A few Questions on Eastern TN (Knoxville, Dandridge: coop, day care, home)

[daniellec]

Hello all! My name is Danielle as you can see and I probably shoudl not say this but we are another family heading your way from Florida! It's awful here. Our parents moved us from Chicago and Indiana to Fl 15 years ago and now that we are all grown up with families, they decided to fly the coop themselves. So we are all goingto up and leave here! LOL I cant wait because you guys live in such a beautiful state. My hubby is coming up your way Wednesday to check out the area.

My quick questions are: When does it start to snow there and are there many child care/ day care centers in Jefferson Co?

Thats all I have for the minute@!

Thanks!

Danielle

[pdq]

Hi Danielle,

Hahah,
The snow starts and ends sometime around Jan 3. Really there isn't much snow in E TN except up in the mountains. You'll see flurries and a dusting with each Arctic clipper that comes through and it will get bitterly cold for awhile. You'll pick up a inch or two here and there, just enough to make a mess, but won't last long enough to make a snowman. Every once in every few years there will be a decent several inch snow and everything shuts down, everything. Expect the winter to be generally grey, drab and cold, highs in the 40s, lows in the 20s-30s.

[daniellec]

Oh good! I asked because we of course must drive there and being about 5-9 months pg I dont want to do that in the snow. City-data said it starts snowing in Oct which i thought was crazy. But I was reading a graph. I hate graphs! LOL Then Jefferson Co. site said that they get 100" of snow a year and I thought that was crazy because friends in Dandridge say, in the mountains but not here! LOL Okay now all I need is the childcare question answered. My son is in school rigt now because I work but once I get there I wont be, I will have an ew born and want my son to still go to school. He will be 4 so hes not ready for kindie yet.

Thanks!

[JMT]

Hey daniellec, one thing you need to be aware of here is ICE. While it's true that it doesn't really snow here very much (pdq did a great job of explaining that), we do occasionally get freezing rain. And that is MUCH more dangerous than snow. I mean, people in places like Scandinavia and Alaska will tell you that driving in snow is a piece of cake (ever notice that Swedish cars are big heavy rear-wheel drive vehicles?). But even the best set of snow tires are completely useless on ice. And that's the main reason why schools here shut down when there's just a hint of snow, because often there's a thin layer of ice underneath that snow. In places like Jefferson County with all the twisty, hilly country roads, it can be a hair-raising experience to drive on ice. As the snow melts during the day, it refreezes at night into slick ice.

I would like to take exception to one thing that pdq said. I don't consider our winters to be grey and drab at all. I love wintertime here: the sound of the dead leaves crunching beneath your feet, the faint hint of burning wood in the air from all the neighbors' chimneys, the bright sunny days of brilliant blue skies, crisp and dry. And, of course, the amazing nighttime sky. The stars and moon just seem so much closer in the winter (and I guess they are), and without the humidity in the air it's so much clearer. And there ain't nothing more romantic than sitting on a blanket with your sweet baby, sipping hot chocolate and huddling together under a wool blanket while looking at the amazingly clear winter night sky.

[daniellec]

YES YES YES! To all but the ice! LOL Thats what I want in a winter. There is something about the silence in the winter. If you go out at night or go into the woods in the day, there is a different kind of silence. I love it! And the smell of burning chimneys is enough to make a very drab day pleasant! LOL Dont worry that didnt get me down but the ice idea did. My husband is going to ****! He didnt get the 4 wheel drive! LOL

[JMT]

Originally Posted by daniellec

YES YES YES! To all but the ice! LOL Thats what I want in a winter. There is something about the silence in the winter. If you go out at night or go into the woods in the day, there is a different kind of silence. I love it! And the smell of burning chimneys is enough to make a very drab day pleasant! LOL Dont worry that didnt get me down but the ice idea did. My husband is going to ****! He didnt get the 4 wheel drive! LOL

You are so right! The silence of a still winter night is beautiful. And let me tell you, nothing can compare to the joys of the first snowfall of the year, especially if it's at night. It's dark, there's the smell of wood burning in the air, and you can actually hear the snowflakes hit the ground. It's so amazing!

And don't worry so much about the ice. It doesn't happen TOO often, and when it does just make sure you stay home and enjoy watching it from your living room window with your own fire going in your fireplace.

[knoxgarden]

I don't think winters here are drab at all. I fly up to the New York area for Christmas every year and when the plane starts to land, it looks like it's in black and white. It's like going from Oz back to Kansas.
In Knoxville, there's always plenty of green around and there's a lot of cold but sunny winter days.

[pdq]

I was trying to compare winters here to Danielle's FL, IL, and IN.

Fl is nice and comfortable in winter, that's why the whole world goes there to escape the drab cold. In IL and IN you have snow to at least white brighten your day.

It's true we do get clear blue skies, but they come after the Arctic clipper has past through and dropped temps to fridgid.

Yep the ice can be a huge pain and creep up on you without you knowing sometimes. My heavy Swedish wagon is no match for it JMT. Lol

[daniellec]

Well hubby is there today. Well he shoudl land in a few minutes so lets all pray for Danielle that hubby LOVES TN so I can pack my S$$$ and get my butt there already! LOL

[daniellec]

Well hubby is there today. Well he shoudl land in a few minutes so lets all pray for Danielle that hubby LOVES TN so I can pack my S$$$ and get my butt there already! LOL