Enough with the snow already

[Zen]

Oh, they can. I'm guessing you weren't here for the last blizzard in 97 or when Clinton was in office, the budget conundrum.

the decrepit cat does have a name...his name is alger hiss.

[Possegal]

If they're closed tomorrow, I can't imagine they will be open on Wednesday. But then how can they be closed for 3 days in a row? Crazy.

The blizzard of '96 started late Saturday evening. The federal govt was closed Monday and Tuesday then reopened on Wednesday - even though metro was still only running underground so most of us weren't able to get into my place of work. Lots of people tried to get to their places of work though. The local governments then had a fit and said that their ability to clear the roads was hindered by so many more people back on the roads on Wednesday. The federal govt then shut down Thursday and Friday. And then Monday was MLK day so we were closed then too.

Ah, the blizzard of '96, I remember it well.

[HillSlugger]

I can't believe how bad Georgia Ave is up here in Olney, barely even one lane wide in many places with intersections being a foot deep and rutted, with no visibility. I worked from home today and there's no way I'm going to try that road when it's busy tomorrow.

[divingbiker]

I've shoveled for six hours since Friday, and surprisingly I don't hurt at all. I have, however, been hitting the chocolate quite heavily also.

And I've got a whole Lindt dark chocolate bar and tons of clif chocolate brownie zbars (deliciously decadent when heated in the microwave) to get me through the next storm.

[divingbiker]

The blizzard of '96 started late Saturday evening. The federal govt was closed Monday and Tuesday then reopened on Wednesday - even though metro was still only running underground so most of us weren't able to get into my place of work. Lots of people tried to get to their places of work though. The local governments then had a fit and said that their ability to clear the roads was hindered by so many more people back on the roads on Wednesday. The federal govt then shut down Thursday and Friday. And then Monday was MLK day so we were closed then too.

Ah, the blizzard of '96, I remember it well.

And that was after three weeks of being furloughed, wasn't it?

[Possegal]

And that was after three weeks of being furloughed, wasn't it?

The second furlough didn't affect my job. The defense dept had a budget passed by that point. (As did a lot of other agencies, I do believe.) So my memory of how widespread that furlough was is not very good. Because mostly, it's just all about me. My work was shut down (other than the military folks) for the week in November of '95, but I was at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego. I was, of course, all bummed out I was missing out on days off. Co-workers were quick to point out that I was in sunny San Diego and I should quit my complaining. I do remember folks from the NIH being told to come home and that their travel wouldn't be reimbursed if they stayed. So we all panicked that the same would happen to us, but it did not.

[ny biker]

I lived in NYC back in '96. They plowed every street in all 5 boroughs twice before DC had plowed their streets once. Not that NYC and the suburbs wasn't greatly affected by the storm, but the recovery was much better.

[7rider]

I'm Back!!!!!
We got power restored today at 4:15 -- about 60 hours of no lights.
48 hours from the last snow fall to see a plow.
But still, we had it easy compared to some: we have a wood stove that kept the house around 60 degrees (except when we overslept and it got cold overnight), a gas range for heating food, and a gas water heater that allowed us to clean up. We're both exhausted after days of heavy shoveling. The berm created by the plow when it finally showed up was the straw that nearly broke this camel's back. I'm glad the microwave is back on line so I can heat up my heating pads!!!
In my area, we measured 27 inches of snow. It was a trying weekend for many of my neighbors. Some hiked out through thigh-deep snow to get to a nearby plowed church parking lot so friends and family with heat and lights could take them in for a while. Down the street, an elderly neighbor lives alone. On Saturday afternoon, we saw her son and DIL trekking down to check on her. By Sunday morning, we saw he had returned with a posse of friends...one carrying an armload of shovels, another carrying a folded wheelchair, and then, later, about 8 were dragging the woman up the snow covered street on a plastic sled. It was absolutely impossible for any vehicle to get through. This morning, emergency vehicles tried and failed to get down our street. DH and I helped one get out from the snow. It was a crazy weekend. And more to come tomorrow. Oh, joy.
Here are some pix and a video of our backyard (I hope these work...I have to re-learn Photobucket everytime I sign on....they keep changing it):

The truck is buried, but the driveway is clear.


The house:


Our unplowed street:


When you reeeeeeally need coffee, and your grinder doesn't work, you get creative!


I highly recommend a hand-crank/solar radio to keep you up to date on news and weather....and to listen to the Super Bowl:


I hope this "embed code" works for a video - a 1-minute tour through our back yard:

http://s193.photobucket.com/albums/z...t=MVI_1288.flv

I suppose by clicking on any of those pics, you can scroll through any/all of the pix in the album, too.....

[HillSlugger]

Hi Regina!

I'm glad that you and Tom made it through pretty well. Sounds like your wood stove was a life saver.

[ny biker]

Snowtorious B.I.G.

Snoverkill

Snowfecta

[owlice]

7!! Welcome back!! How long are you here for?

I'm glad you're okay, and hope you stick around through the next storm!

As I drove home from the grocery store today -- the long way, to take advantage of plowed roads in the other county -- I saw that one of my neighbors has it pretty tough. Not just all the snow, but a Bradford pear tree split into two, and the half that fell... landed on one of the cars in the driveway. (The one closer to the road, of course.) This is one time I wish I had a chain saw; they can't go anywhere until the tree is moved, and they don't have all that much time to get out if they need to to restock.

[owlice]

ny biker, how about "Friggin' Pain in the Arse"? That's what I'm calling it!

[ny biker]

Capital Weather Gang is now calling it Wintergeddon.

I'm not attempting a trip to the grocery store. I should be able to make it until the weekend, although I might have to start rationing diet coke before then.

I hope everyone makes it through this next chapter without major incident.

The next time I'm melting during a long bike ride on a super hot day, I will say to myself: at least I don't have to shovel any snow today.

[7rider]

7!! Welcome back!! How long are you here for?

I'm glad you're okay, and hope you stick around through the next storm!

Thanks. I certainly hope our power stays on for Round 2. Although I thought 68 degrees in the house would feel like an oven (), I actually got used to it again very quickly!

We did venture to the store yesterday. Hugely crowded. Got milk, salad for Noah (keeping the priorities straight, see?), cheese, and fruit (okay..twist my arm...and cookies and chips!). Then, we splurged and joined 1,000 strangers in line at Chipotle for a monster-sized burrito that I managed to eat nearly all of and not feel guilty. I think I burned plenty of calories this weekend, between shoveling and just getting around! Snowmaggedon, indeed!

Oh, and happy belated b'day, Mickchick!

[7rider]

I'm glad that you and Tom made it through pretty well. Sounds like your wood stove was a life saver.

The stove is an insert into our old fireplace. It has a powered blower that means the unit can (when the blower works) heat a 2,000 square foot space. Our house shape is not ideal for full heating with it, but it can keep the living area pretty toasty otherwise and keep the furnace from kicking on regularly. However, with no power...we had to rely on radiant heating...which was pretty impressive nonetheless. Still, it had Tom thinking up ways to create an alternative power source for it in the event of future outages. I think a generator really moved up the "gotta have" list for our house!