Monster Storm

Well, this is the weekend of the monster winter storm, such as we haven't seen in this area in a few years. I'm staying indoors and out of trouble. I have no work to do for the rest of the weekend, seeing as both St. John's and Mt. Hope have canceled for tomorrow. Except for the milk truck, I've seen virtually no traffic going by all day.

The bad weather started yesterday evening. Sleet, and rat-a-tat-tat on the windowpanes. High winds, I mean wind just moaning and roaring. Then snow falling: I'm just guessing, but I'd say we got about 3 inches overnight.

And around 10:30 or 11:00 PM, thunder and lightning. Thunder! Like bombs going off! I got up, came downstairs, and shut down my computer, which I otherwise often leave running 24/7 these days.

Up this morning. Winds blowing. Drifting. Indeed I found a small drift of snow indoors on my front porch, where it must've blown in underneath the door, after blowing in first underneath the front screen door.

Then, around 10:30 in the morning, the freezing rain arrived. Windows on the east side of the house were coated within minutes. That was when we decided to cancel church. Most everything everywhere around here for the rest of the weekend is canceled. Lots of wind and precipitation the rest of the day.

I took a nap much of the afternoon, seeing as I've now got no work to do for the rest of the weekend. Got up and ate supper. Now I look out the window, and it's snowing. Snowing, with those high, blowing, roaring, keening winds. The winds up here high atop Wheatland Ridge could be, I dunno, 30 or 35 miles an hour right now.

I hear different amounts of snow forecast. 6 to 8 inches overnight. 8 to 9 inches overnight. 15 inches total between now and whenever it lets up Sunday night. On the radio they're warning people to stay home, don't travel if you can at all avoid it, travel is shut down, don't expect to get anywhere, if you do go out the odds are good you'll end up in the ditch. Stay home.

The milk trucks go through no matter what. But like I say, I've seen hardly a thing but the milk trucks go by here today. Meanwhile, I've got electric power— which, according to the radio, not everyone in the storm's path has right at the moment— and I've got extra groceries in freezer and cupboard. I'm just going to sit here, snug like a bug in a rug, and let this monster winter storm roar on by.