peace and unity.

I was a student at Huston-Tillotson (one of the HBCUs) back in the 1970s. I saw it snow there once. It turns out that one of the MLK events will be postponed to January 27, 2024, and that’s the Austin MLK March. It’ll be too cold, with a chance for freezing rain. The event is billed as the MLK CommUnity March. The MLK Festival and Food Drive has been rescheduled to January 27th as well, and that will be at Huston-Tillotson University. The emphasis is on unity.

In Iowa City, the MLK Peace March on January 15, 2024 will instead be a vehicular parade because of the really cold weather we’ve been having recently. The emphasis is on peace. The parade will start at 9:30 AM.

All of my life I’ve admired Dr. Martin Luther King for his efforts to unite everyone in peace. Despite the world’s current events, I still have hope that the effort will continue.

We all have a lot in common, and it’s not just the weather.

CDC Reports Respiratory Virus Activity Elevated or Increasing

The CDC on January 12, 2024 reported that respiratory virus activity is elevated or increasing across the country. The summary:

“Summary

Seasonal influenza and COVID-19 activity remain elevated in most parts of the country; however, the rapid increases seen over the past several weeks appear to be slowing. The U.S. continues to experience elevated RSV activity, particularly among young children. Hospital bed occupancy for all patients, including within intensive care units, remains stable nationally. However, some jurisdictions are reporting strain on hospitals locally, driven, in part, by recent increases in respiratory illness.

Influenza

Multiple indicators of influenza activity including test positivity, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations are elevated. Additional information about the recent increases in influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC.

COVID-19

Despite test positivity (percentage of tests conducted that were positive), emergency department visits, and hospitalizations remaining elevated nationally, the rates have stabilized, or in some instances decreased, after multiple weeks of continual increase. Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are highest among infants and older adults but are also elevated for young children. Despite the high levels of infection measured using wastewater viral activity and test positivity data, at this time, COVID-19 infections are causing severe disease less frequently than earlier in the pandemic.

RSV

RSV activity remains elevated nationally in all regions, though decreases have been observed in some areas. Hospitalization rates remain elevated in young children and continue to increase among older adults.

Vaccination

National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains low for children and adults. Vaccines are available and can help protect people from the most serious health effects of fall and winter viruses.”

CDC Guidelines for Preventing Hypothermia & Frostbite

It’s going to get colder in Iowa with wind chill factors raising the risk for cold weather-related illness. Read CDC guidelines about how to recognize and prevent hypothermia and frostbite.