And it kept snowing, and snowing, and snowing, and...

This is what the front yard looked like this morning. That flagpole is about 7 feet off the ground, so that gives you some idea of how that snowbank is. Also if you look to the left of the flag you can see our shed. The storm circled around and hit us again later that morning.

6:46PM ~ It took us about 15 minutes to shovel the walkway and we were just relaxing when we both saw a flash of light that looked like lightning out the side window and then we heard something like thunder, but the thunder sounded distant. I opened the back door and could hear the snowplow on one of the nearby streets maybe it wasn’t thunder at all but the sound of the blade hitting the street. That just leaves the bright light to explain. I’d say it might have been a transformer but the lights didn’t go out. Maybe a squirrel got electrocuted. It just doesn’t seem likely that it was lightening. I don’t even know if it can lightning and thunder during a snow storm. Can it thunder and lightning during a snowstorm? I had to know so I Googled it and this is what I found out...

Thunder and lightning sometimes happen in a snowstorm, although it is somewhat rare, said Fred Gadomski, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University. In fact, he said, the biggest snowstorms are those marked by thunder and lightning, a phemomenon meteorologists call a “thunder snow.”

9:46PM ~ We just finished watching a movie and had to go dig out the pathway again, about 4-5 inches has fallen since 7:30. The snowplow just made a run and buried the front of our path so I had to dig it out again. While I was up there I noticed that he pushed some snow up against the side of Eric’s Jeep burying it too, we'll have to dig that out in the morning.

The Nightmare on President's Day Weekend

It rained most of the way here from Corona. I babysat the kids today. When I got to Hwy 38 there was nothin’ but taillights as far as I could see, the line was at least a mile long. The first thing I did was call Linda and tell her of my situation and ask her if she’d mind taking care of the dogs. She said we could stay at her mom’s if we couldn’t get up the hill tonight because the snow was really coming down. (It looked like they got maybe 5-inches in Mountain Home Village, which is below 3000 feet.) Someone came by going the other way on the highway, and said that they closed the road because there was a really bad accident involving multiple cars. I only had a ¼ tank of gas left (I wasn't expecting to run into this kind of snafu), so I went to the Thrifty gas station in Menton and filled up my gas tank at $1.15 a gallon, took about $28.00 but at least I had a full tank now. I used the restroom before heading back up and I thank God I did because it was a long wait. I called CalTrans as I was driving to the gas station and the recording said that the road was open but that they were requiring chains on all vehicles, no exceptions. I decided to stop at the ranger station and put chains on because at least it was dry there and well lighted. I didn’t know if it was still raining/snowing further up the hill. While there a man pulled in next to me and I asked him if they had closed the road and he said they hadn’t got that far and that he was told they were only letting residents up. There was a ray of hope because if they were letting residents up I could go home, however, I still had to wait in that long line of cars. As I approached the viewpoint I could see a yellow CalTrans light board and a bunch of lights, I thought that was where the accident was and that they were going to turn us all back but it was a chain stop with a CHP car there checking to make sure that people had chains on. The whole back up was due to the stupid people who thought they could blow past the chain stop. Since there was an officer there they had to pull over to chain up or turn around and go home. That is what caused all the back up. Stupid People!!!

After I got through the chain stop it was clear driving all the way up the mountain. There was only one time when I had to pull over and that was when a Highway Patrol 4X4 escorted a snowplow past everyone. The road wasn’t bad at all. I made it to our turn-off and ended up behind the snowplow going down our street. I was praying that he didn’t bury our walkway and that there was room for me to park. Thankfully, he didn’t bury the path too badly and he left plenty of room for Eric to park behind me across the street. As soon as I got home all I could do was laugh at how much snow had fallen. The berm is a good foot over the picket fence and its ten feet wide! Just like the last storm.

A Snow Shoveler's Diary

December 8:
6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window, watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9:
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a lovelier place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12:
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry; we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man. I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14:
Snow, lovely snow! 8-inches last night. The temperature dropped to 20*. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn’t realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I’ll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn’t huff and puff so.

December 15:
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife’s car, 2 extra snow shovels, and stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that’s silly. We aren’t in Alaska, after all.

December 16:
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice on the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was quite cruel.

December 17:
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should’ve bought a wood stove, but won’t admit it to her. God I hate when she’s right. I can’t believe I’m freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20:
Electricity’s back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Freakin’ snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighborhood kid to shovel, but they said they’re too busy playing hockey. I think they’re lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they’re out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they’re lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he’s lying.

December 22:
Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it’s so cold it probably won’t melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to go to the bathroom. By the time I got undressed, and went to the bathroom, and got dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of winter; but he says he’s too busy. I think the jerk is lying.

December 23:
Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0*. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she…nuts??? Why didn’t she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she’s damn well lying.

December 24:
6 inches. Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a b---- who drives that snowplow, I’ll drag him through the snow by his b---s. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I’ve just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the freakin’ snowplow.

December 25:
Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the @#$%^& slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she’s an idiot. If I have to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” one more time, I’m going to kill her.

December 26:
Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She’s really getting on my nerves.

December 27:
Temperature dropped to -30* and the pipes froze.

December 28:
Warmed up to above -50*. Still snowed in. The IDIOT is driving me crazy!!!

December 29:
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave-in. That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30:
Roof caved in. The snowplow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9-inches predicted.

December 31:
Set fire to what’s left of the house. No more shoveling!

January 8:
I feel so good. I just love those little white pills the keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Snow Again!

27.5° feels like 19°

All in all a very cold and wet next few days are ahead of us. Speaking of snow we got hit with another snowstorm. It was big as the last one and it hit just about the time that most of the snow from the previous storm had melted from the last one too. So, we had snow above the three foot picket fence again and 5 1/2 foot berms. Eric is having a war with the snow plow guy. Yesterday just as he was loading up the Jeep the snow plow came by and buried our walkway to the street so he had to dig it out again. Now we have put stakes with blue flags on them on either side of the walkway and we are hoping that he won't bury us again. And now we are supposed to get hit with a storm at least as bad as the last one. That means we will have another foot or more on top of the snow we have now. I hope we don't get snowed in again. I can't afford to not be down the hill for Becca, so that means if it starts to snow heavily I'm going to have to stay at her place until the weather clears up and I can come back home. Unfortunately, both of us will be down the hill when this big storm hits so we won't know how bad it is until we try to come up. Thankfully, our neighbors will watch out for the dogs