Enough with the snow already

[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.....