Friday, January 8, 2010

The Great Blizzard of 2010

2010 has arrived with a bang. Actually a very very cold bang. We are having record low temperatures down here in the South where we think that anything in the 50's is flat out Arctic.

So, of course, when we have temperatures in the SINGLE DIGITS, PEOPLE, and there's snow predicted, we tend to get all overdramatic and freak out and close schools and empty grocery stores and prepare our Last Will and Testaments and secure ourselves and our families in our warm houses and vow to not come out until the blizzard is over. You know, exactly like Ma Ingalls did it on the Prairie, minus the rogue Indians and the homemade dolls under the Christmas tree.

This week, we were told that we were expecting 2-3 inches of snow (which is equivalent to 6 feet of snow by Michigan standards) so school let out early yesterday and started late today. Most schools in the area closed completely for 2 days, but apparently our school is more concerned with academics (or the threat of having to make up said days on President's Day and MLK Day - don't MESS with a teacher and her holidays - and I can totally say that b/c I used to teach 3rd grade and would've given up my left leg in order to make sure that we got those holidays off).

So yesterday we hunkered down and prepared for the worst. Spencer is in Pasadena at the BCS Championship Game, so basically I'm a single mom who is braving the storm while protecting her little brood by making sure that hot chocolate, PB&J sandwiches, Dora the Explorer, and Polly Pockets are abundant.

And the snow came. And the wind howled. And I could barely keep the front door closed from the massive snow drifts that descended upon our home.

And now, I would like to show you the pictures I took as I braved the elements and ventured outside.

All for you, readers, all for you.

First, this is the top of the table that houses the Big Green Egg.

As you can see, the depth of the snow was frightening.

Next, this is how deep our accumulation was.

Never fear, I have put "snow shovel" on my list of things to get the next time I'm at Home Depot so that I won't ever put my family in such a dangerous position again.

The prediction for the weekend is that our wind chills will be in the negative numbers (a phenomenon that I can't even comprehend). After the CLEAR ACCURACY of the weather predictions over the last 24 hours, I'll be sure and let you know if we make it out alive.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Robyn - thank heaven you and the girls are safe. That was so scary...

The Scott family said...

You got centimeters more than we did! Not even a flurry over here and the line to check out at Kroger was unbelievable! Luckily everyone was equipped with bread and milk so as to stay off the roads during the epic storm! :)

beckyjomama said...

So glad you are safe - it must've been horrendous. BUT, you done Ma Ingall's proud - I am pretty sure she kept a secret stash of Polly Pockets, just in case. (I believe it was mentioned in the last and rarely read book in her series, Little Electric Blanket On The Sleep Number Bed.

(PS - you do crack me up!!!)

ocean mommy said...

SO funny!

Oh goodness, you would have curled up in the corner and cried if you had seen the 1/4 of an inch we had on our patio this morning! It sent me into shock. :)

Hugs!
steph

Fran said...

For real...we had the same blizzard. However, it snowed all day today at 15 degrees and never stuck to the ground. Huh?

My sight word is "wanne" and it made me laugh.

Bye~

Unknown said...

I think we had more ice than anything else here in beautiful Marietta, GA. Glad those in charge decided to give me a day off. So much fun!

Blessings~
Sheryl

Rhonda said...

Same thing here. Except we missed the snow. I was hoping they would let us out for cold weather because I did not like going out in single digits, but, alas, my kid has to be educated:)

Dana said...

So glad you're safe. And to see where all that snow we got came from. Clearly, it could not all fit in those drifts you have so a little of it blew our way.

(And we have a drift two panes up on our bedroom window, and one about three feet up our kitchen door at the house we're moving to!)

Michelle said...

Love this post - made me smile and laugh! (I got to your site via Annie Blogs!) :) -Michelle

Julie Marie said...

Tee Hee! I'm from Wisconsin, and we are getting ready for 10-12 inches, but I can so sympathize with your fantastically sarcastic post. How many times do we over-prepare ourselves for the worst?! And even in hard-core northern Wisconsin, traffic slows to a crawl when the flakes begin to fall!
Really enjoyed your photos and comments...peace!

Anonymous said...

Hey Auburn fan. Did you view the video cam of Auburn's campus last week. The students had so much fun...loved the one where they spotted an Alabama guy and started pelting him with snowballs! Only in Alabama...what a rivalry! War Eagle!!