Weatherman Got It Right

Damage to Birch trees across the street from work

A week ago Friday the local weather crews were saying that we would get a couple of inches of snow starting Sunday, the 20^th, with it then turning to rain, then sleet, and then back to snow.  They got it right.

Early Sunday afternoon the big pretty snowflakes started falling, quite heavily. By 2pm there was a good 2 inches on the ground and then the rain started; off and on all
afternoon.  Around 7pm the rain had all but stopped so I decided I had better move that slush from the drive before it froze into a super thick sheet of ice that wouldn’t thaw until spring.  By the time I was done there was a fine misty-sleet starting.  By the time we went to bed it was snowing.

My drive to work is 12 miles of mostly country roads.  It starts with 3 four-way stops within the first 6 miles and then a few traffic lights the rest of the way.  At the first 4-way stop, the flashing red light was out.  As I continued on, I noticed there were no lights in any of the houses.  There was no electric until I got within a half mile of work.  Dang, I was really starting to think no electric - no work, but nooooo we had lights.  Two block past work the electric is out again.  Gee, how luck am I?

In Michigan the count was anywhere between 100,000 to 110,000 homes without electricity and in our county it was 40,000 – 42,000.  I may have been unlucky that I had to work, but we were lucky that we still had electricity.

My boss brought his parakeets into his office.  He was staying with his sister and taking them there wouldn’t work.  Even though it was only for a day it was rather nice to have them chirping away.  We told him we need a mascot.  We almost did have a cat.  A mouse decided to move into the office area.  The threat of getting an office cat came up several times.

It has snowed several inches in the past 3 or 4 days.  I made a half hearted attempt to clear it.  My winters start with keeping in clear and liking to see the drive nice and clean.  As the plow continues to come through it gets to a funnel effect – two cars wide at the garage and then narrows down to one car wide at the road.  About this time of the year, I’m into the God put it there, God can take it away mentality.  Suppose to be in the mid to upper 30’s all this week.