Today is a snow day for the Mid Atlantic area so let's chat about it here.
Are you hunkering down or must you be out and about?
Do you have snow yet? Here it is stlll rain.
What is your favorite thing to do on a snow dat?
Any power outage concerns?
etc etc
Schools are closed, travel advisory in effect.. This mornings snow pics; 27 degrees and clear now , light wind , more snow possible later today ,,
Good morning coleup!
I was getting pretty annoyed yesterday, looking at this wavering radar and wondering why the darn schools did not announce closure and get it done with. Mark woke me by saying "The witch is dead!"
So, our one kid at home gets to sleep and we get to skip the drop off/ pick up. And I get to skip going to AACC this morning. We stocked up on dry firewood near the back door, have bread, milk and toilet paper, and power, there's no wind at the moment, sounds like rain and a partial white on the lawn at this point.
Planning to stay home! Indoor projects to do, and of course will be on the internet on and off all day.
Thanks for starting a thread for us!
About 2-3"of snow and 26º here, supposed to snow all day and into the night. They can't seem to agree on how much might accumulate, though. Living in an area that's over 75% national and state forests, power outages are common, but I'm well-stocked with firewood (and my wood stove has a flat top for cooking), food, water, candles and other necessities.
I just hope the power stays on so I have internet access. Otherwise I'll be bored even though I have a good LED headlamp for reading. I assume the schools are closed, and I haven't heard any snowplows yet. My sis is supposed to work 12-5, and if the road is open to the interstate (3-4 miles away), she'll probably try to get into town without driving her usual route on the back roads.
Judy, thanks for starting this thread. We used to have threads like this during imminent hurricanes and other bad weather happenings.
Just rain here. Quite a bit colder from yesterday which was beautiful and certainly did not portend any 'massive storm" approaching.
Overnight they upped our snow totals even for me hugging the Bay 4-8. When the two lows combine and head up the coast this afternoon should be our heaviest snowfall (right about newspaper delivery time!)
My theory about county snow closings: statewide test prep going on, most of county in that rain/snow line so buses coul do a morning run no problem and then close early if conditions worsen...etc For me, the real reason to close or not has little to do with snow (the bus companies pretty well call that many times) but a lot to do with heat as moost schools in our county have no air conditioning so extending the year is just too miserable to even think about! Also, making up any close days with a shorter 'Spring vacation' seems not a good choice either. Easier to close schools here when Federal Government shuts down as there will be more parents 'home' to care for snow day kids. Fed Govt is largest employer for our county...
I can't imagine what they would have to pay me to make it worth being the person who makes that call. UGH!
I think it's pretty ludicrous of the schools to imagine that any learning would happen in one short day with heavy snow called for later. Interfering with parents work is the biggest issue.
Morning from Jersey. Got awake about 5 a.m with sounds of blowing furniture on the deck. Thought it was going to wait until later to blow this far inland but as usual I was wrong. I am at least 20 mi. inland. Nothing is the same since Sandy. Could be my imagination. Got everything battened down and barncats and backyard birds fed. Hawk is flying so birds will not eat until he goes away. Charle and I tried to take a walk this morning but only did half of our usual since the wind was blowing too hard and I do not need any help with being off balance since the Vertigo is really acting up (pressure changes affect it big time).
I must go into town to the Pharmacy and pick up some milk, get my hair cut and then the storm can do whatever it wants to do.
It is just spritzing a bit here at this time. Temp is about 36 deg. but the winds are 30 plus and gusting. Some of the barrier islands are getting ready for some 4 ft. above normal waves and maybe higher, so no doubt my friends in Lavalette will have more water in their already ruined house. The back bays seem to get hammered since Sandy took away so much of the dunes, etc. I understand there are still over 50 plus boats and several houses still in the bay and they need to be removed before things get back to anywhere near normal. The flow of the water is the problem until all is fixed. Nothing to stop it really. Enough of the sad stuff.
Stay safe all you people in the snow areas and I will pray you do not loose your electric. I feel sure we will loose ours but then what else is new? We just go with the flow. ☺
9.a.m. so I had better get a move on. I will be back unless I blow off the road in my little old jeep wrangler. Hugs and Prayers for you all. JB
Hey Darius, always good to hear from you!
Yep, as I watch the weather forecasts and models and progress of storms across the country (Thanks juhur! I see what we are in for!) and low and high pressure systems and the jet stream, etc I always think about others being effected.
You all at higher elevations and in the mountains usually get more snow. So, when I hear heavy wet snow, high winds I think trees down and power out. I'm glad you have firewood, a way to cook and food laid in. I'm glad that Ruby and John have their whole house generator this time round.
Lol Darius, I just can't imagine you ever being bored!
My favorite weather site is The Capital Weather Gang
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang
Let me know if you find them as informative as I do. They give me a framework to understand what some of our local forecasters are saying. Love their live blogs and tweets, too. I have learned a lot about 'weather' from them.
Example 1" of precipitation = up to 10" of snow. Darius, you are in the 2+ precipitation band. I'm in the 1+ but because of warmer temperatures here, most of the precip here will be rain.
Woke up at my usual 03:50 am, looked out the window - and yes, snow here. Must have started sometime after midnight. Glad to hear Fed Govt was closed - don't have to use a vacation day. As far as I have to travel, and with the predicts for accumulation northwest of the city, I was already planning to take the day off. It has been snowing steadily - heavy and wet. So far power is still on, but am ready if it does go out.
No satellite TV reception, but I didn't want to watch TV anyway. I've spent all morning putting together my gardening notes for a 2013 Gardening Journal. Just in Jan and Feb alone, I have notes on 15 items (plant purchases, seed starting efforts, houseplant care, gardening related events, etc...) I've never managed to keep one for an entire season yet, but always motivated to at least try.
Stay safe and warm!
Not long before I moved away from Annapolis, we had a surprise snowstorm, starting on a Sunday evening. I had driven over to Bowie to play bridge with friends, and couldn't get home until Wednesday! We had 36" of snow.
Here's a couple of photos when I finally did get home. That's the Severn River and Round Bay behind my house.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Baked-Oatmeal
Different slant on the morning's oatmeal.
Gee Darius- after that were you still friends, really good friends, or sick of each other? haha.
Sally, my friends weren't prepared for any kind of storm, and we joked that we ate everything in the house except the wallpaper paste. When the road into Bowie was finally open, there was no food to be found, nor toothbrushes.
Sounds like fun in its way! the ''not at the time but laughing later' way.
Library also closed for the day- ( therefore all our obligations for today are off) Mark says Break out the bubbly! lol. Usually Wednesday is boring for him. I'm happy that I bought some decent groceries on Monday, not even thinking storm prep. Pork loin today.
Sounds like rain and wind here.
We have heat and a place to cook, but our super storm has so far been a wimp. It's gusty,sloppy, and 34*F. The threat of losing power is minimal. The biggest threat to a heavy storm is snow loading on the GH, but the heat mostly takes care of that, it just slides off. Last years Halloween blizzard saw me out there about every 1/2 hour to pull the snow off with the pool brush, that was before the heat was installed. Holly was out and took a few pics and retreated to the warm to work on her house plant. It is certainly looking like a soup day, I'll have to check out the cupboards. Ric
Darius that's hilarious! I tend to get my 'giddy' on with a big snow, too. It's like coming out of hibernation when we finally dig out.
However, I wasn't very giddy when the newspaper insisted that we carriers deliver to those tubes so clearly illustrated in your first picture. Nice house, nice pics. Oh to be as 'shovel able ready' as back then!
Some people seemed so determined to dig out no matter what the risk, no matter if there is nwhere to go...If my customers in the large 'retirement community' I deliver to, see me or the mailman put something in their box they cannot stop until they retrieve it! Sometimes I think by my delivering a paper in bad weather is actually endangering their lives as well as my own.
There must be some primal fear of being snowed-in/ trapped/ freezing that kicks in and over rides common sense. One customer from North Dakota tells of his Mom tying a rope around his waist when he was sent out in the blizzard to get more wood for the fire which was stacked less than 20 feet away so they knew they would get him back.
Coleup, In a true whiteout there is no sense of direction, the rope trick is used often under desperate conditions. I know that with my vertigo I would certainly be lost, and may even have trouble standing. My aqua-therapy for my back has improved my balance a good bit, moving about in the water was at first difficult because I was focusing on my immediate surroundings. The more I long-range the more stable I feel, there is still an instant of panic when I trip or stumble. If there's time I recalibrate and recover, if not I fall, kneel, sit, or whatever. It sounds as though JBerger has some of the same experiences. I often will put some tissue or something in my ears to keep the wind from whistling through. LOL Ric
That's funny about tying the boy with a rope when the firewood was so close to the house! But then, I've seen snow so thick that visibility was less than 10-15 feet.
I think I must have been starving in a previous life because I've been obsessed with having ample food stored for 50+ years now. Same for a heat source.
Ric,
Here is a soup made for cold, dreary days. It is VERY good!
Please note all the 'alterations" (in the parentheses) that I made to
tweak this soup for the better--to MY taste, which is seldom wrong (to me).
"Special Potato Soup"-from someone on DG.
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped (I like onion--so I used two!)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used bacon drippings)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used 8)
2 carrots, sliced (or more--depends on size)
3 cups water (I used home made Chicken broth.
Can use low-salt, fat free, canned Chicken Broth/stock-)
5 chicken flavored bouillon cubes (UGH! I did not use--see above!)
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (did not use!)
1/2 teaspooon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed (I have fresh in my garden. Also added Onion Powder)
dash of garlic powder and dash of pepper
2 cups milk (I used 2 cups 1/2 and 1/2 and made the rest up with milk)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
TO DO:
Sauté celery and onion in butter(bacon grease) in a large Dutch oven until tender.
Add next 9 ingredients; Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and mash vegetables with potato masher or put through blender or food processor.
Add milk and cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 cups.
Comments from me after I made the second batch
I have made it twice now...using my cast iron Dutch oven.
Of course--I tweaked a few things here and there--like, I browned some diced bacon and
used that fat instead of butter to brown the onions and celery in.
I put the bacon bits back into the soup at the end and also some diced, smoked ham.
(Seems they just "belonged!")
I also added a few other spices...Onion Powder--a bit of Caraway seed and fresh Rosemary from my garden.
Added lots of black pepper.
I did not use a processor to cream the soup--just my masher. I gently mashed everything in the pot with that.
The soup was a bit chunky--but SOOO good! A hand (stick) blender would work well.
***This soup is surprisingly tasty and filling! Go with all my changes –they were all good!
Gita
Made it to town and back and now I am going to venture a few miles down the road to get a hair cut. The wind is whipping like crazy and I almost lost my storm door coming in with a bag of groceries. The doggie door is standing wide open. Darn wind is coming from all directions too. It seems to be coming from the southeast but once in awhile a gust from the northwest comes along and crashes into everything. No snow and very little rain. Still above freezing here just down the road from the Joint Force Base McGuire, Dix and Lakehurst.
Ric you have my deepest sympathy. I go through this constantly. The only thing that has kept me going all these years with vertigo is my weekly visit to the chiropractor. He has this little wand I call his "popper" and he pops my neck, my lower back and sometimes at the base of my skull, depending on which way I am leaning on the day I visit him. He has me stand in front of him and close my eyes. Depending on which way I fall,(he catches me) he pops a certain spot and I am good to go for another week or ten days. If, that is, the weather does not do drastic changes. The barometric pressure has a lot to do with my head at time. I sometimes joke about feeling and walking like I had one too many martinis.
I would not mind sometimes if that were the case, but to be this way for no reason really is annoying. There is no cure, sorry. We are just unbalanced!!!!!☺
Still only rain here in downtown Baltimore. BGE employees are storm duties, getting ready for the onslaught of power outages. As a contractor, I am on my own today.
Extremely windy and just a little rain now and again 39°, they still have no idea how much snow we'll get here
Hubby and I got our grocery shopping done on Monday in preparation. Cooked quite a bit yesterday... made a big pot of chicken corn chowder, and a crockpot full of pulled pork BBQ for sandwiches. Started snowing here at 10pm last night. Hubby had to work in it... from midnight to 8am this morning. He got back home safe and sound, thankfully! I woke up to about 5 inches so far... (see the first photo.) I am able to work from home in such times... again I am thankful! Went out first thing and cleared an area to make a covered food and water station for all our little bird visitors... they really get frantic when it snows! They can't forage on the ground for food in deep snow. Took less than five minutes for them to get over the umbrella! LOL! I will share bird pics on the bird thread later today... it's already been very busy out there!
Hope everyone else is safe and warm!
Karen
Still snowing here and very windy. Probably about the same accumulation as Karen. Snug and happy inside with the fire crackling away. JB, you sure are adventurous to head out in the mess in your neck of the woods to get a hair cut LOL.
Thanks for the reminder about the birds Karen......I suspect the birdies will have a hard time finding something in the fifteen inches that we had at about 8 AM and still coming down. Will report back later with a different measure if there is more. I am amazed to read that you folks north of me aren't having anything much yet. Rain!!! Amazing when I look outside and see more snow that I can remember seeing in some years now. So far the power has stayed on and no need as of yet for the back up generator. That has to be one of the best investments we have ever made. My older son called earlier and they are without power this morning. I hope they get it back on soon. There is no way that anyone is going anywhere much in these parts.
My dogs were really confused when they tried going out earlier. The thinner and more spry of the two hopped over the snow which was over his back, but the overweight one stood at the door and looked around.....I suspect his bladder is very full. John needs to shovel the back deck off in order for them to have a path to go out and do their dooty.
Darius and Sally have both visited here and can attest to a very steep driveway. In years past John has shoveled it by hand but finally had the good sense to purchase a garden tractor with a snow blade which he has been preparing for use this week. He moved the goats yesterday so they would be closer to the house in order to feed.
Anyway.....good reports from here thankfully. Made a pot of chili yesterday and I also grocery shopped yesterday, so we are set for a while. Thanks Judy for starting the post for everyone to check in. Everyone be safe and try to stay warm.
Ruby
Made the mistake of going to the grocery store yesterday afternoon and couldn't figure out why it was so busy, LOL
Very interested in what is going on back east. It is cloudy and misty, moisty out here in Oregon. stay safe everyone!!
Aspinhill, not brave, I am only a few minutes away from the lady that cuts my hair and the snow has not started here yet. The nor'easter snow will be here late afternoon and stay until tomorrow so they tell me. By Friday we should see the sun again. Maybe. I hope. I pray. I will even do a sun dance but please make the sun come out Friday for sure. Another gloomy weekend could put me over the edge. ☺ In fact I am just hanging by a thread at this point.
We've been having rain all day here but it turned to sleet for a few minutes just now- it sounded like someone is grinding ice cubes in the hotel hallway! The temperature is slowly dropping, too. The sleet melted but with the way the wind is blowing, I think we are getting to the temps that the snow might make a mess. I am hoping that by living so close to the coast that we won't have much of what you are all dealing with.
We signed a rental agreement yesterday and I showed the landlord a tree that was half dead and looking like it was going to be falling into the house soon. I hope that his handy man was able to cut it down before this wind and rain hit us. There were enough dead branches up high in the tree that I just know that they've either fallen with this wind or will fall as soon as they get a little ice or snow on them.
*The adventures of moving all over with the military!* ^_^
My DH left after lunch to continue inprocessing at the base and to try to get the military computers and email system to learn that he is here and not in Korea anymore - day 6 of trying!
Central Anne Arundel, just south of Baltimore - is still just having some rain and gusts. Really a non storm so far in this region. That's good news for coleup and paper delivery. She's closer to the bay, slightly warmer, possibly slightly windier.
JuneyBug... you're "home" again! I don't see many of your posts but I'm thinking you might be happy to be out of Korea.
The snow stopped here about 2 hours ago, topping out at about 4", although more is forecast for this evening and a little more overnight. The roads have been cleared and I went to town for a brakelight bulb, gas and a few groceries... not food necessities, just something tasty to round out meals.
My town has less snow than out here in the Boonies, and there are LOTS of birds pecking along the edges where the roads and walkways have been cleared, more out here than in town. I saw a couple of robins, several cardinals, plus lots of small dark-colored birds that flew away before I could see what they might be.
Yup, Ruby has a steep driveway. Glad John got smart and got something to clear it other than a shovel. None of us are getting any younger, although John is quite robust.
hey! I am OK here too--just read what sally posts--and it applies to my area the same.
Wet--raining on and off--occasional wind gusts. Radio is still talking about several inches
accumulation. Not sure where--and if.
All this is supposed to end tonight. G.
Yes! Finally home again! It is wonderful to be back!
Today was THE perfect day to get house ready for sale!!! We've been at it since 8 AM - decluttered, cleaned, thrown out at least 25 huge garbage bags....we're down to the last bits, I am knackered and oh yes, we have snow :)
JuneyBug, Welcome home! Hope you get settled in soon and have time to kick up your feet and take a break before spring gardening starts. LOL
Not long before I moved away from Annapolis, we had a surprise snowstorm, starting on a Sunday evening. I had driven over to Bowie to play bridge with friends, and couldn't get home until Wednesday! We had 36" of snow.
Here's a couple of photos when I finally did get home. That's the Severn River and Round Bay behind my house.
The skies have been clearing here for the past hour or so, I thought we may even see a sunset, but no. Almost all the white is gone, except in northern nooks and crannies. I didn't have to lift a shovel or start the tractor. Holly did push a bit off the decks so they would dry rather than refreeze. Ric
As of last report our snow fall pooped out at sixteen inches. Good grief...it sure made up for the mildish winter we have had this year. After John spent most of the afternoon on the tractor, there are now several walking paths around. I will not venture out unless there is an emergency of some sort. It is now the edge of dark and we are ready to spend a winter's evening indoors. I think back to childhood and how exciting something such as this would have been for me. At this time the older boy teen cousins of mine would have been tamping down the state road in which they would sled for miles at a time. When I was a child this portion of the mountain side had hardly any other residents besides my family made up of several families of boys, so sledding on the main road was no problem at all.
I outgrew sleigh riding about the same time I gave up amusement part rides.....been there and done that thank you very much.
Gosh Darius, I am really surprised by the little bit your area got. Someone had told us yesterday that we were right on the path of the storm and hearing from you all makes that ring true. Juneybug.......welcome home. You are not too far away now. I haven't heard any thing from you for months and months and didn't realize it was time to come home again. I am sure that you are happy.
If you do plan to do any gardening at your new place, please try and attend our Mid Atlantic Plant Swap some time this spring. For sure one the best events to come out of Dave's Garden. I am sure there will be enough plants to set you up with a very nice garden, all for the asking. Much of our gardens have come from attending the swaps with this great group of folks.
Becky......haven't been in touch with your goings ons either and am happy to hear that you had such a productive day in terms of moving. Do you have dates yet? Sorry that I haven't kept up with you here or on Facebook either for a while now. Were you able to get new homes for your plants? So sorry that we dropped the gun on that one. I really want to be in touch before you leave the area and hopefully get a mailing address for you in order to stay in touch that way too. Will need to remind myself to do better in terms of keeping up with now that time is passing so quickly.
Anyway....haven't needed the generator this go round...Yep, the area power outages will probably now be a lot less since we are ready for them. Need to call son and see if they have power back on yet.
You folks stay warm and dry. Take care.
Ruby
We got snow coming down sideways and lots of wind, but at this point, the walkway and driveway are clear, with no effort on our part. At times it sounded like acorns were being flung at the house. No power outage and we're delighted to have missed what was predicted for our area, 6-12 inches.
Sounds like Ruby got all the snow.
We were able to work in the yard yesterday afternoon.
JuneyBug and everyone else, our Spring Plant Swap is scheduled for Sat May 18 at Jan23's house in New Jersey!!! Would be great if you could be there and I'll second what Ruby said about plants galore!
lol Ruby, do you think the 'smart grid' has figured out you have a generator now? Or is it just another variation of Murphy's Law?
Lots of wind here and evidently, the wind crossing the warmer waters of the Bay contirbuted to our lack of snow accumulation as it kept the temperatures aloft too warm for snow to form! Yea Bay.
I heard a report a while ago that eastcoast beaches and coast lines devestated by Sandy and now like sitting ducks to wind and water erosion and flooding are difficult to restore, not just because of the expense but because of the scarcity of the right kind of sand for rebuilding them. Teams of experts from Texas, I believe were searching various parts of the coastline to try and locate where the eroded sands went so they could be dredged and replaced on shore or reform barrier islands.
Marie_kap dmailed about her concerns for New Jersey shore near her with today's high winds.
Aspenhill, you have a perfect spot to 'watch your woods fill up with snow' ala Frost.
i havent been active online because oh my painful shoulder. had my surgery 2/28, sent home 3/1, been doing mild phys therapy on the shoulder and very slowly healing up. just sort of sat on the couch all day watching tv while bob slept. we got 1 inch of snow which melted. i have an orchid in the kitchen which is blooming now. tomorrow, i will get bobbin to take some pix of it. i found out i have osteopenia soft bones so i have to slow down and watch my step cause if i fall, i stand a good chance of breaking something. we never lost our power and we were warm and cozy all day. just checking in. button and bobbin and fritzie.
