Snowstorm Dec, 2003

Talked to my dad this afternoon. In Hanover, Mass. they have a foot of snow.

I can imagine. We're expecting over about 2 feet of the white stuff.

This part of the Poconos has a foot of snow. Yesterday's papers are still at the bottom of the driveway and yesterday's mail is three miles away, at the post office.

We were plowed out about sunset, but the driveway will have to be salted before I dare venture my bones.

Montana--

If you lose power, how can you go on line?

Montana, do you have a snowblower to attach to that handy-dandy little lawn tractor?

Or do you make your poor son shovel?

27 degrees and sunny here in the SE US. I think Montana is the most prepared person north of the Canadian border.

Brand X- I must live south of you. I woke up to 39 degrees. It is now a balmy 44.

About 2 months ago, we got a new central air/heating system. It came with a very sophisticated thermostat that needs to be programmed. Problem is, you have to read through a book in order to program it. I have it on a/c now, so the system is not doing anything,

So, this afternoon I study, or shiver until the temperature moves upwards again!

Yikes! Thermostats should be easier to program than VCR's. On mine you just move the little lever to coincide with the temp you want, I've got an overly complicated electronic oven that keeps me in programming hell.

I'm in the northwest corner of Georgia.

BrandX- I'm in central Florida. With this cockamamie thermostat, you can program it to work on one schedule 5 days a week, or seven days, or even make adjustments for different times of the day. You can program both the temperature, and the humidity. It has vacation schedules, permanent holds, temporary holds.........much more than I want or need.

I keep the same temperature all the time. What I want to do is to program one temperature when the a/c goes on, and one for the heat.

Postcard from New York City

On Thursday, there was the usual panic shopping at grocery stores, hardware stores and bakeries. Every pound of icemelt disappeared from the storeroom shelves and back attics, and Manhattanites, who never seem to keep anything in reserve, filled their shopping carts with essentials like soup, bagels and the Big Book of NYTimes Crossword Puzzles.

The storm began Friday morning with a lovely hour long flutter of flakes then changed quickly to a meaner, leaner projectile, rather
like rice, this reporter thought, or the sand used in sandblasting. By noon, the parks and streets of the city were a study in black and white dotted with the occasional red umbrella. The snow blew in all the rest of the day, pelting the vendors at the Union Square Farmer's market and frosting the Christmas trees for sale with a icy meringue.

There was a short let-up towards sundown, though no one I talked to through the howling winds remembered if there was a sun anymore, no falling snow at six PM, just the shriek of sirens in the wind.

Saturday morning the second assault began. Small, small flakes, the flakes a blizzard makes showered down upon us. That's the us that were in the parks on saucers, at Rockefeller Center wowing at the tree and, in the ways of New Yorkers, celebrating the mess.

Sunday now and the sun reigns down upon an ice cream treat served on a plate of city. Gorgeous white trim set on every tree branch over the black and grey dish and bowl set of street and sidewalk. You can see your neighbors walking down to the subway trying not to gape at the beauty of it all. Every now and again someone surrenders, stops, looks up and tries to take it all in, like a tourist or a stranger in strange land.

Joe

Beautiful descriptions Joe. We had much the same pattern up here in Boston. Butrflynt's dad had it easy with only a foot of the stuff. It started here as beautiful flakes and turned to frozen ice grains rallied on by fierce gusts of wind. We never had any real break in the snowing, unless it happened while I slept.

We have at least 20 inches of snow, but it's hard to tell because of the drifting. In my side yard, a fenced space about 15 x 23 feet in area, is a snow scultpure like never I've seen before. It's a crested, oblong bowl. The center has less than a foot of snow and the edges are swept up to about 3 feet.

There is still snow falling, but it's a weak dusty drizzle of flakes now.

Neighbors walk out and look around, shaking their heads, trying to figure out how to move all that snow so they can get to work tomorrow. I live on a residential street with parking along it. The plows kept our street nicely plowed, but the plowed-aside snow was piled up against the parked cars. The hard packed mountains are as tall as some of the cars. Now the real challenge is to figure out where exactly to put the stuff shoveled. It's illegal to put it on the street or the sidewalks (which we also have to clear) and it's rude to burry your neighbor's car even further. So, our little plots of land get piled too high for me to reach with more shovelfuls before I'm done with the job.

I'll let y'all know how it went.

Wow!

Great descriptions!

I'm not in Florida or anything, I'm supposed to get snow here in Chicago! Where is my snow? (Totally, totally bare around here. Have had some rain that got a little sleety, that's it.)

Stay safe, everyone, and enjoy.

mmmmmm
sounds like Boston is having the storm we had in January '99. Fabulous stuff, unless you owned one of the cars that disappeared until March. People who don't live in the city part of cities just don't seem to get that there is no place to put the snow. Toronto bought a bunch of snow-melting machines as a result of that storm. Good plan, boys. I think we sent them to Buffalo after one of their storms last year.

ok, got one shovel-width of snow removed for the length of the sidewalk, the front porch and steps and my neighbor Mike's car shoveled out. Still have to shovel the side yard walk and steps to door and the rest of the driveway/parking lot. We've already pretty much run out of room. Had to come in to dry out and have some tea.

It's nice though. Something the neighbors can come together over, like raking in the fall and planting in the spring.

oh, as an aside. My housemate from San Fran asked what precautions she should take to stay safe from falling icicles! I laughed despite myself. She was serious and I told her not to worry about them.

Too early in the season for icicles?

oh no, they're all over right now. But, usually, yes, too early. I'm sure these will stay little and be gone soon.

Argh! It just started snowing again!

The Weather Channel has flood warnings for the area. So, um, you might wanna stay outta Gloucester.

This is the forecast for Brighton:

Channel 5 reports there's been 15 inches of snow at Logan Airport (they always seem to get less than the rest of the state): http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2688426/detail.html

forecast for Denver Colorado; sunny skies and 61. Peeps are spending their sunday washing the car and walking in the park. For those so inclined there's fresh snow in the hills for skiing.