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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Let It Snow

Wow. I woke up this morning and looked out the window and ... wow.

Yesterday I knew snow was in the forecast, so I expected some.


11 Feb 2010, 6:45am 11 Feb 2010, 6:45am - It's been snowing all night.

11 Feb 2010, 6:50 am 11 Feb 2010, 6:50 am - My garden Gnomes are digging for cover under the Maple tree.

11 Feb 2010, 8 am 11 Feb 2010, 8 am - My front yard Butterfly Garden.

And we got some more snow, plus some MORE snow. It been snowing all day!

11 Feb 2010, 8:05 am 11 Feb 2010, 8:05 am - Merlin sneaked into the middle of some clean laundry I was putting away and made himself quite at home.


And the white flakes are still falling. A snow "event" as it's called. In north Texas we get maybe 1 or 2 days of snow every other year, and it's over. Only once every ten to fifteen years we see snow "events" that last days and cripple traffic and throw silly people into panic. We get ice storms, and that story's best left for another post.


11 Feb 2010, 12 noon 11 Feb 2010, 12 noon - Butterfly Garden again. Accumulation is 3-1/2 inches, and it's still snowing.

11 Feb 2010, 12:15 pm 11 Feb 2010, 12:15 pm - Pretty Holly and berries in the snow.

11 Feb 2010, 12:30 pm 11 Feb 2010, 12:30 pm - Front yard. It's really coming down now.

11 Feb 2010, 2 pm 11 Feb 2010, 3pm - Lexie (dog) & Alex in the back yard after school.


Anyway, yeah, panic. Native Texans know how to deal with a little snow and ice under the snow. Transplanted Texans don't, at least the vast majority I've deal with or seen. And yep, I'm one of the very few natives left here. There's a way to drive on ice if it's necessary, and it's NOT the normal way you drive. Innocents and idiots alike know this and so do their insurance companies.

I don't drive in severe weather of any kind if I don't have to. Sliding on the street in my car to go somewhere or ending up in a ditch by the side of the road is not my idea of a safe journey. You get out, do what you absolutely must, then then get home and stay off the roads until they're again clear. That may sound weird to those living up in the north USA. Not in central north Texas.

Last night, all night, power transformers blow out around our neighborhood continually. The explosive "BANG"'s were disconcerting, and hopefully everyone got their power back on quickly. (shiver!) That's a creepy sound, hearing one of those big electric boxes blow up. Ice and accumulating snow causes it. Yeah, we're not equipped here to deal with lots of snow, but the experience is great background for my stories.

Stay warm and safe.

~R

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