Mia is coming

[thistlebloom]

Momma Mia!

It wasn't a very good day for a 160 mile round trip out into the Palouse Hills, yesterday. Early morning started out just fine. The plows had done their work of removing the drifts that the 35+ mph winds had built on Saturday. The single digitS' temperatures were okay. Then, it began to snow and ice built up on the windshield wipers.

A 60mph drive during half the drive south early was down to 20mph driving when whiteout conditions prevailed at times heading back later. We were behind a long line of cars that completely disappeared whenever a truck passed in the opposite direction. Taillights covered with snow.

The schools in the district are closed this morning. Probably a strike by bus drivers, you know how they are ... But, it could be the kids. The state highway we took for a little ways north (couldn't stay on it, it was already closed) is now closed to the home of Washington State University. There, classes are 2 hours late this morning! I figure that the college kids just need time to take pictures with their phones to send to each other once there's some daylight.

Oh, the interstate 90 route over the Cascades opened again sometime yesterday afternoon. That should take some traffic pressure off Bob's neighborhood.

Steve

Was this a Sunday drive for pleasure Steve? If it was, it sounds like it backfired badly!
I must have missed looking at the forecast yesterday, I spent most of the day dozing off in front of the fire.
I was surprised this morning to see nearly a foot of fresh stuff out there.

We bought a nice Ariens snowblower this last fall, but dh prefers that we use the old Craftsman on my animal chore paths...I think he's afraid the odd horse biscuit would get his new machine dirty, haha.
But he was at work and I couldn't get the old beast started, so I helped myself to the new one.
Wow, what a nice machine! I diligently avoided any known piles, and made myself an Autobahn for feed chores. Just in case I am on restriction.

 

[thistlebloom]

Last evening sparse snow flakes started to fall lazily. Several hours later there was a light dusting ... then horrors of horrors... our satalite dish lost the TV signal. I had to climb up my ladder and sweep away the light dusting of snow from the TV dish on our roof and the tragedy was finally averted. We then had a glass of wine and onion rings before bed time so that I could warm up from the deadly cold temperature of 28* F. AT 5 AM this morning, there might have been about a quarter of an inch of snow on the ground with a very light rain drizzle. Then the TV news reported that our schools are closed for the day as about half of the kids in this district live in the mountains surrounding this small town and their roads are covered in snow up to 4" and black ice underneath the snow so the school buses can't operate there safely. The schools will have to make up for these closed school days this summer and the teachers are always upset ( like every other past years ) by this type of severe weather condition as it always interferes with their summer vacation plans. Last year Oregon resumed using salt and deicers for it's major roads after years of using only sand and traffic casualties have decreased dramatically. However, on the TV interview , the environmentalists are upset as this practice is "harmful to the environment" . This morning, I drove my wife to the park and ride at 5: 15 to Vancouver, Wa. so that she could take the bus to work in Portland, Ore.. Very little to NO snow on the ground along SR 503 as well as I 5. The many immortal crazy drivers were resuming their up to 70 - 80 ++ mph driving habits so this is extremely dangerous to our life and limb to even attempt to drive to the grocery stores to restock our empty refrigerator, wine cellar and cupboard. When is the governor going to issue a state of emergency so that the National Guard could direct traffic , scrape bodies and car parts off the roads , pick up the overflowing garbage cans next to our roads as the garbage trucks couldn't possibly pick up the garbage for the last week due to severe weather conditions, and we can apply for financial aid ? Tragic I tell you !










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Hunker down and stay safe Bob!

 

[digitS']

It did backfire - my Sunday trip - Visiting.

I'm surprised that I was awake after a inconsiderable 5 hours in the sack. Well, I was sitting 90% of yesterday. More eye strain than anything else.

A foot of New Snow! We had about 5" on Saturday and have another 5", I'd guess, Sunday. Don't be snickering, you folks in the Upper Midwest! This is the Wild West. Ask yourself how often have you seen Clint Eastwood on snowshoes? Thistle' is in that snowbelt. Valley is in the Sierras!

Speaking of mountains: Lookout Pass between ID and Montana had a wind chill of 24 below during all that blowing cold out of the northeast! The town of Mullen wasn't much warmer. Ya know, I once suggested to DW that a little community on the other side of the hill from Mullen might be a nice place to live. I've had a few of these bad ideas over the years. They usually come on pleasant, sunny days.

The area west of Potlatch has no picnic weather lately, either.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Kid#1 works a lift on the ski hill on weekends in order to qualify for a season pass. (He works at a welding shop this winter as well. = no time off to snowboard)
He had Saturday off as they closed the mountain early because of wind. I can't imagine what it's like up there when it's in the negative teens down here with 50 mph gusts.
He's supposed to send me sunrise pics from the top of the world but he said his phone froze up immediately on Sunday when he pulled it out of his pocket. But he told me what a beautiful day it was.
It's a matter of perspective. And youth.

 

[bobm]

Today's TV noon news weather forecast ... this new low pressure wave is now hitting our area with up to 2 inches of heavy rain today with flood watches and warnings depending on your neighborhood. We are having light rain now. Up to 6 inches of wet snow and mid 20*s overnight in areas over 500 feet elevation ( we are at 732 feet) . We are doomed ... send fireplace logs for our fireplaces, food ( Bay , if you have any spare pork chops or bacon or leg of lamb , send it post - haste as we will be starving by morning ) , water or wine / booze , National Guards with life preservers and rescue boats/ helicopters ...

 

[flowerbug]

Today's TV noon news weather forecast ... this new low pressure wave is now hitting our area with up to 2 inches of heavy rain today with flood watches and warnings depending on your neighborhood. We are having light rain now. Up to 6 inches of wet snow and mid 20*s overnight in areas over 500 feet elevation ( we are at 732 feet) . We are doomed ... send fireplace logs for our fireplaces, food ( Bay , if you have any spare pork chops or bacon or leg of lamb , send it post - haste as we will be starving by morning ) , water or wine / booze , National Guards with life preservers and rescue boats/ helicopters ...

i notice you say nothing of beans... heeheehee

i can probably rustle up some cookies.

 

[flowerbug]

Was this a Sunday drive for pleasure Steve? If it was, it sounds like it backfired badly!
I must have missed looking at the forecast yesterday, I spent most of the day dozing off in front of the fire.
I was surprised this morning to see nearly a foot of fresh stuff out there.

We bought a nice Ariens snowblower this last fall, but dh prefers that we use the old Craftsman on my animal chore paths...I think he's afraid the odd horse biscuit would get his new machine dirty, haha.
But he was at work and I couldn't get the old beast started, so I helped myself to the new one.
Wow, what a nice machine! I diligently avoided any known piles, and made myself an Autobahn for feed chores. Just in case I am on restriction.

tell him you'll use the old one if he can get it to start reliably... our snow throwers are our shovels. sometimes if we get it clear the wind will keep it clear for us a good bit of the ways.

lol @ biscuits flying out the end of the snow/biscuit blower...

 

[flowerbug]

speaking of ice... when we drove yesterday to our little family gathering there was ice everywhere. the sidewalks were more suitable for skating rinks and many driveways were as bad as well as a lot of the yards were covered in ice. i don't recall the last time it was as bad looking as that.

you'd be taking your life into your hands walking on almost any sidewalk we saw.

i have a pair of those rubber thingies you put on your shoes that have little metal nubs for getting a grip on ice, but since i don't walk on the roads any more when it is icy i haven't put them on in a long time. for sure you'd need them out there now.

out here in the country there aren't such fancy things as sidewalks and i generally don't like walking in the winter here anyways because of how crazy some of the people drive.

 

[seedcorn]

Today's TV noon news weather forecast ... this new low pressure wave is now hitting our area with up to 2 inches of heavy rain today with flood watches and warnings depending on your neighborhood. We are having light rain now. Up to 6 inches of wet snow and mid 20*s overnight in areas over 500 feet elevation ( we are at 732 feet) . We are doomed ... send fireplace logs for our fireplaces, food ( Bay , if you have any spare pork chops or bacon or leg of lamb , send it post - haste as we will be starving by morning ) , water or wine / booze , National Guards with life preservers and rescue boats/ helicopters ...

I’ll gladly help out once I dig out of our 1” of snow. With my advanced age and cognitive abilities, should happen by July. I’m assuming you will have frozen to death or starved by then. So I will eat what I was planning on sending.

 

[bobm]

I’ll gladly help out once I dig out of our 1” of snow. With my advanced age and cognitive abilities, should happen by July. I’m assuming you will have frozen to death or starved by then. So I will eat what I was planning on sending.

Thank you for your heartfelt concern Seed. The Arctic blast was replaced with a tropical storm stream from Hawaii at the last minute. We have been deluged with " very heavy rains " ( according to the weatheret reporter on TV ) totaling just under an inch last night. " Very heavy rains" will continue to fall all day and may cause small stream flooding. However. snow is falling at above 2,000 foot elevations. There was a 3 truck pileup on highway 84 just east of Portland, Ore. due to icy roads closing the highway until investigations are over and trucks hauled off. Local schools are again closed because of black ice on the mountain roads and it would be unsafe for the school buses to transport kids. Once again we have averted certain death and starvation and other natural disasters. Thanks go out to the Tiki Gods in Hawaii !!! Just now, the weather reporteret stated to be prepared for possible heavy flooding due to the " very heavy rains" ( we received just under an inch of rain last night ). Now we may drown... will these natural disasters ever stop ?