Sleet @ MindSay 
winter
That isn't about to happen. Not for a while anyway. After 2 days of snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow, sleet, snow etc, (Not necessarily in that order) I decided it was about time to go out in the cold and clean up the mess yesterday. It wasn't all that bad even though the temperature was in the low 20's. Since I had not been out doing much recently it was probably time I did something constructive. "I guess I needed the freak. .in exer. .cise" *I mumbled somewhat loudly in my best Jack Nicholson imitation*. (Since you couldn't hear me just assume it was my best imitation). Besides, playing in the snow is fun.
I didn't want to bring my good camera outside with me so I used my cell phone camera to take a few pics. Since I have a Verizon cell phone I thought maybe I would be able to get some of the thousands of network assistants to help me out so I could finish faster. You know, the ones you see on the commercials for Verizon who follow the customer all over the place. I couldn't seem to find even one of them. I guess it was too cold out.
Since I realized I was on my own I decided to take one more pic and get busy cleaning up the mess.
The snow was basically powder on top but wet and icy underneath. Time to start digging.
While cleaning up the snow it just made me more aware of the mess of leaves that were still packed underneath.
It made me start to wonder if I should have left the snow there. At least it looked a bit nicer without all the leaves sticking out all over the place.
With most of the snow cleaned up it was time to clean up my snow clearing buddy, Mr. Snow Blower. Then park him back in the garage to be ready for the next Winter Wonderland Adventure.
More snow is on the way for tomorrow but probably not all that much. The next storm heading this way may bring more in the way of freezing rain towards the end of the weekend. Mr. Snow Blower won't be much help with that.
Have a safe, warm, comfortable and cozy evening.
Here Comes The Crud
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Little darlin' it may be a long cold lonely winter
Little darlin' it feels like it's rising past my ears
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Little darlin' the smiles are exiting their faces
Little darlin' it seems like it's rising past my ears
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white
Crud, crud, crud, here it comes
Crud, crud, crud, here it comes
Little darlin' I feel the ice will never be meltin'
Little darlin' it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the crud, here comes the crud
And I say it's turning all white . . . .
Over the last 2 days we have had just about every form of precipitation imaginable along with off and on high winds of over 50 MPH. Not bad for the first bad weather of this winter season. Yes, I suppose it could be worse. The midwest probably has had more snow and freezing rain. Today the west coast had to put up with huge storms, high winds of over 100 MPH and massive flooding. We have had a foot or more of snow in the higher elevations. More 911 calls for vehicle accidents than you can shake a bent bumper at. I guess it is a good time to stay off the roads for a while until all those who have forgotten how to drive in this weather have wrecked their cars. Then the roads will be safe for a while. Then there is the beginning of the road salt season. The time when everyone rushes to the car washes on the days when it gets above freezing in hopes of slowing the deterioration of their vehicles.
We started out with snow, then freezing rain and sleet, then rain, then back to freezing rain, then rain and now back to snow. The following image shows some of what we have had.
This is just a tease from Mother Nature to get us ready for what may be a long and cold winter ahead. But then again the long range forecast calls for a bit of a warming trend for next week. Since my lawn has not been cut for the winter and I still have tons of leaves on top of that currently buried under a blanket of snow, maybe I will get a chance to clean it up later. If not it will be waiting for me when spring arrives. If I get a little ambition tomorrow and it is not too cold and miserable out perhaps I will get out and get some pictures. I will have to see what tomorrow brings and if I can find some photo worthy scenes. The winter weather has just begun and we will not really know what is in store until it gets here. We shall see.
As the forecasters were warning about it yesterday, I thought it was just another overreaction to the weather. You know, media hype. Slow news day, etc. As I was getting ready this morning listening to the news (which is rare for me) I looked out the window and I saw that the roads were clear, obviously the storm must be more north. I heard the sound of plows scraping past, but the plows were not out. It was thunder!! There was lighting. It was snowing, sleeting, raining, and freezing rain all at the same time. Crazy. As I drove through the ankle-deep slush, I was thinking "well this is new". It was quite an adventure.
Mother Nature needs to hide the Viagra from Ol Man Winter! Enough already! Take a longer cig break you two!!! You don't need to make up every single inch of snow that the midwest/west/south states have missed out on earlier this year in snow, rain, ice, and sleet!
It wouldn't be so bad having an occasional winter weather advisory but when your only going a day at the most between them it is getting bad! Monday, I barely made it to work because my lil truck kept getting stuck at the top of our drive due to the lane being covered in ice! Just because my cousin Brian came and dug the snow out doesn't mean he took the ice with him! I got to work though, after 30 minutes of Randy and I taking turns pushing the truck up the final crest of the hill on the drive. The roads were still a bit slick but okay going. After work, I took my time because the roads were still slick and went to my parents house down the road from my house to pick up the kids. And promptly got stuck in their drive! The temps were in the 30 and melted some of the snow and ice and left a snowy muddy mess! Between my parents and I, it took us about 45 minutes of pushing, pulling with my dad's truck, and rocking my lil truck to get it un stuck and pushed up their drive to sit at the top while we ate dinner and then made our way home! Where I promptly parked in my Uncle's drive so I could get to work on Tuesday!
Tuesday, no problems! The weather was nice and the weather folks were only hinting at a possible storm coming our way. After work is when my problems started! My truck wouldn't start! Hubby works across the city in IA down by the airport, my parents outside the town we live in (about a 45 minute drive in good weather), and my cousin who works at Gateway was already up and out to make it to his Band's rehersal! A co worker tried helping me get my truck started (single dad and had already left his girls home for the day by theirselves due to late school start-ages 15 and 8). We ruled out alternator thank Gods! But it could have been the battery, the starter, or a cable/connector of sorts. Got a hold of my mom and said come get me, called Randy and he said no worries we have had the truck for 12 years and this is the first problem it has given us.
Wensday, got to work an hour late due to fixing my truck! Thank Gods it was only the battery connectors needing replaced! And then all of us in training, on the floor, and in the bays started watching the weather. We were in a Winter Storm Advisory and by the time we left work we were in an offical Blizzard Advisory. Guess who didn't go to work today? :D
Thursday, today, I took one look outside and said fuck this shit! I don't care if I could get my truck up the drive, I am not risking my life to go to work when every weather person on all four channels, state patrols in SD, IA, and NE were saying if you go to work on Thursday be prepared to stay there till Friday afternoon at the latest! And they started closing down interstate and hiways! I called in. Randy made it home last night about an hour and half late because he took his time coming home and this morning he said the same thing. Fuck this shit! I don't care if it is only my 4th day on the job I am not driving in this shit and getting stuck there over night! My mom who only works 15 minutes away in the next town said the same thing. Of couse the kids are home from school today, schools across the three states are closed for the day, the idiotic ones are trying 2 hour late starts and already they are calling parents and putting it out on the news that they decided to close after all!
Across the midwest and midsouthern states, there is snow (blizzard), rain, flooding, and even tornado warnings, watches, and advisories! Yes you read that correctly! Tornadoes! They started out in parts of OK, KS, and MO last night and early this morning the southern part of NE has spotted a few tornadoes!
So since Mother Nature is feeding Ol Man Winter the Viagra, grab yourself some protection folks! We are in for a doozy of a storm system!
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