Look up, people! It's SNOWING!

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 8:00 pm

I can't believe that no one in the northeast hasn't posted anything about this crazy, super early in the season, noreaster-come-a-knocken' storm we're getting hit with. Yes, it's a pretty, Christmas card, winter wonderland sort of snow, but the roads I drove on here in Central New Jersey wern't plowed or salted at 4:30 this afternoon and it made for an awful drive home. 30 minutes turned into an hour and a half and I'm thinking that I have got to be the worse driver in the state of New Jersey, 20 miles an hour, snow tires on, car in drive two and I'm STILL SLIDING! Colorful words escaped my mouth as I wondered what happened to our road matinance.

Glad to get that out, whew! I feel better. This has got to be the strangest weather . . . we just don't get snow until January and never noreasters this soon. I knew something was coming(to hell with groceries . . . I got my coffee roasted just in time!) but I had no idea it would 1. be this much and 2. be this slick.

So, I hoping that if you live in the tri state area, you'll take your time when you're out and have a little time to throw a snowball or two.

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 8:43 pm

We still have roses blooming and not all the trees are bare, yet. I wished we could get snow, but no.

And this is the first year that I never heard the flocks of geese flying south. I wonder what's going on?

JP

spittin_in_the_wind · Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:19 pm

It's snowing here....baking cookies and bread tomorrow. And whistling (aka, the official start of whistle season).

Robin

Steven · Post by **Steven** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:27 pm

Yeah, I kind of wondered why nobody had posted about it either, but I was busy so I didn't get around to it. We've got probably about 6 inches here so far, and they're predicting another 4 or 5 by tomorrow evening. That's a lot of snow for this area any time of year, but I think it's nearly unheard of in early December! (By the way, for those of you who live in places that get snow measured in feet on a regular basis, it's often much wetter here, so it packs more densely. Therefore, 10 inches is a heck of a lot of water.)

I got to work no problem this morning, but I left at lunchtime so I could get home when there was only about 3 inches and almost no traffic. I actually had no trouble then, either, because the roads were pretty well salted. Plus, of course, I have all-wheel drive and a stick shift, both of which help.

Our dog, who we just got a month or so ago, is having a fantastic time with this. Every time we let her out, she just bounds around the yard like it's the most fun she's ever had. We're having a great time watching her!

Steven

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:44 pm

I remember a couple of years ago, when I first heard about my wife's younger sister's decision to move from sunny southern California to Pittsburg, where she had never even visited. At the time she told me, the Steelers were playing on TV, and the snow was blowing side-ways. She moved back within the year.

JP

spittin_in_the_wind · Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:52 pm

JohnPalmer wrote:I remember a couple of years ago, when I first heard about my wife's younger sister's decision to move from sunny southern California to Pittsburg, where she had never even visited. At the time she told me, the Steelers were playing on TV, and the snow was blowing side-ways. She moved back within the year.

JP

I'm not surprised, that must have been quite a culture shock! I grew up in Pittsburgh, and the winters are truly trying...not only is there plenty of snow, it's also very hilly and the temperature regularly drops below 0 degrees F in the winter. Other than all that, though, it's a great place to live!

Robin

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 9:03 am

Round two of the storm is now here . . . and while much of New Jersey does not have the blizzard warning(can you believe it's NYC that's getting the blizzard later this morning?) I called out from work and decided not to repeat the trek today. I'm up and dressed, putting a load of wash in and catching up on the Chiff board this morning. Guess we'll be digging out later.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 9:15 am

okay....time to b***h

So Tyghre comes home at 8:00 this morning, and heads to sleep. I have my first cuppa joe, gear up, and head out into the Great White to do my duty as a liberated spouse...new snowblower, not too cold or windy, more coming so better get on top of it now.

I set shovel, broom and spare shovel outside of the basement door, come back inside and go into the garage. Open garage door, push new blowsnower outside, close garage door.

The next hour is pretty much what you imagine...snowblower works beautifully, but you have to gauge the wind or it get blown right back in your face. I shovel stairs, the walkway and porch, then try to restart the blower to catch the area closest to the house. It doesn't start, but I figure I'm not hauling on its cord hard enough, and I'm pretty wiped, so lets do the cocoa by the fire routine.

Basement door. Locked. Front and rear door. Locked. Garage...locked.
Crap. Double crap. Ring the bell (yeah, right) ring it half a dozen times. Knock on the door HARD. Rap SOS a few dozen times.

Neighbors. The few I know by name face and kids/grandkids names and faces aren't around. WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYONE?

AHA! Tyghre keeps a key buried in the backyard....under 8" of snow and I don't know how much dirt. I must have looked like a deranged squirrel. Is it here? What about there? maybe by the shed?

Key found. . .I'm back inside. Damn the nor'easter, I'm making cocoa and I'm NOT going back out there until Tyghre is up and awake.

BAH HUMBUG.

mamakash · Post by **mamakash** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 9:28 am

Tyghress, you should have used your mighty roar.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 12:37 pm

Cripeys! Went to the Synagogue in Albany NY this AM( I had a Torah reading, or I would have stayed tucked safely at home). The usually 20 minute trip home took nearly an hour, and I almost did not make it up the hill to our humble abode. This, I suspect, is the REAL reason Jews are not supposed to drive on the Sabbath...
Good day to stay in the shop and make whistles

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 1:34 pm

(*thinking of the hill to the Busman home and shuddering*) Glad I wasn't at the BOTTOM of that hill as you came down, Paul!

I take it there were precisely 10 men present....not a soul more?

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 1:39 pm

Are you sure it's snowing? I just went outside, and it was bright and sunny, and I didn't even need a jacket.

John Allison · Post by **John Allison** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 10:43 pm

It must be one of those time zone thingies...when I look up all I see is drizzling rain. Good thing today I got all the Christmas lights put out and the fresh blooming roses cut.

...wish we had snow!!!

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 9:05 am

Tyghress wrote:(*thinking of the hill to the Busman home and shuddering*) Glad I wasn't at the BOTTOM of that hill as you came down, Paul!

I take it there were precisely 10 men present....not a soul more?

No, actually there were quite a few people, since there was a BatMitzvah that morning. Most people live fairly close, unlike me who lives about 15 miles away. Many are even Sabbath observant to the point of not driving on Saturdays.
Hopefully next Sat will be better, as my beloved Charlene is having HER Bat Mitzvah as part of a class of 11 women.

OutOfBreath · Post by **OutOfBreath** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 9:47 am

Okay, I looked up. No snow. Lied to again...