We've lived in our condo for a little over two years. This is the third winter, and in that time there's been very little winter weather. However, yesterday and today have made up for that.
The weather people had been hyping this winter storm for days. Coincidentally, it was coming 40 years and a couple of days after the "Blizzard of 1982", where the area got somewhere between 14-18 inches and the city shut down for five days. Some forecasters said this storm had the potential to be close to that amount. (Fortunately, they were wrong; in the end the total will probably be closer to 8-10 inches).During the day on Wednesday it was lightweight winter coat weather. After the sun went down it started raining, then the temperature fell, which meant the rain turned icy. Then the upper atmosphere cooled off and everything turned to snow. When I rolled out of bed yesterday the street light had some impressive icicles hanging off the edges, but there was nothing but a dusting of white stuff on the ground. It snowed on and off during the day, and by mid-afternoon there was a couple of inches.
A snowplow went up and down the street. A worker cleared off the driveway, sidewalk, and walkway to the front of the building.
If I didn't know better, I would have thought everything was over, but the
weather people said that this storm would come in two parts. Part Two was
forecast to start about the time I went to bed last night and last for about 12 hours.
MoDOT (the roads department) had asked people to stay off the roads, and it seemed like most people listened. The large road that runs in front of the condo development had very little traffic. Schools were closed and there weren't many places to go; I received a steady stream of emails and texts informing me of places closing early, or not opening at all.
This morning the wind chill factor had the temperature at a frigid 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and I had no desire to leave the condo. Instead, I busied myself with inside tasks. At Hubby Tony's request I put together an Excel spreadsheet that will help him when he gets ready to file the income taxes. I also cooked a pot of soup for lunch each day (on Wednesday it was Clean Out the Refrigerator Vegetable, and today was Sweet Potato with Apple and Sunflower Seeds). I also dusted all the window blinds, read, and fiddled on the computer.
By early afternoon today the heavy snow was over, although lazy flurries fell for
some time after that. About 2 pm a snowplow came down the street, followed a
little later by a salt truck. A worker shoveled off the sidewalk and walkway,
and a small tractor tackled the driveway. I'm not breaking down the door to get out, but it's nice to know that I could if I wanted to.
Snow begone!
ReplyDeleteAMEN!
DeleteAt least it was short lived.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the best thing you can say about the event.
DeleteI have a friend that's a retired IRS agent and he swears by Turbo Tax.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a retired friend from just about EVERY industry :-)
DeleteTax software is a godsend, but you have to produce the data to put into it first.
December 1983 we moved our family of five people, two cats and a dog from SW Michigan to Blue Springs Missouri....the temp was minus 16 degrees while they unloaded the moving van and minus 20 that night. Not wind chill but actual temperature !!
ReplyDeleteWOW! Thanks for reminding me things could have been much worse.
DeleteSeems I got out just in time! We have had rain for two days and it was chilly yesterday, but oddly warm this morning at 55. Forecast has that temp coming down to the 20's tomorrow. The rain is now a drizzle and I will venture out to find laundry facilities. Two weeks wait on a repair!!
ReplyDeleteYou would have had a much different trip had it occurred this week.
DeleteIt stopped snowing here (EST) late afternoon today. I'm so tired of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is not your first snowstorm this year; I bet you are tired.
DeleteI did our taxes and efiled them yesterday. It gets really easy when you don't make any money! I spent some of yesterday afternoon watching the Weather Channel coverage of Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Little Rock, Columbus, but don't remember anything from your immediate area. All I could think was that I was so glad I no longer lived in Indy or, more important, where I grew up: North Dakota!
ReplyDeleteLucky you, getting your taxes taken care of! We're still waiting for a couple of documents...and since we didn't get mail for two days they'll get here when they get here.
DeleteSuch cold weather, I cannot imagine it. Our low, most mornings, is around 34 degrees. That's as cold as I want it to get. Friday got to 68 by afternoon which made us very happy. And got us outside to work in the backyard. It is so dry, though, that I have to run the sprinklers.
ReplyDeleteYour weather sounds very much like what Son Tony is getting in the Central Valley. Winter coat in the morning, light jacket (or none at all) in the afternoon.
DeleteVery cold, wet and damp, and grey over here. No snow.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That sounds like stereotypical England to me.
DeleteAll's i had was cold and wind, no snow...talk about dodging a bullet :) ... this time.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it.
DeleteI actually love those "hunker down" days. I usually have a fire in the fireplace and, like you, tend to make hearty soups.
ReplyDeleteTwo days of being stuck inside was enough for me, and then the novelty wore off.
DeleteAt least everyone knows what to do and can handle it. Here everything closes if we get a whisper of snow! Stay warm and safe.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that people who live with massive snow falls all the time would laugh at our obsession.
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