2026 Snowmaggeddon Day #5

We are hanging in there and I am thankful to learn that many of our neighbors who were without power have now had it restored. We cannot imagine what it has been like for those power company employees. Navigating through the icy roads and walking and scotching on the ice to cut up the fallen and drooping icy trees; then, replacing broken power poles and lines. We are grateful for them and their dedication to serving others.

SOMEBODY had cabin fever a couple of days ago and just had to get out! One of the kiddos gave him a tall walking stick. So, he trekked out to the barn where he had parked the ATV buggy and truck. He motored round the ponderosa checking things out. Then, moved his truck and parked it at the basement entrance where it is close to the house with less iciness and threat for him to slip and fall.

The neighbor widow called and asked him if he would mind driving her down to the little township - about 5 miles - to work yesterday. She didn't have to be there till ten o'clock in the morning. So, he delivered her and picked her up at the end of her shortened day. 

In one of the check-in phone calls to my son who lives two hours west of us, we learned that he and his brother-in-law had trekked out to get refills of fuel for their generators. I told my daughter-in-law that I would love to have been a fly on the wall watching them. I'm sure it was about like watching two thirteen-year-old boys out on their own. They had tales to tell. One of the tales included picking up a woman and delivering her to a friend's house. 

He sent me some photos showing where they trekked and how the roads looked.

A View Through Son's Windshield

Another Windshield View

They drove under trees that were overhanging the road and saw lots of ice and snow damage.

I'm not so certain that driving under this tree was a wise move but sometimes it is better not to know what one's grown children do.

My daughter-in-law said that they are piling into one room with both children sleeping on pallets. They turned off the big generator and only ran a smaller one to keep that room warm. She said that during the night the kitchen and den area dropped about twenty degrees or more. They could see their breath! But, turning the big generator on brought the temperature back up really quickly.

One little family member got a tent for Christmas. So, she bedded down in her tent in the family bedroom and added about five coverlets to her space. She told me that she was so cozy in there that she had even sweated!

We are still lifting up grateful thoughts and hopeful thoughts for those who are still without power and are feeling stuck. We are also lifting up grateful thoughts for those folks who are out there working diligently to restore and repair damage caused by the storm. 

Stay warm and be careful out there!

2026 Snowmaggeddon Day #4

We've had sleet. 

We've had snow. 

We've had freezing rain. 

We've had more snow.

Yesterday, we had a bit of dripping off the roof that re-froze onto the handrails and porch.

I have lived through storms before that were bad. I don't know that this is any worse but, boy, it is different! I haven't seen anything quite like it.

Back Door View

Back Porch

 

Front Porch View

The sun caused some dripping off the roof yesterday. Here is a close up of how it would drip over thje edge of the gutter and freeze.

Once it dripped down onto the handrail, it would freeze and the icicle almost reached the step below.

Lights and plants at the foot of the front porch steps were encased in ice. Notice the icicle hanging off the front of the handrail.

Some of the roof icicles got really thick with the dripping. I am just amazed.

Lots of the trees are bent over. Some of them are even touching the ground. It is a pretty sight as long as I can just step out onto the porch and take a quick photo and come right back into the warm house.

The fencing is also beautiful so long as I'm just clicking a quick shot and scurrying back inside!

Our power lines are still encased in ice. We are some of those fortunate ones who have had power the entire time. The power flickered off a couple of times but it was not long.

The Mister and I have talked about this several times and how we have not seen anything like this before in our memory. 

2026 Snowmageddon Day #2

 Yesterday was quite a day. The snow started falling at about nine in the morning. We had quite a bit after an hour of solid snowfall.

Back Door View

Front Door View

This morning, at around five in the morning, rain and sleet began to fall. After about an hour, there was a slushy mess everywhere and this is how it looked:

Back Door View

Front Door View

Everything in the air like tree limbs, power lines, light strands, porch rails, etc., has a coating of ice. The ground also has about an inch and a half of slushy ice setting atop it. There is water standing in puddles and low parts of the driveway that has slushy ice and snow in it as well.

Notice the icicles on the chaise and that the pile of snow and the entire garden stool is encased in ice.

The chairs and table are completely encased in a coating of ice.

The power lines look like this line of patio lights and notice the bulbs are even encased.

The wind has picked up a bit and there is creaking and cracking and popping. My bonus son says that it sounds like gunshots in the trees at the top of the hill behind their barn where there are limbs and trees falling. When a gust of wind comes along, those icicles fall as well.

The temperature here is 33 degrees Fahrenheit and meteorologists are predicting the lows to fall into the teens tonight. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 19 and the low will be in the single digits. 

This is quite amazing for us here in the south.

On social media posts I am seeing huge trees that have fallen across streets and roads. The local news reported that over 200,000 people were without power at around noon today. About 70,000 of those households were here in our county. Folks have lost power at the north of us as well as at the south. I'm sure those trees are playing a role in that. Power company and Public Works folks have been out working relentlessly.

We are blessed and fortunate to have power and be able to stay indoors. The bonus son checked on the Mister's animals this morning and told him to stay inside because he doesn't need to risk falling in this mess. So, the bonus son and the grands came by on their ATV and checked things out for us. They also brought us a bag of ice melt salt and left it beside the back door.

Talked on the phone to my son who lives two hours west of us in a rural area. They lost power at about five-thirty this morning. They have a whole house generator to keep their heat and power going. They also have some small generators to power their barn and shop/office. He thinks they have enough fuel to keep the small generators going for three days. He wishes he had more fuel at this point because he is not optimistic that their power will be restored by then. Right now, though, they and their animals and equipment are safe and warm.

We are lifting up grateful thoughts and hopeful thoughts for those who are without power. We are ever grateful, especially, for those who are part of the power company and public works teams working to restore power for people. I have never seen anything quite like this in my lifetime.

Stay warm and be careful out there!

Beautiful Snowy Sight

Our daughter-in-law, Bonnie sent this photo of one of their Angus heifers that she snapped last week.  Since I got to stay inside and didn't have to venture out to be the caretaker of livestock for once, I thought this was a beautiful sight.  Thanks for sharing, Bonnie!

More Snow Days!

It is always good to watch the wonders of the world through the eyes of a child.  We are fortunate and blessed to get to see things through the eyes of our grandchildren. 

As an educator, I am much like a child and love a snow day!  We got a pretty good snow over the weekend but that didn't give us the opportunity to stay home from school.  So, when we got a couple of inches on Tuesday, I was almost as excited as a child. 

It was good to see photos and do FaceTime and Google Hangouts with the grands to learn of their outdoor fun.

First, we got photos of Levi and Easton.  Their mother bundled them up and they rode on an inflated donut while she  pulled them in the powdery snow.  She said they tried to have a snowball fight but the snow was just powdery and wouldn't pack well to allow for that.

Of course, it was also fun to pull the donut and just tromp around in the snow while it was falling all around.

Easton thought he needed to tromp around and pull the donut as well!

Later in the day we got a video showing where their father had come home from the store and tied the donut to the ATV to give them a ride. 

This one was shouting, "Faster!  Go faster!"

Lillie and Lydia looked like they had a big time in the snow if the amount of snow sticking to them is any indication.  They had some old pool floats that they slid around on a bit.  Mostly, it looks like they just did lots of packing of snow on themselves.

It looks like Luci's anticipation paid off and she did get to make a snow angel.  I wonder how many layers she has on?  She looks like she thought it was quite fun, though!

We also got photos of Harris and Linley in one of our recent snowfalls.  Harris was so excited about it and really wanted to build a snowman.  Sadly, both of the snows we have gotten are really a bit too powdery and I don't think a snowman resulted.  He did get to do some sliding and playing round in it, though.

He was pretty excited that his baby sister, Linley, was getting to see her first snow as well.

He was probably more excited than she was.  She reportedly spent most of her time squinting at it because it was so bright outside that she could hardly see.  She did look cute in all her snow gear, though, didn't she!

Of course, one of the best parts of playing in the snow is sipping on hot chocolate and snacking on a little cake when one returns inside!

Snow Days!

Welcome to the sunny south!  We woke up Tuesday morning to snow falling steadily down.  It was beautiful as Mike and I sat inside here and watched it falling.  Of course, we didn't have to get out into it and battle it - well, I didn't.  Mike got out to go feed the animals and putter round but I sat right here and watched the snow fall and sipped coffee and caught up on my favorite blog-reading activities.

We talked to the children about the grandchildren.  Lillie sent this photo of Lydia and I think I might not have felt as much excitement as her while I sat in front of the French doors and watched but I was pretty mesmerized.

Winter Is Here!

We got a little dusting of snow during the wee hours yesterday morning.  It was scattered over the back porch and caught into the crevices of the furniture or I wouldn't have known about it, though.

I'm ready for a bit of snow.  I'd love to have a hand-full of snow days to sit inside and watch it swirl around!  I have my favorite door hanging of all time making the request.