Snowpocalypse 2011 (driving, time, sound)

[the old man]

ahh come on people, its not so bad, I woke up this morning to -4 below with a windchill of -23- and we just got 11" of powder snowto go with 20mph wind, then i had to go outside and feed cows

[skinem]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Although that sounds like the great Monty Python routine, you describe the paper route I had in Vermont almost to a T. There was a farmhouse at the end of the route. It had a thousand foot driveway near the crest of a rise, where the snow DID drift regularly into the drive above knee deep, and the ACTUAL temperature some days was twenty below zero. Windchill? That crest was brutal. I have no idea what the windchill was, but when I finished the route it often took a half hour soaking in a tub bath before I started to get back warm. The route went down into town and then up past where Ben and Jerry's is now. I almost always bicycled it, even in the snow. Obviously, that would be impossible now, what with all the traffic.

I am not making this up. The effects of that route haunted me for years and were part of the reason I moved south. But did I think what I was doing was unusual at the time? Nah. I had a pretty good idea what the farmers were going through and felt I had it easy.

Edited to add - Yes, skinem, it WAS in the dark. On the usual overcast midwinter days in Vermont, the day arrived late and left as soon as it could.

I think we had the same paper routes. I had one in NE Washington state, where the corner of WA meets ID and BC...yes, in the dead of winter the sun's finally up a little after 8 and it's dark by 4. Left home in the dark and got home in the dark. (That's how I knew to add "in the dark"!)

I've seen -40 air temp in the area and the sure cure for an urge to move back is to visit in January. Or Nov. Or Feb. Or some Octobers, Marches or Aprils.

Regardless of the weather here this week, I'll take it and be pretty happy with it. I save my crying for the summer as I'm a humidity wimp.

It spent a lot of the day here with freezing drizzle, which has made driving today worse than yesterday....but just coming in my thermometer said 29, so it's dropping.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by zenjenn

Re: Shuffle vs. shovel..

Yeah, one is just moving it around, the other is moving it out of the way. If I wanted snow off my driveway, I'd choose the second definition.

Believe me, at times I felt like I was just shuffling snow, e.g., moving it around

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

Although that sounds like the great Monty Python routine, you describe the paper route I had in Vermont almost to a T.

Edited to add - Yes, skinem, it WAS in the dark. On the usual overcast midwinter days in Vermont, the day arrived late and left as soon as it could.

Mawood can attest to this, a typical winter in Wisconsin where I went to school. Yes it was in the dark as well, we would go to "that" library across campus after dinner around 6pm and comeback after the library closes at 11:30pm.

Yes, there are other libraries that's closer, like the engineering library. But the Helen C. White library was where all the pretty girls go.

[Southlander]

The Decatur school system is talking about canceling the Presidents Day Monday off and using it to replace a snow day.
There goes our ski trip.

[williboy]

We've been snowbound going on two weeks now in northeast Tennessee and Washington County has now run out of salt. The road I live on has yet to be cleared once making driving a very exciting adventure. My sister lives in Scottsboro and sent some photos; as they say, misery loves company.

[Mawoods]

Yes, HB2HSV, I remember well those long total snow days in Wisconsin. The first time it hit me that it was getting dark at 2:30 in the afternoon sort of frightened me.
Monday, my husband and I got out and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk while it was still snow. Brought memories of Wisconsin for sure. We are so glad we did that because our driveway and walks are dry and easy to get out of to get paper, etc. Our neighbors are still entrenched in ice and it is not melting now. Actually we had a HUGE discussion about whether to get rid of the snow shovel or not. We did and regret it ! Glad we didn't keep the snow blower though!

[skinem]

Originally Posted by williboy

We've been snowbound going on two weeks now in northeast Tennessee and Washington County has now run out of salt.

Heard on the radio today that Madison County says they are running out of salt.

Won't need it much longer...supposed to be single digit tonight, and 50 degrees Sunday...

[elephant08]

Its going to snow again

[hey teach]

Originally Posted by elephant08

Its going to snow again

My grandaddy always said "when snow stays around on the ground, it's waiting on another snow to show up". I hope this one is short lived.!