Thanks for letting me in. I'm very tired from digging out the 8+ inches of snow that drifted into my drive, so I'll go quietly back to lurking.

-- (Meemur@Tree.Street), February 15, 2003

Answers

Ya know, you could what all good Atlantians do at the mere hint of a thought of a concern about snow....

Go to the store and buy all the bread and milk in stock, then sit at home till the snow melts.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (cook.r@watchLondrinking.glug), February 15, 2003.

Hello Meemur. I'm jealous coz I NEVER get to see snow. I guess after all that work, you don't want to see anymore for a while. Cheers.

-- Carol (c@oz.com), February 16, 2003.

Meemur? Who the heck's Meemur? You new here? I don't remember any Meemur!!!! poopie.

THey say memory is the first thing to go and the second is, uh, is, uh, well, I forget. ChiefTIn is always the last to know! poopie.

Anyways, since you're here with us, or used to be here with us, or might be here with us now, or at least are somewhere near us, if no one has given you an awfulcial welcome, then we can now join together and ketchup in our duties to welcome you as an FRLian.

Don't be stranger (it's ok to be just as strange as you currectly are though), and please post and lettuce no you're with us.

Welcome, Meemur!

Long Live the FRL!

Long Live our Fruitcake Freedoms!

Now, it's off to the woodshed. We're expecting "near-blizzard" conditions tonite and a foot of new snow. BUt at least it's not as cold... Temp now is all the way to 7 above zero ;-(

-- (sonofdust@welcome.meemur), February 16, 2003.

Just heard there's a minor update to the forecast for later today into tomorrow... we're expecting 2 feet of snow, not 1.

-- (sonofdust@got.firewood?), February 16, 2003.

We weren't expecting snow at all, which is why I'm most surprised and unhappy to find snow all over the place.

-- helen (gripped@with.cold), February 16, 2003.

Thanks for the welcome!

I've been lurking here for awhile. There are so many good writers on this forum that my style (or lack thereof) embarrasses me.

It's still snowing here. I'd wax poetic about it, but we just got another six inches or so, and all I want to do is finish downloading my email and go take a bath in Flexall. My back and legs gave out about ten minutes ago. By tomrrow, perhaps I'll see the beauty of it.

-- (Meemur@Tree.Street), February 16, 2003.

Hi Meemur. Good to see you posting. Now, get some rest and have something good to eat...like chocolate ;-)

Well, you're not alone with the snow, as you can see. There are 16 inches of snow on the ground in the southermost part of the state. (I'm in NW New Jersey --- please, no jokes--- thank you)

The main news around here is the Blizzard. Yes, it is a blizzard. It just got started too. Supposed to last all tonite and all tomorrow since it's what they call a 'slow mover'.

We're getting pasted. And the snow from the last three storms never melted so it's just all gonna pile higher and deeper. Winds are between 30 - 40 mph so the drifts are gonna be many feet high.

This is the worst winter storm we've had since The Blizzard of '96. In that one, the only part of our cars we could see was the top of the antennas. I had a hell of a time just trying to get out of the house to shovel. IN order to walk you had to pick your foot up almost to your chin before planting the next foot down.

This is expected to be as bad or worse. Some folks on the news actually are referring to it as "a perfect storm", since there evidently are 3 main weather systems 'colliding' over us. Everyone has stripped the supermarket shelves bare of milk, water,(even the distilled water was completely out!) bread, and batteries. If it wasn't nailed down, it's gone.

The governor has just declared a state of emergency, and yet the storm has only just begun.

-- (sonofdust@uh.oh), February 16, 2003.

Guess then I shouldn't complain about a mild ice storm yesterday and about 2 inches of snow overnight in Indiana, eh?

Gawd I miss California!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 17, 2003.

I wouldn't be game to tell you what our weather has been lately. You might throw snowballs at me.

Goodluck with the blizzard Rob. Hope you don't have any damage from it.

-- Carol (sunshine@paradise.com), February 17, 2003.

Hiya Meemur! This is where I come to play. (Well, except for that ONE silly post about the Oscar Mayer Weenie Mobile at Mutter's.) :-) I didn't know you read over here too. Welcome!

Diane! Nice to "see" you. California to Indiana must have been quite a transition! Probably a culture shock as well? ;-)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), February 17, 2003.

So, Meemur, the truth at last! You're a friend of Gayla's, huh?

Well, we won't hold that against ya ;-)

We have 14-15 inches so far as of 9 this morning, and the 'worst part of the storm' has yet to arrive. The mayor is calling folks. Electricity is still on (knock on fruitcake) but we have genuine blizzard conditions with winds of 35-40+ and the temp is in single digits. THe nataional guard have been mobilized and have rescued stranded people, especially in the southern part of the state. Someone on the news said it might be D.C.'s worst storm in 81 years.

It's intense here too. You know it's bad 'cause air traffic is actually being directed to Buffalo. BUFFALO!!!!!!! The snow champion of the East!!!!

Everything is closed. Even if someplace was open, it would be a challenge to try and get there. BUt I' m eating a croissant with nuttella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) and sipping hot cocoa and watching the storm rage. THe kids are outside building an igloo. It's already big enough for them to get in ;-)

Looks like it's gonna snow all morning, noon and night, into tomorrow. COuld get 2 - 3 inches an hour. Should be interesting.

Time to check on the fire. Bye for now, Rob

-- (sonofdust@getting.pounded), February 17, 2003.

Poor Rob! At least the kids are outside! ;-)

Mutter's is mostly a news board. Lots of snow-bound folks reporting in there too. You might enjoy the fun we've had on my silly thread over there. Here is a link.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), February 17, 2003.

Lol Gayla. Youz guyz over there are very silly. Now I know why ya come over here, for some serious balance. I noticed most of them posters, especially 'ottergal', sounded like genuine FRLians ;-)

THe storm continues here. It's over in the southern part of the state. We're getting something the they call the wrap around---which means that after ya get pounded, then ya get pounded a bit more. Talked with most of my friends and relatives that live here and over half are snowed in (they can't get out of the house at all due to the snow actinag as a barricade) but things should get better soon.

I still can't belive they are directing the air traffic to BUffalo. That's got all of us ROTFLAO. Well, its about 4 now and soon we'll all be wanting dinner. FOr some reason, I don't know why, I have a deept desire for a couple of genuine Texas Weiners.

-- (sonofdust@wrapped.around), February 17, 2003.

It's finally starting to slow down. One of the kids got out a yardstick and measured 18 inches of new snow. THe igloo is a work of art ;-) Well, it looks like a couple of the heartier neighbors have got their gear and started shoveling out. Guess I better get out there too. BFN, Rob

-- (sonofdust@blizzard.of2003), February 17, 2003.

Where's Lon??

It didn't snow on the bayou...

Hi Diane and Meemur! Welcome to FRL, where the lies are long and the applause is indiscriminant.

-- helen (liar@liar.pants.on.fire), February 17, 2003.

Lon is on the other thread, Helen.

Well we woke up this morning and it's still snowing! It had stopped last noght and everyone got out and started diggin out. One neighbor has a snow blower and helped me with the hardest part- where the driveway meets the street. Thats all hard-packed snow and ice that the town snowplows clear from the middle of the street. You have to use several pushes to get the snow blower through the drifts, and sometimes need to tilt it a bit and try and angle it over a drift.

Anyway, we're dug out and for the last two hours (at least) we've been getting more light steady snow. THis storm wasn't as bad as the 1996 one which gave us about 3 feet, but i heard this morning that it's the new worst snowstorm on record in Boston's history.

Oh, one other thing, just for the record. I said the temps yesterday were in the single digits. They were for several days before, but yesterday it was much warmer. Temps climbed up into the teens.

Taht's the latest on our Blizzard of 2003, what folks are calling the "President's Day Storm."

-- (thesonofdust@snowing.lightly), February 18, 2003.

The snow here is what we used to call "good packin'.

Snowballs at 20 paces.

-- (lars@indy.net), February 18, 2003.

Man, I just gotta put in my weather report here. We're really suffering from old man winter down here on the bayou. Today it was only in the low 70's, and tomorrow it's s'posed to get CLOUDY! (Katy-the-corgi hates to lay on the dock when there's no patch of sun for her old bones).

Actually, winter down here is spelled, W-E-T. I swear, there hasn't been a whole week since August that we didn't get rain. My yard is a soggy mess, with swanp weeds sprouting everywhere. The mahaw trees are covered with tiny white blossoms, and the cars shimmer with a dusting of green pollen. The winter wild flowers are starting in the yard, little yellow faces and tiny pinks and blues. I always hate to start mowing in the spring, as the flowers are really pretty on into April.

I have a lot of new birds visiting the feeder outside my window this year. A whole joshling crowd of little finches, and some kind of warbler or nuthatch I don't recognize, light dusty green with a white stripe on their folded wings. The little Aztec doves should show up soon, and of course the big Jays and Cardinals have their way at the bigger feeder with black sunflower seeds. Under the feeder, stragly little stalks attest to their sloppy table manners.

We've been off the road for a couple of weeks, and Kit has taken to hibernating in his room, which is starting to look like a comfortable bus wreck. He has a TV/VCR with old movies, and playing at the same time, a CD player with 60's music, a table with a permanent snack (my job) and all his favorite photo albums arranged around him as he perches in the middle of the bed. I put on my hard hat, get a stout rope, and drag him like a muley old cow into the shower every day or so. He retaliates in his own little ways; today he used EVERY towel in the closet to dry off. I hope nobody notices the finger marks on his throat.

-- Lon (lgal@exp.net), February 18, 2003.

Lon, I think you're beginning to meld with your evil twin :-D

Rob - wow!! We get 2" of snow at a time and it makes the news. We have about 2-3' now, but it's fallen over the last month, not the last day! It gets really cold here, but it's very dry. At least it is compared to there :-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.ent), February 18, 2003.

Just took the car out for a spin...literally. The driveway has about 18 inches of clearance on each side of the car, just enough to squeeze into it!

The main roads aren't too bad but the side roads are real sloppy. The four lane raods are now just two and the two lane roads are about 1 and a half lanes. It's an adventure around every corner since when you get to any intersection you have to stop and crawl forward until you can see past the snow drifts to see if there is any traffic coming.

The kids school is gonna be cloased again tomorrow. I took 'em sledding at a local park and they had a blast. THey're already clamoring to go again tomorrow. Naturally, nothing strikes them funnier than to see Dad sliding with abandon down the hill, crashing and spilling off the sled into a heap of snow. It was fun.

Temp are supposed to go higher---much higher. They are already saying that when this stuff melts will have flooding, and at the same time there's supposed to be a "Rain Event". Wonder where I can get tickets...

-- (sonofdust@flooding.next), February 18, 2003.

It rained.

A little.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (cook.r@watchingsnowgoby.upnorth), February 19, 2003.

Lon, you're funny! :-) I love your expressions! I was in Houston this past weekend and couldn't believe how green it was. The trees are all budding, too. Everything is still dead up here. Perhaps a female Cerulean Warbler came a little further South than normal? After the nasty winter we've had I wouldn't be surprised.

Rob, glad you guys survived and didn't kill each other during your time of "togetherness". LOL! I hope everything is back to normal soon. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), February 19, 2003.

PS- Got pictures of the sledding event? :-D

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), February 19, 2003.

What a pretty scene Lon. Birds and wildflowers. Told as only you can tell it. Lovely. I get a lot of pleasure from watching the birds that visit my yard. I've been putting sunflower seeds out for a pair of crimson rosellas that are occasional visitors, but I suspect the possums have been getting to it first as the feeder was tipped on its side today. I don't really mind as possums have to eat too.

Lol for Kit. What do you expect if you try to separate him from his music and his munchies for something as mundane as cleanliness?

Rain?

What's rain?

-- Carol (c@oz.com), February 19, 2003.

I gave the password to gene. We await his arrival. What's taking him so long?

-- helen (gripping@WHAT.tightly?), February 21, 2003.

(psssst... Helen.... look at the de-cloaking thread)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), February 21, 2003.

Hey Diane!

Whereabouts in Indiana are ya?

-- Gene (notmehere@nowhere.huh), February 23, 2003.

Probably south of the Lake, north of the Ohio river a bit .... But that's just a guess. 8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (cook.r@watchLondrinking.glug), February 23, 2003.

Sorry it's taken so long between posts!

Gayla, major culture shock between the two. I still feel incredibly discombobulated here.

Gene, I'm in the out-of-the-way-place with a major IU campus that now has FBI survelience planes flying overhead. Sigh. Just when you think you're stuck in a backwater! (Still think that.)

Snow lingers on the ground. Last weekend we had nine inches. Will it ever end? Donno. Spring is over in California. Make ya think, eh?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), March 01, 2003.