Tag Archives: Snow Sucks

Crummy snow

Like about a quarter of the US population, we got hit by the snow event named Jonas 2 weekends ago.  For at least a week beforehand, we heard hype and warnings and altered forecasts.  At first, I think we expected a good snow but not too bad as predictions seem like they are often overblown, at least around here.  As the week wore on and we grew more and more tired of hearing about the storm of the decade, it became apparent that we were going to get a good covering with a really good chance of a wet snow which would lead to widespread power outages.

The snow was just starting
The snow was just starting

Starting Wednesday or so, people started to really pound the grocery stores to stock up on milk, eggs and bread…I guess to make their emergency French toast.  We shop on Sundays most times so we avoided the mess, but I hear a lot of places were cleaned out.  Thursday was a really weird time as all forecasts pretty much pointed tot he same thing…we were going to get a lot of snow.  I went to the office on Friday morning as usual.  The sky was dark but there was no snow at that point.  Almost on the hour, at 9. the snow started.  I think by 9:07 we had an inch.  Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it came quickly.  We closed the office by 9:30 and by 10 when I left, it was questionable as to whether I would make it home.  My car had no problem, but lots of folks in two-wheel drive vehicles were pretty much screwed.  I weaved through a developing parking lot on the main road up the hill to my neighborhood.

Piling up against the door
Piling up against the door

We hunkered down and basically waited and watched.  Snow piled up very quickly.  Fortunately, the temperature didn’t rise enough to produce the wet snow they expected so we never lost power.  We stepped out occasionally to measure snow, but it was accumulating so fast that we quickly gave up.

Ugh...my yard showed around this, but the official measure was 18.6"
Ugh…my yard showed around this, but the official measure was 18.6″

Saturday morning, we found that it was still snowing, but not nearly as hard.  I tried to open my front door at some point but found it was snowed closed.  I had to go out another door and shovel my front door open.  That sucked a little.  I took a few quick measurements which pretty closely coincided with the official measurement of 18.6 inches when it was all said and done.  I measured as high as 21 inches but all things vary of course.

It looks like a bunch
It looks like a bunch

The city was a bit of a mini-disaster as people had abandoned cars all over.  Plow trucks were working hard but we don’t usually see snow this deep and fast so they just couldn’t keep up, try as they might.  We started baking cookies Saturday sometime and baked our way out of butter so, by Sunday, wanted to get out so we could bake/eat more.  Our road had not been plowed at all though, and we figured that, with the chaos all over, they wouldn’t be getting to us any time soon.  Our driveway is maybe 50 feet long and very steep.  We started with it, hoping that would entice the plow trucks to come and plow us in, much like washing a car encourages rain.

Buried
Buried

Finally, we decided to just go for it and we shoveled out our neighborhood road from our place to the main road which was somewhat passable.  I’d say that road is maybe 100 feet long where we were interested.  My wife, my amazing workhorse of a wife and I shoveled out the road as well.  It wasn’t a lot of fun, but we had eaten a lot of cookies so figured it balanced out pretty evenly, calorie-wise.

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First the driveway

 

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Then the road
Then the road

A lot of roads are still not passable, but I was able to get to the office.  Schools are still closed, wisely.  The biggest problem now, is where to put the snow that the highway crews are plowing.  Our road was finally plowed out after dark, about 60 hours after the snow started.  That’s not terrible with all things considered, but I am glad we dug out ahead of time.  Let’s hope it takes at least another decade before we see this again!

We survived!
We survived!

Snow days

Emily and the kids are off today because of the snow and the cold.  It was 11 outside this morning and the roads were a bit of a mess so it was the right thing for the county to call off classes today.  I just wish they hadn’t called at 4:35 am.  We are very lucky (I think) that the county uses a robocaller to alert teachers and parents to closures, announcements, etc.  We just need to work on the clock…

Brrrrr!

When I was a kid, we had to wait for the tv station to scroll our county across the screen.  The closest station was 100 miles or so away.  I am not sure it mattered but our little rural area was not terribly important to anyone else.  Honestly, they never cancelled or delayed anyhow so there really wasn’t much to watch for anyhow.  We just went to school every day.  More than once I remember sitting on the bus waiting for a plow truck to come so we could follow it down the hill and get to school.  I also remember one time when the bus tried to make it up the hill to the school.  As the bus started spinning and sliding (even with chains on), the driver stopped it and we had to walk the rest of the way in the snow (we weren’t barefoot but it was up hill!)

I don’t want to go on about how easy kids have it nowadays, but it was just different.  I am sort of jealous though!  Anyhow, I am sure that the family is enjoying sleeping in while I slave away at the office!  Snow days are special days in my book and I truly hope the kids enjoy a little extra time to relax.  Heck, by tomorrow it may be 70 again and we will be outside in shorts  (if only we were so lucky)…

Out of state

I have been pretty behind on saying much, but we have been busy!  We have been on holiday vacation!  We stayed at home for Christmas as we always do.  I don’t like to rush around and do much of anything on Christmas day…it impedes my playing with my new toys/eating cookies/napping.  This year, a few days after Christmas, we went to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Maryland (my parents met us there too).  I mentioned in my last post about the snow storm…let me complain again…it sucked.  A normally 6 hour drive took us 11 hours.  Here is why:

driving in the snow storm

Anyhow, once we got there, we had a great time.  The boys stayed at home and ran the tractor, cleaned the chicken coop, drank…mountain dew.  I had another run-in with an immovable object and my head…namely the chicken coop.  Once again, I lost though it was slightly less gross/severe this time.

Driving the tractor Driving the tractor

 

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The ladies went on in to Washington DC to check out the art museums and enjoy the humanity around them on the metro.

Smiley face

We had a really great time and didn’t drink too much…mountain dew.  Everyone made it home safe (in a second fairly bad snow storm) so I call it a success!