Stay warm this evil night

Nyghtshayde · Post by **Nyghtshayde** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 11:50 am

only a few more inches And warmer weather is on its way

-sends happy thoughts Tyg's way-

-Shay

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 12:56 pm

On 2003-02-18 12:38, tyghress wrote:
{wide-eyed, glassy look}

Its snowing again.

Its

snowing

again

I think I'm going to cry.

It's going to be OK. Repeat, it's going to be OK.
Don't cry. Spring is on it's way.
Wait to cry. This is supposed to all melt and then the tri-states are due for rain on Saturday. THEN I'll cry.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 1:07 pm

Well, I just got in from a wonderful time snowshoeing around the yard with my daughter. Some of the drifts are as high as our fence, and the one back by the garden, behind the garage, is probably 5 feet high. Of course, we had to go up on top of them and look around! Drivers passing by were looking at us like we were strange, but who cares. I wanted to go over to the local conservation land, but I don't think we can get there on the snowshoes at this point, and I don't want to drive over, so the yard will have to suffice. We did see some interesting animal and bird tracks--one of the bird tracks looked like the bird was hobbling with an injured foot, maybe frostbite. It's cool what you can deduce from tracks. There was also a crow following us around through the trees, I think he was hoping we'd lead him to some food. Crows are fascinating animals, I never get tired of watching them. Someone wrote a really cool book called "Ravens in Winter", talking about their behavior and social structure (I know, crows aren't ravens). It was really well-written, by a scientist but written for the general reader. I'd definitely recommend it.

Robin

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 3:25 pm

On 2003-02-18 10:41, burnsbyrne wrote:
For the past few years my back condition has worsened to the point that if I shovel snow I'll be in the ER soon. So I have espoused the Natural Method of Snow Removal. I wait till it melts. I've never seen snow on the ground in Cleveland in June. In May, yes, but not in June.
Mike

When, a few years back, I was informed that my heart and knees completely vetoed any further snow shoveling, I took it as a fine excuse to indulge the American Male's primary short recreation - a trip to the hardware store! I bought WAY more snow blower than I really needed.

It sure came in handy Sunday.

Since I was last, I just edited to add the following:

Keep the faith - warmer air is coming.

We're now two days out from the storm here. Almost forty degrees today, so the thin snow between the drifts is mostly gone - replaced by an inch of water/mud on top of the frozen ground. The white drifts are mostly brown from all the topsoil the wind scooped up during the storm. Looks nasty, but feels great. Hang in there, its coming your way.

[ This Message was edited by: Chuck_Clark on 2003-02-18 19:28 ]

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:06 pm

Here's a picture of our outdoor dining area:

Gives you an idea what my wife shoveled out in order for me to get in the driveway when I came home this morning.

They say it's going to warm up now, but it will have to be warm for a while for all this to melt. The plows have come through and created snowbanks 8 to 10 feet high in some spots!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:15 pm

Jim, you could open a ski-slope on that table, man!

littlejohngael · Post by **littlejohngael** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 8:19 pm

On 2003-02-18 12:38, tyghress wrote:
{wide-eyed, glassy look}

Its snowing again.

Its

snowing

again

I think I'm going to cry.

A Wish for Tyghress:

Warm is the air
In my dreams tonight,
Melting the snow,
And making it right,
Yielding to green,
Where once it was white,
Giving Tyghress a reason
To dance like a sprite.

Little John

LeeMarsh · Post by **LeeMarsh** » Tue Feb 18, 2003 10:53 pm

Jim,
Cool picture! But ...
I have a copy of the real thing on my deck. We also had some wierd shapes created from the drifts on the adirondak chairs and char-grill. Don't know if the pictures we took will come out (I don't have a digital camera yet maybe in a couple of months).

I don't know if we'll get the car out tommorrow. Mostly because its an old car with 280,000 miles on it. So, if I can get a cab to the train station it's off to work otherwise, I'll take advantage of the 'unscheduled leave' policy and take another day. Its supposed to get to 55 degrees on Saturday, so I hope flooding doesn't became a problem.

Oh, did I say it's official, this is, according to the NWS the worst snow storm ever for our area. Its also the worst snow month ever.

I hope everyone else is warm and cozy. I plan,

a few slow airs to warm the heart,
a long hot bath warm the joints and stave off some of the soarness from shoveling,
a nice hot cider to warm the bellie,
an extra blanket to warm my dreams.

I hope the storm
has connected you
to neighbors and family,
warmed your heart
and given it wings to ...

_________________

Enjoy Your Music, Lee Marsh 
From Harper's Mill, MD.

[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2003-02-18 23:55 ]

Sunnywindo · Post by **Sunnywindo** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 12:52 am

Wow! That is some picture. Makes me miss snow sooooooooo badly. Here in Utah, we've had three storms that left the yard white for a grand total of maybe eight or ten inches. Of course, after each storm the snow melted and was gone within a few days. My grass is trying to grow. The leaves are trying to pop out on my roses. This is not at all normal for around here this time of year. The bad thing is we haven't gotten enough snow in the mountains over a period of years now: drought could get pretty bad this year. I would gratefully shovel several feet of snow off my sidewalk, if only we could get some snow. Being snowed in at home next to a roaring fire with a good book and hot chocolate sounds sooooo good right now. I know you all probably think me crazy to say this.... but I want some snow sooooo much! (Yeah, yeah, I know. Wait until next year and we'll probably get like four feet in a week and then I'll be singing a different tune... yeah, yeah.

)

Keep warm folks!

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 11:54 am

Okay...back to work today. Driving is hazardous at intersections, and where the plows didn't open more than the bare minimum. The ground is frozen, still, from the bitter cold just before Ye Amazing Snowstorm, so we're going to flood soon.

Tyghre and I have a routine for the flooding of the basement: we vacuum the water with the shop vac, and put the immersible pump IN the vacuum, and the drain hose in the downstairs sink. Rube Goldberg is our guiding angel.

I've damned near whistled myself out the past week. At one point Tyghre was tearing hair (and he doesn't have much to tear, so I was really concerned) so I took a Gen and tried to tweak it into near silence. The result was lovely....really really nice. I took Blue Tack and squished it down so that there was about 20% of the blade uncovered at the cutting edge, and further back on the ramp I tacked that too. I'm not talking precision muting here, I'm doing a quick and dirty smush the stuff down. What emerged was a very quiet, sweet whistle, that didn't give me any guff about going up to the high B. It may even go higher, but I didn't play any tune that required it, so I don't know.

Paul Anderson · Post by **Paul Anderson** » Wed Feb 19, 2003 10:51 pm

I put in a thirty four hour shift at work shoveling out fire hydrants just to see the road crews bury them again. Then I drove fifty miles home to see a pristine two and a half feet of winter wonderland in my driveway. After clearing that I went to bed feeling like Torquemada worked me over. I'm so sore that I'm sitting here wondering if my cross-country skis will fit into the woodstove in one piece because I don't have the strength to cut them up. Oh, and the best part is, I hear we have rain and mild temperatures on the way so the only thing I accomplished was making my acupuncturist richer. I think I'm caught in a Dilbert cartoon strip.In my next life I'm going to be a fireman in Miami. New Jersey and you, perfect together my !@#.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Tue Feb 25, 2003 9:12 pm

Hello, all.

Today, I was able to break through the last obstacle (knock on wood) that had created such a mess for me that I felt the need for your prayers further back in this thread.

For the first time in months, I can see light at the end of an ordeal that should, God willing, eventually be concluded happily. (Again, please forgive me for not being specific about the exact nature of the situation, but as I said before, it's nothing that threatens life or limb.)

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your prayers and good wishes. You helped me.

Thanks again,
Jerry

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Tue Feb 25, 2003 11:02 pm

Sarah is right. It's wierd how perspective can change things. I've often felt like crying at the LACK of snow the past couple of years. The deer are starving, the ranchers are selling off their stock because there's nothing to feed them. If this drought doesn't end soon...well, it's almost too horrible to imagine.

It isn't that snow is so hazardous, it's just difficult when you aren't used to it. A couple of years ago april we got around four feet of snow in two days. I drove over south pass (notoriously nasty) in that storm, and it wasn't that bad, just had to keep her in 4WD and take it slow.

Hang in there, guys. It will all work out. Take it slow, don't panic, leave lots of extra time for corners, if you slide turn into the slide to get control, but be ready to straighten out and don't over correct. And enjoy the cold. (-30F on my front porch this morning!)

Peace--TW

"The worse the experience, the better the story."

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Wed Feb 26, 2003 1:21 pm

I see this thread has reignited. It's cold but not bad here, but another one may be coming. Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, all of which harbor fellow C&F'ers, are getting hit pretty hard. Lets all hope that those folks and everyone else in the lands under the storm are well and safe.

[ This Message was edited by: Chuck_Clark on 2003-02-26 14:23 ]

mvhplank · Post by **mvhplank** » Wed Feb 26, 2003 5:35 pm

*sigh*

This one caught me by surprise. I drove the 30 miles to work to burn some CDs of material to take home and stay gainfully busy.

On the drive home, Maryland had pretty well taken care of the roads. But almost exactly as I crossed the Pennsylvania line (only 4 miles from home) the roads had clearly never been touched, with snow creeping in from the shoulders and entirely covering my off-ramp. I slid around a little getting into my driveway and headed down the luge that sometimes develops this time of year. I reckon there was about 3 inches on the ground and it's threatening to snow another couple of days.

Dang! I've got a jam session/birthday party to attend Friday night. It MIGHT happen...

Stay warm and dry, everyone. My neighbor declares that she doesn't care what the calendar says, when March 1 arrives, it's SPRING!

M